1954–1967: Breakthrough and acclaim ,
Virginia Martin and Morse in
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1961) Morse earned multiple nominations and wins for Tony,
Drama Desk, and Emmy awards over a period of five decades. He appeared in musicals and plays on Broadway, as well as in films and television shows. Morse made his television debut in the
CBS soap opera
The Secret Storm in 1954. His first film role was uncredited in the romantic drama
The Proud and Profane (1956). In 1955, he made his
Broadway debut playing Barnaby Tucker in the
Thornton Wilder comedic play
The Matchmaker, a role which he reprised in the
1958 film of the same name directed by
Joseph Anthony. Morse also played Bobby in the
Otto Preminger directed drama film
The Cardinal (1963). During this time, he took television roles in
The Alcoa Hour,
Alfred Hitchcock Presents,
Naked City,
The Play of the Week, and
The Jonathan Winters Show. Morse returned to Broadway playing Ted Snow in the comedic show
Say, Darling. Critic John Chapman of The
New York Daily News, described Morse's performance as being "splendid". He would go on to receive a
Theatre World Award, as well as his first Tony Award nomination for
Best Featured Actor in a Play, losing to
Charlie Ruggles in
The Pleasure of His Company. The following year, he played Richard Miller in the musical
Take Me Along (1959) based on the
Eugene O'Neill play
Ah, Wilderness!. Morse acted alongside
Jackie Gleason and
Walter Pidgeon. For his role, Morse received his second Tony nomination, this time for
Best Actor in a Musical. Morse gained stardom for portraying the young 1960s
New York City businessman J. Pierrepont Finch in the 1961 Broadway production,
Frank Loesser and
Abe Burrows musical,
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The production earned raves with
New York Times critic
Howard Taubman, writing that Robert Morse played Finch "with unfailing bravura and wit", pronouncing Finch, as portrayed by Morse, "a rumpled, dimpled angel with a streak of Lucifer." The production received numerous accolades including the
Pulitzer Prize for Drama and seven Tony Awards. He went on to receive his third Tony Award nomination and first win for
Best Actor in a Musical. Although he was not named on the award, he contributed to the
Grammy Award-winning cast album. He reprised the role in the
1967 film adaptation of the same name. In 1964, Morse co-starred in the comedy film
Quick, Before It Melts. The following year, he appeared in the black comedy film
The Loved One, a film based on the
Evelyn Waugh novel of the same name which satirized the funeral business in Los Angeles, particularly
Forest Lawn Cemetery. In 1967, he co-starred in
Gene Kelly's
A Guide for the Married Man, opposite
Walter Matthau, and in ''
Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad'', which had been filmed two years previously.
1968–2006: Established actor and Morse in ''
That's Life'' in 1968 In 1968, he appeared in the comedy
Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? opposite
Doris Day. That same year, he acted in the television series ''
That's Life, which attempted to blend the musical genre with a situation comedy centered on newlyweds "Robert" and "Gloria" (played by E. J. Peaker). The series was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Series. Additionally, he guest-starred on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. During this time, he also appeared in episodes of Night Gallery, Love, American Style, and Alias Smith and Jones''. and Robert Morse for ''
That's Life'' in 1968 Morse was in the original Broadway cast of
Sugar, a 1972 musical stage adaptation of
Some Like It Hot. T.E. Killam of
Time wrote of Morse's performance, "Morse captures the tremor, tenderness, coquettishness and vulnerability of a girl's first love. Morse is an enormously personable stage presence, and he knows it." For the role, he won the Drama Desk Award and was again nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Morse joined other performers, including
Marlo Thomas, in creating the 1972
Free to Be... You and Me children's album. as well as the main character Stuffy in
The First Easter Rabbit. Morse appeared in dozens of TV shows, including
Alfred Hitchcock Presents and
The Twilight Zone. He also appeared on
CBS Radio Mystery Theater. He starred in the 1976 musical
So Long, 174th Street, which was based on the play
Enter Laughing. It received poor reviews and closed quickly, becoming Morse's last Broadway role for more than a decade. Morse made his return to Broadway portraying author and socialite
Truman Capote in the one man show
Tru (1989), earning rave reviews for his performance as well as the
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play and the
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show. In 1992, he recreated his
Tru performance for the
PBS series
American Playhouse and won the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. In 1999, Morse was inducted into the
American Theater Hall of Fame for his long career as a stage actor. During the 1990s, he also took on numerous voice roles in various animated shows such as
Tiny Toon Adventures,
Rugrats,
Superman: The Animated Series, and
The Wild Thornberrys. In 2000, he acted in the
CBS medical drama
City of Angels playing Edwin O'Malley, acting alongside
Blair Underwood,
Vivica A. Fox,
Viola Davis, and
Maya Rudolph. In 2002, Morse was cast as the
Wizard of Oz in the
San Francisco run of the
Stephen Schwartz musical
Wicked at the
Curran Theatre, and acted opposite
Idina Menzel and
Kristin Chenoweth. Morse quit the show before its Broadway opening and was replaced by
Joel Grey.
2007–2019: Mad Men and return to Broadway Beginning in 2007, Morse took on a recurring role in the critically acclaimed
AMC dramatic series
Mad Men as elder 1960s New York City businessman
Bertram Cooper, a founding partner in the advertising agency Sterling Cooper. He was regularly nominated for a
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series as a result of his performance in
2008,
2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014. The series creator
Matthew Weiner originally cast Morse in part because of his reputation on the stage, including his iconic role as social climber J. Pierrepont Finch in 1962’s
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. In his character's final moments, he gets a song and dance number where he sings, "
The Best Things in Life Are Free". Morse said of the moment, "It's an absolute love letter from creator Matt Weiner. You couldn't ask for a nicer send off." In 2016, he played
Walter Hoving in the comedic film ''
Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie. Morse was cast as journalist Dominick Dunne who covered the 1994–1995 murder trial of O. J. Simpson for Vanity Fair in the critically acclaimed Ryan Murphy created limited series The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story on FX. At the age of 85, Morse returned to Broadway in the 2016 revival of the newspaper comedy The Front Page acting alongside Nathan Lane, John Slattery, John Goodman, and Holland Taylor at the Broadhurst Theatre. David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter described his performance as "delightful". He voiced Santa Claus in Teen Titans Go! (2015–2021), and Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans'' (2019). ==Personal life and death==