Actor Robert Morse has died at the age of 90. His son Charlie confirmed his death to ABC Eyewitness News on Wednesday night (April 20). A cause of death was not initially known.
Morse will be remembered for his role as Bertram Cooper, a wacky elder statesman and co-founder of advertising agency Sterling Cooper, on the AMC series Mad Men. He was nominated for an Emmy five times between 2008 and 2014 for this role.
career on Broadway
However, Morse first gained notoriety as a theater actor. 1949 debuted with the role of Gabey in the musical “On the Town”. In New York he finally ended up on Broadway, where he played until 1990. There have been two Tony Awards over the course of his career. His first big screen role was in 1956’s Heroes Can Cry, too. Despite some well-known appearances, the actor could not recommend himself for larger roles in the cinema. In addition to some television work, Morse remained true to the theater.
It was worth it, because in 1992 he starred in the TV version of the Broadway play “Tru” as Capote in front of the camera and won an Emmy for it. After “mad Men” showrunner Matthew Weiner brought Morse on board for his big TV tale about America’s evolution from the ’50s through the ’70s, Morse took on a few more roles, including playing the Simpsons in “American Crime Story: The People vs OJ Simpson.” journalist Dominick Dunne – but withdrew from the film business in 2016.
“A great talent and a wonderful soul”
Writer and producer Larry Karaszewski tweeted: “My good friend Bobby Morse has passed away at the age of 90. A great talent and a wonderful soul. All the best to his son Charlie and daughter Allyn.”
My good pal Bobby Morse has passed away at age 90. 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) pic.twitter.com/H1vCD3jjul
— Larry Karaszewski (@Karaszewski) April 21, 2022