Two-time Tony-winning performer Robert Morse died at his Los Ageles home on April 20. Born May 18, 1931, in Newton, Mass., Morse, moved to New York after graduating from Newton H.S., joining his older brother Richard, who was studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse. He made his TV debut on the series The Secret Storm (1954) and the following year made his Broadway debut as Barnaby Tucker in the original production of The Matchmaker, reprising his performance in the 1958 film.
He returned to Broadway in Say, Darling (1958), a play with songs written by Jule Styne with Betty Comden and Adolph Green, earning his first Tony nomination. The following year, he starred in the musical Take Me Along, earning another Tony nomination. Below, you can listen to Morse sing “Nine O’Clock.” He won his first Tony for the Pulitzer-winning musical How to Succeed … (1961), reprising his performance in the 1967 film. Below is Morse performing “I Believe in You.”
During the Sixties, Morse starred in a series of film comedies and showcased his musical chops in the drama The Cardinal (1963). Below, you can watch Morse perform “They Haven’t Got the Girls in the U.S.A.” He ended the decade with an Emmy nomination for his leading role in the TV sitcom That’s Life, which presented a new musical episode each week. Below is a rare promo of that ABC series.
In 1972, Morse voiced Dudley Pippin on the album Free to Be … You and Me and starred in the Broadway musical Sugar, earning a Tony nomination and a Drama Desk Award. Below are Morse and Tony Roberts recreating “The Beauty That Drives Men Mad” in a 1999 Carnegie Hall concert. Morse also starred in the short-lived Broadway musical So Long, 174th Street (1976) and voiced Scrooge in the animated TV special The Stingiest Man in Town (1978). Below is “Golden Dreams” sung by Morse with Shelby Flint.
He returned to seasonal TV fare in the title role of Jack Frost (1979), from which you can watch “It’s Lonely Being One of a Kind” below. The following year, Morse headlined the national tour of Sugar Babies with Carol Channing. His other work in the 1980s includes the musical film The Emperor’s New Clothes (1987), from which you can watch “Weave-O” below, and the Broadway play Tru (1989), which brought Morse his second Tony and Drama Desk awards plus an Emmy for its 1993 PBS broadcast. In 1999, Morse was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.
In 2003, Morse originated the role of the Wizard in Wicked, but he left the show before its Broadway opening. From 2007 to 2015, Morse had a recurring role the series Mad Men, which brought him five Emmy nominations. Below is Morse singing “The Best Things in Life Are Free.” From 2015 to 2019, he voiced Santa Claus in the animated series Teen Titans Go! Below (at 2:51) is Morse singing “It’s Not About the Parts.”