This gap-toothed, tousle-haired comic lead and character player first came to prominence as a star of the Broadway stage. After training at the American Theater Wing in the early 1950s, Morse made his Broadway debut in “The Matchmaker” (1955), starring Ruth Gordon, and gained attention for his turn in the play “Say, Darling” (1957). He segued to musicals, co-starring with Jackie Gleason and Walter Pidgeon in “Take Me Along” (1959), based on Eugene O’Neill’s “Ah, Wilderness!”, and achieved stage stardom in the leading role of J. Pierpont Finch in the award-winning “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” (1961), which earned him a Tony Award. In “Sugar” (1974), a musical based on Billy Wilder’s “Some Like It Hot,” Morse assumed the role created by Jack Lemmon. Over a decade later, Morse reignited his career with a tour-de-force portrayal of author Truman Capote in the one-man play “Tru” (1990), which earned him a second Tony Award.
Morse has worked sporadically in features since his 1956 debut in THE PROUD AND THE PROFANE. He reprised two of his best stage roles, Barnaby Tucker in THE MATCHMAKER (1958) and Finch in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING (1967). Morse offered comic turns as a Brit overseeing his uncle ‘s funeral in Tony Richardson’s THE LOVED ONE (1965) and as Walter Matthau’s best friend extolling the joys of infidelity in Gene Kelly’s A GUIDE FOR THE MARRIED MAN (1967). After appearing in Disney’s THE BOATNICKS (1970), he disappeared from the big screen for 17 years, reemerging in the unfunny comedy HUNK (1987).Robert Morse
Born: May 18, 1931Key Shows- "How to Succeed in Business"
- "Take Me ALong"
- "So Long, 174th Street"
- "Sugar"
- Gower Champion
- Bob Fosse
- Frank Loesser
- Donna McKechnie
- David Merrick
- Peter Stone
- Jule Styne
Source: Excerpted from Baseline. BaselineStudioSystems — A Hollywood Media Corp. Company.
Photo credits: Photofest
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