Robert Morse, a Tony-winning actor whose credits include Mad Men, Teen Titans Go!, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, has passed away. He was 90 years old. During his career, Morse had dozens of screen credits, spent years on the stage, and earned two Tony Awards — one for How to Succeed In Business…, and one for Tru, in which he played the role of Truman Capote. You can still see both of those performances, as PBS’s American Playhouse committed Tru to film, while filmmaker David Swift would cast Morse in a film adaptation of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in 1967.
Screenwriter Larry Karaszewski, who worked with Mr. Morse on the television series The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story and was friends with the actor for years, revealed the actor’s passing on social media. No cause of death was given.
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“My good pal Bobby Morse has passed away at age 90,” tweeted Larry Karaszewski, the writer/producer and VP on the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “A huge talent and a beautiful spirit. Sending love to his son Charlie & daughter Allyn. Had so much fun hanging with Bobby over the years – filming People v OJ & hosting so many screenings (How To Succeed, Loved One, That’s Life).”
Morse made his first screen appearance in the 1954 TV series The Secret Storm, and would continue to work on screen and stage nonstop until shortly before his death. His first regular TV role was in That’s Life, where he played Robert Dickinson in 1968 and 1969. He also appeared in CBS’s 2000 series City of Angels.
Morse seemed to prefer stage and TV, where he could develop and improve on a character or performance, to movies, which were more of a one-off. His last big-screen appearance was in 2012’s The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez, but he would continue to work on TV and stage for years after. ComicBook.com readers may know him as the voices of DeSaad in Superman: The Animated Series and Santa Claus in Teen Titans Go.
Morse played Bertram Cooper in Mad Men, earning praise for the role and five Emmy nominations.
“I said I’d be happy to be Bertram Cooper, chairman of the board, and sit behind a desk,” the New York Times quoted him as saying of the part.
Morse had three daughters — Robin, Andrea, and Hilary — with his first wife, Carole Ann D’Andrea, a dancer. He and his second wife, Elizabeth Roberts, had a daughter, Allyn, and a son, Charles. Ironically, given his role in Mad Men, Roberts is a real-life advertising executive.
Our condolences go out to Mr. Morse’s friends, family, collaborators, and fans during this difficult time.
