Cara Williams, the actress known for her Oscar-nominated turn in The Defiant Ones, her Emmy-nominated performance in CBS’ sitcom Pete and Gladys and more, died on December 9. She was 96.
Williams’ passing was confirmed in a Twitter post published on Saturday by her great-nephew, Richard Potter. “My Great Aunt, who might have been the last surviving Golden Age of Hollywood actress died on Thursday at 96,” he wrote. “#Oscar & #Emmy Nominated. #CaraWilliams. Rip Cara.”
The actress was born in Brooklyn, NY on June 29, 1925 as Bernice Kamiat, finding her first film role in Lesley Selander’s 1941 Western, Wide Open Town. She starred in Stanley Kramer’s drama The Defiant Ones opposite Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis, appearing in December Bride spinoff Pete and Gladys opposite Harry Morgan.
Over the course of her 40-plus year screen career, Williams garnered a total of 55 screen credits. She also appeared on the film side in Girls’ Town,...
Williams’ passing was confirmed in a Twitter post published on Saturday by her great-nephew, Richard Potter. “My Great Aunt, who might have been the last surviving Golden Age of Hollywood actress died on Thursday at 96,” he wrote. “#Oscar & #Emmy Nominated. #CaraWilliams. Rip Cara.”
The actress was born in Brooklyn, NY on June 29, 1925 as Bernice Kamiat, finding her first film role in Lesley Selander’s 1941 Western, Wide Open Town. She starred in Stanley Kramer’s drama The Defiant Ones opposite Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis, appearing in December Bride spinoff Pete and Gladys opposite Harry Morgan.
Over the course of her 40-plus year screen career, Williams garnered a total of 55 screen credits. She also appeared on the film side in Girls’ Town,...
- 12/12/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Cara Williams, one of the last remaining actresses of Hollywood’s Golden Age and an Oscar nominee for her performance in 1958’s “The Defiant Ones,” died on Thursday. She was 96 years old.
Williams’ death was confirmed to Variety by her daughter Justine Jagoda and her great-nephew Richard Potter.
“Not only was she a sparkling actress with impeccable comedic timing, she was also funny, over-the-top, warm-hearted and loving,” Jagoda told Variety in a statement. “She could make anyone laugh and smile if they had a bad day. She was everything that you could wish for in a mother and more. It’s a sad loss to lose a woman from this incredible era.”
Born as Bernice Kamiat in Brooklyn, N.Y. on June 29, 1925, Williams began working as an actress when she was a child. After her parents divorced, she relocated to Hollywood with her mother and began to attend the Hollywood Professional School,...
Williams’ death was confirmed to Variety by her daughter Justine Jagoda and her great-nephew Richard Potter.
“Not only was she a sparkling actress with impeccable comedic timing, she was also funny, over-the-top, warm-hearted and loving,” Jagoda told Variety in a statement. “She could make anyone laugh and smile if they had a bad day. She was everything that you could wish for in a mother and more. It’s a sad loss to lose a woman from this incredible era.”
Born as Bernice Kamiat in Brooklyn, N.Y. on June 29, 1925, Williams began working as an actress when she was a child. After her parents divorced, she relocated to Hollywood with her mother and began to attend the Hollywood Professional School,...
- 12/12/2021
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Ralph Carmichael, a prolific composer and arranger of film and TV scores whose writing or arranging credits include I Love Lucy, Bonanza, My Mother the Car, the sci-fi classic The Blob and some of the most beloved and enduring Christmas recordings ever made, died Monday in Camarillo, Calif. He was 94.
His death was announced by family spokesperson Jim Pedersen. A cause was not specified.
A pioneering figure in contemporary Christian music, Carmichael began a long career in television and film in the early 1950s when he headed the music department of his alma mater, the Southern California Bible College, and his school band was featured on the local Los Angeles TV program Campus Christian Hour. The show won an Emmy Award in 1951.
Around the same time, he began writing incidental music charts for I Love Lucy, a role he’d also fill on December Bride, Bonanza and The Frankie Lane Show,...
His death was announced by family spokesperson Jim Pedersen. A cause was not specified.
A pioneering figure in contemporary Christian music, Carmichael began a long career in television and film in the early 1950s when he headed the music department of his alma mater, the Southern California Bible College, and his school band was featured on the local Los Angeles TV program Campus Christian Hour. The show won an Emmy Award in 1951.
Around the same time, he began writing incidental music charts for I Love Lucy, a role he’d also fill on December Bride, Bonanza and The Frankie Lane Show,...
- 10/20/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Lucille Desiree Ball
Born: Aug. 6, 1911 in Celeron, N.Y.
Died: April 26, 1989 in Los Angeles
Best known for: CBS comedy series “I Love Lucy” (1951-1957), “The Lucy Show” (1962-68), “Here’s Lucy” (1968-74). As Variety‘s Tom Gilbert observed after her death, “Ball’s elastic facial expressions and precise comic timing catapulted her into an American institution.”
Autobiography: “Love, Lucy,” published posthumously in 1996, from a memoir Ball wrote in the mid-1960s.
Awards: Emmy wins for lead comedy actress in 1953, 1956, 1967 and 1968. Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.‘s Cecil B. DeMille Award, 1979. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Governors Award, 1989
Behind the scenes impact: With her husband and “I Love Lucy” co-star Desi Arnaz, Ball was a TV pioneer who etched an enduring template for TV sitcoms shot on film, which ignited the syndication marketplace for TV. Known for her signature flame-red hair color, Ball was also the first woman to head a major TV studio,...
Born: Aug. 6, 1911 in Celeron, N.Y.
Died: April 26, 1989 in Los Angeles
Best known for: CBS comedy series “I Love Lucy” (1951-1957), “The Lucy Show” (1962-68), “Here’s Lucy” (1968-74). As Variety‘s Tom Gilbert observed after her death, “Ball’s elastic facial expressions and precise comic timing catapulted her into an American institution.”
Autobiography: “Love, Lucy,” published posthumously in 1996, from a memoir Ball wrote in the mid-1960s.
Awards: Emmy wins for lead comedy actress in 1953, 1956, 1967 and 1968. Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.‘s Cecil B. DeMille Award, 1979. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Governors Award, 1989
Behind the scenes impact: With her husband and “I Love Lucy” co-star Desi Arnaz, Ball was a TV pioneer who etched an enduring template for TV sitcoms shot on film, which ignited the syndication marketplace for TV. Known for her signature flame-red hair color, Ball was also the first woman to head a major TV studio,...
- 8/6/2020
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Maggie Smith, Kathy Bates and Laura Linney are teaming up for Irish drama The Miracle Club, from director Thaddeus O’Sullivan.
The film — due to begin shooting in April — is described as a "joyful and hilarious" journey of a group of riotous working-class women from Dublin, whose pilgrimage to Lourdes in France leads them to discover each other’s friendship and their own personal miracles."
O’Sullivan (December Bride, Ordinary Decent Criminal, Into the Storm) will work from an original screenplay by Jimmy Smallhorne (2by4), Timothy Prager (Silent Witness, Two Thousand Acres of Sky) and Josh Maurer.
The film ...
The film — due to begin shooting in April — is described as a "joyful and hilarious" journey of a group of riotous working-class women from Dublin, whose pilgrimage to Lourdes in France leads them to discover each other’s friendship and their own personal miracles."
O’Sullivan (December Bride, Ordinary Decent Criminal, Into the Storm) will work from an original screenplay by Jimmy Smallhorne (2by4), Timothy Prager (Silent Witness, Two Thousand Acres of Sky) and Josh Maurer.
The film ...
- 6/17/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Maggie Smith, Kathy Bates and Laura Linney are teaming up for Irish drama The Miracle Club, from director Thaddeus O’Sullivan.
The film — due to begin shooting in April — is described as a "joyful and hilarious" journey of a group of riotous working-class women from Dublin, whose pilgrimage to Lourdes in France leads them to discover each other’s friendship and their own personal miracles."
O’Sullivan (December Bride, Ordinary Decent Criminal, Into the Storm) will work from an original screenplay by Jimmy Smallhorne (2by4), Timothy Prager (Silent Witness, Two Thousand Acres of Sky) and Josh Maurer.
The film ...
The film — due to begin shooting in April — is described as a "joyful and hilarious" journey of a group of riotous working-class women from Dublin, whose pilgrimage to Lourdes in France leads them to discover each other’s friendship and their own personal miracles."
O’Sullivan (December Bride, Ordinary Decent Criminal, Into the Storm) will work from an original screenplay by Jimmy Smallhorne (2by4), Timothy Prager (Silent Witness, Two Thousand Acres of Sky) and Josh Maurer.
The film ...
- 6/17/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fred Willard, best known for his roles in Best in Show, This Is Spinal Tap, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Modern Family, died of natural causes at the age of 86, according to Variety.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share the news my father passed away very peacefully last night at the fantastic age of 86 years old,” his daughter Hope Willard tweeted on Saturday. “He kept moving, working and making us happy until the very end. We loved him so very much! We will miss him forever.”
Willard first came into national consciousness as the sidekick to Martin Mull’s host on the nightly Fernwood 2 Night. He is well known as part of the revolving troupe of actors – including Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy – assembled by director Christopher Guest.
“How lucky that we all got to enjoy Fred Willard’s gifts,” Guest’s wife,...
“It is with a heavy heart that I share the news my father passed away very peacefully last night at the fantastic age of 86 years old,” his daughter Hope Willard tweeted on Saturday. “He kept moving, working and making us happy until the very end. We loved him so very much! We will miss him forever.”
Willard first came into national consciousness as the sidekick to Martin Mull’s host on the nightly Fernwood 2 Night. He is well known as part of the revolving troupe of actors – including Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy – assembled by director Christopher Guest.
“How lucky that we all got to enjoy Fred Willard’s gifts,” Guest’s wife,...
- 5/17/2020
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Richard Erdman, a film and TV actor who made a long career as an affable sidekick and character actor, has died. He was 93 and no cause of death was given.
An Oklahoma native, Erdman was the consummate secondary player. His venues ranged from the original Twilight Zone, where he played a man with a timepiece that could freeze the world, to Fred Zinneman’s The Men, where he played an easy-going paralyzed veteran who helps Marlon Brando adjust to life as a paraplegic.
Other notable roles by Erdman included his stint as an alcoholic ex-Marine in Cry Danger, and Billy Wilder’s Stalag 17, where he played a barracks chief.
Erdman moved to Los Angeles in 1941, enrolling in Hollywood High School. He was offered a Warner Bros. contract and appeared in Mr. Skeffington and later as Scooper Nolan in Janie (1944). He made 30 films at Warners, including an appearance in The Time of Your Life...
An Oklahoma native, Erdman was the consummate secondary player. His venues ranged from the original Twilight Zone, where he played a man with a timepiece that could freeze the world, to Fred Zinneman’s The Men, where he played an easy-going paralyzed veteran who helps Marlon Brando adjust to life as a paraplegic.
Other notable roles by Erdman included his stint as an alcoholic ex-Marine in Cry Danger, and Billy Wilder’s Stalag 17, where he played a barracks chief.
Erdman moved to Los Angeles in 1941, enrolling in Hollywood High School. He was offered a Warner Bros. contract and appeared in Mr. Skeffington and later as Scooper Nolan in Janie (1944). He made 30 films at Warners, including an appearance in The Time of Your Life...
- 3/17/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
It’ll be the end of an era on Thursday. Not only is eight-time nominee and five-time winner “Modern Family” not expected to receive a Best Comedy Series nomination, but our combined odds are forecasting a shutout from the acting races for the first time.
Ty Burrell, who’s been the ABC comedy’s sole acting nominee the past two years, has the highest odds to return to Best Comedy Supporting Actor, residing in 12th place. He won in 2011 and 2014 and is the only main cast member to have been nominated for every season of the show. Two-time champ Eric Stonestreet, who hasn’t been shortlisted since his second win in 2012, is in 15th place, followed by five-time nominee Jesse Tyler Ferguson in 17th and three-time nominee Ed O’Neill in 18th.
Over in Best Comedy Supporting Actress, four-time nominee Sofia Vergara has the edge in 18th place over two-time winner Julie Bowen,...
Ty Burrell, who’s been the ABC comedy’s sole acting nominee the past two years, has the highest odds to return to Best Comedy Supporting Actor, residing in 12th place. He won in 2011 and 2014 and is the only main cast member to have been nominated for every season of the show. Two-time champ Eric Stonestreet, who hasn’t been shortlisted since his second win in 2012, is in 15th place, followed by five-time nominee Jesse Tyler Ferguson in 17th and three-time nominee Ed O’Neill in 18th.
Over in Best Comedy Supporting Actress, four-time nominee Sofia Vergara has the edge in 18th place over two-time winner Julie Bowen,...
- 7/11/2018
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Ty Burrell has been nominated for Best Comedy Supporting Actor at the Emmys every year “Modern Family” has been on the air (2010-2017), and he has won twice. In fact, he’s the last man standing among the cast of the ABC sitcom: in 2016 and 2017 he was the only actor from the show to make the cut. This year he’s on the threshold of a new milestone: if he receives his ninth nomination this year he will tie as the second most nominated actor in the history of the category.
As it stands Burrell’s eight bids place him third on the all-time list. The record is currently held by David Hyde Pierce, who earned Comedy Supporting Actor noms for all of his 11 seasons as Niles Crane on “Frasier” (1994-2004). Pierce won the award four times. The second biggest nominee in the category is currently Harry Morgan, who contended...
As it stands Burrell’s eight bids place him third on the all-time list. The record is currently held by David Hyde Pierce, who earned Comedy Supporting Actor noms for all of his 11 seasons as Niles Crane on “Frasier” (1994-2004). Pierce won the award four times. The second biggest nominee in the category is currently Harry Morgan, who contended...
- 4/13/2018
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
The news that NBC has opted against moving forward with The Farm, the Dwight-centric spinoff of The Office, marks the latest bit of bad news for what was once one of TV's most common genres. Ever since 1960, when CBS enlisted M*A*S*H's future Colonel Potter (Harry Morgan) to move his December Bride character of Pete Porter to a new show called Pete and Gladys, networks have been exploiting their most successful sitcoms by creating new shows engineered from the DNA of those hits. But while the practice is still fairly common with TV dramas, sitcom spinoffs have become increasingly rare: The last major-network comedy to transplant a regular character into a new show was Fox's Family Guy, which begat The Cleveland Show in 2009. TV's comedy drought of the aughts, which saw some networks struggling to put together even a single night of sitcoms, helps explain why the spinoff...
- 11/1/2012
- by Josef Adalian
- Vulture
In October of 2010, Sound on Sight asked me to do my first commemorative piece on the passing of filmmaker Arthur Penn. I suspect I was asked because I was the only one writing for the site old enough to have seen Penn’s films in theaters. Whatever the reason, it was an unexpectedly rewarding if expectedly bittersweet experience which led to a series of equally rewarding but bittersweet experiences writing on the passing of other filmdom notables.
I say rewarding because it gave me a nostalgic-flavored chance to revisit certain work and the people behind it; a revisiting which often brought back the nearly-forgotten youthful excitement that went with an eye-opening, a discovery, the thrill of the new. Writing them has also been bittersweet because each of these pieces is a formal acknowledgment that something precious is gone. A talent may be perhaps preserved forever on celluloid, but the filmography...
I say rewarding because it gave me a nostalgic-flavored chance to revisit certain work and the people behind it; a revisiting which often brought back the nearly-forgotten youthful excitement that went with an eye-opening, a discovery, the thrill of the new. Writing them has also been bittersweet because each of these pieces is a formal acknowledgment that something precious is gone. A talent may be perhaps preserved forever on celluloid, but the filmography...
- 12/24/2011
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
Actor best known as the warm and authoritative Colonel Potter in M*A*S*H
The actor Harry Morgan, who has died aged 96, was best known as Colonel Sherman T Potter, commander of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in M*A*S*H, the wonderfully witty and sharp television series set in an army camp during the Korean war. He played Potter, an expert surgeon and a father figure in the camp, from 1978 until 1983.
Those who knew Morgan from films alone might have been surprised by his warm and authoritative performance as Potter. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, as a supporting actor, he played runtish bad guys and worms that seldom turned. He gradually began to reveal a more likable side, as a musician buddy of Glenn Miller (James Stewart) in The Glenn Miller Story (1954) and in the typically bland 50s TV sitcom December Bride (1954-58). Later, he played...
The actor Harry Morgan, who has died aged 96, was best known as Colonel Sherman T Potter, commander of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in M*A*S*H, the wonderfully witty and sharp television series set in an army camp during the Korean war. He played Potter, an expert surgeon and a father figure in the camp, from 1978 until 1983.
Those who knew Morgan from films alone might have been surprised by his warm and authoritative performance as Potter. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, as a supporting actor, he played runtish bad guys and worms that seldom turned. He gradually began to reveal a more likable side, as a musician buddy of Glenn Miller (James Stewart) in The Glenn Miller Story (1954) and in the typically bland 50s TV sitcom December Bride (1954-58). Later, he played...
- 12/9/2011
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
"Harry Morgan, the prolific character actor best known for playing the acerbic but kindly Colonel Potter in the long-running television series M*A*S*H, died on Wednesday morning at his home in Los Angeles," reports Michael Pollak in the New York Times. "In more than 100 movies, Mr Morgan played Western bad guys, characters with names like Rocky and Shorty, loyal sidekicks, judges, sheriffs, soldiers, thugs and police chiefs…. In The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), which starred Henry Fonda, he was praised for his portrayal of a drifter caught up in a lynching in a Western town…. He went on to appear in All My Sons (1948), based on the Arthur Miller play, with Edward G Robinson and Burt Lancaster; The Big Clock (1948), in which he played a silent, menacing bodyguard to Charles Laughton; Yellow Sky (1949), with Gregory Peck and Anne Baxter; and the critically praised western High Noon (1952), with Gary Cooper. Among...
- 12/8/2011
- MUBI
Harry Morgan might have been best known as Col. Sherman Potter on M*A*S*H, but that role was one of hundreds the Emmy-winning actor played in a career that spanned more than 60 years. Morgan, who died Wednesday at 96, also had a starring role as officer Bill Gannon on NBC's remake of Dragnet in the late '60s. In the years between Dragnet and M*A*S*H, he played a doctor on the NBC Western Hec Ramsey. But Morgan was best loved for his comedic side, perhaps best captured, aside from M*A*S*H, in his role...
- 12/8/2011
- by Tim Nudd
- PEOPLE.com
Los Angeles — Harry Morgan wasn't a star and didn't need to be. In "M-a-s-h," "Dragnet" and so many other TV shows and movies, the veteran character actor proved as indispensable as any marquee name.
Imagine "M-a-s-h" without the no-nonsense but fair Army Col. Sherman Potter, who knew how to traverse the line between military discipline and wartime humanity.
Here's Potter, on his first day as commander of a Korean War hospital camp, discovering the moonshine-making operation run by his brilliant but wayward surgeons and holding his fire: "Had a still in Guam in World War II. One night it blew up. That's how I got my Purple Heart."
Or go back to the 1960s version of "Dragnet" and Morgan's tour of duty as police Officer Bill Gannon, playing droll foil to laconic Jack Webb's Sgt. Joe Friday. Or consider Morgan's stalwart judge at the center of an intellectual clash in "Inherit the Wind,...
Imagine "M-a-s-h" without the no-nonsense but fair Army Col. Sherman Potter, who knew how to traverse the line between military discipline and wartime humanity.
Here's Potter, on his first day as commander of a Korean War hospital camp, discovering the moonshine-making operation run by his brilliant but wayward surgeons and holding his fire: "Had a still in Guam in World War II. One night it blew up. That's how I got my Purple Heart."
Or go back to the 1960s version of "Dragnet" and Morgan's tour of duty as police Officer Bill Gannon, playing droll foil to laconic Jack Webb's Sgt. Joe Friday. Or consider Morgan's stalwart judge at the center of an intellectual clash in "Inherit the Wind,...
- 12/8/2011
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Harry Morgan never planned to be an actor, yet he spent 10 years on one of the top TV series of all time, made 50 films and appeared on Broadway. He became one of the best-known character actors in Hollywood.
But it was Morgan’s portrayal of the fatherly Col. Sherman Potter on M-a-s-h for which Morgan became most famous, and he knew it.
“M-a-s-h was so damned good,” Morgan told The Associated Press. “I didn’t think they could keep the level so high.”
His wry humor, which helped net him an Emmy for the CBS-tv hit, carried onto the show.
But it was Morgan’s portrayal of the fatherly Col. Sherman Potter on M-a-s-h for which Morgan became most famous, and he knew it.
“M-a-s-h was so damned good,” Morgan told The Associated Press. “I didn’t think they could keep the level so high.”
His wry humor, which helped net him an Emmy for the CBS-tv hit, carried onto the show.
- 12/8/2011
- by Associated Press
- EW - Inside TV
Character actor Harry Morgan, beloved for his roles on both M*A*S*H and Dragnet, has died at the age of 96. He passed away at his home in Los Angeles from unknown causes but had recently been treated for pneumonia. His son Charles, a lawyer in Los Angeles, confirmed his death.
Born Harry Bratsberg in Detroit, he worked on stage before making his way to Hollywood in 1942. He originally used the screen name Henry Morgan but changed it to Harry in the 1950s to avoid confusion with radio's Henry Morgan. He appeared in more than 100 films throughout his career, often playing bad guys and sidekicks.
On the small screen, he played numerous guest roles and was a regular on several TV shows, including Pete and Gladys, December Bride, The Richard Boone Show, Kentucky Jones, The D.A., Hec Ramsey, and Blacke's Magic. He was...
Born Harry Bratsberg in Detroit, he worked on stage before making his way to Hollywood in 1942. He originally used the screen name Henry Morgan but changed it to Harry in the 1950s to avoid confusion with radio's Henry Morgan. He appeared in more than 100 films throughout his career, often playing bad guys and sidekicks.
On the small screen, he played numerous guest roles and was a regular on several TV shows, including Pete and Gladys, December Bride, The Richard Boone Show, Kentucky Jones, The D.A., Hec Ramsey, and Blacke's Magic. He was...
- 12/7/2011
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Character actor Harry Morgan has passed away at the age of 96.
Morgan died of pneumonia at his home in Brentwood, California on Wednesday.
He is best known for portraying fatherly Colonel Potter on the long-running hit American TV series M*A*S*H, a role which earned him an Emmy Award in 1980.
The actor was born in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan and he went on to study pre-law at the University of Chicago in Illinois before taking up a two-year stint on Broadway in the original production of Golden Boy.
Morgan later starred opposite Elvis Presley in Frankie and Johnny, veteran John Wayne in The Shootist, actor James Garner in Support Your Local Gun Fighter, and even Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd in Dragnet.
He also appeared in the TV shows December Bride and Dragnet and made a number of guest appearances in TV hit like 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Twilight Zone, Murder, She Wrote, Gunsmoke, The Love Boat and The Partridge Family.
He last appeared in a comedy short titled Crosswalk in 1999.
Morgan died of pneumonia at his home in Brentwood, California on Wednesday.
He is best known for portraying fatherly Colonel Potter on the long-running hit American TV series M*A*S*H, a role which earned him an Emmy Award in 1980.
The actor was born in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan and he went on to study pre-law at the University of Chicago in Illinois before taking up a two-year stint on Broadway in the original production of Golden Boy.
Morgan later starred opposite Elvis Presley in Frankie and Johnny, veteran John Wayne in The Shootist, actor James Garner in Support Your Local Gun Fighter, and even Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd in Dragnet.
He also appeared in the TV shows December Bride and Dragnet and made a number of guest appearances in TV hit like 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Twilight Zone, Murder, She Wrote, Gunsmoke, The Love Boat and The Partridge Family.
He last appeared in a comedy short titled Crosswalk in 1999.
- 12/7/2011
- WENN
Los Angeles — Harry Morgan never planned to be an actor, yet he spent 10 years on one of the top TV series of all time, made 50 films and appeared on Broadway. He became one of the best-known character actors in Hollywood.
But it was Morgan's portrayal of the fatherly Col. Sherman Potter on "M-a-s-h" for which Morgan became most famous, and he knew it.
"M-a-s-h was so damned good," Morgan told The Associated Press. "I didn't think they could keep the level so high."
His wry humor, which helped net him an Emmy for the CBS-tv hit, carried onto the show.
"He was an imp," said Mike Farrell, who starred as B.J. Hunnicutt in "M-a-s-h" along with Morgan and Alan Alda. "As Alan once said, there's not an un-adorable bone in the man's body. He was full of fun, and he was smart as a whip."
Morgan died Wednesday at...
But it was Morgan's portrayal of the fatherly Col. Sherman Potter on "M-a-s-h" for which Morgan became most famous, and he knew it.
"M-a-s-h was so damned good," Morgan told The Associated Press. "I didn't think they could keep the level so high."
His wry humor, which helped net him an Emmy for the CBS-tv hit, carried onto the show.
"He was an imp," said Mike Farrell, who starred as B.J. Hunnicutt in "M-a-s-h" along with Morgan and Alan Alda. "As Alan once said, there's not an un-adorable bone in the man's body. He was full of fun, and he was smart as a whip."
Morgan died Wednesday at...
- 12/7/2011
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Harry Morgan, who played Col. Sherman Potter on TV's M*A*S*H and Jack Webb's detective partner in Dragnet, died Wednesday at age 96. The actor died in his home in Los Angeles after suffering from pneumonia, his daughter-in-law Beth Morgan tells the Associated Press. "He was side-splittingly funny, a very gentle and loving father-in-law," Beth Morgan said. "He was very humble about having such a successful career." The Detroit-born Morgan became interested in acting while taking public speaking courses at the University of Chicago. Local theater stints led to a Broadway production of Golden Boy with Karl Malden and Lee J. Cobb.
- 12/7/2011
- by Mike Fleeman
- PEOPLE.com
Harry Morgan, the actor best known for his role as the well-respected, sometimes irascible Colonel Sherman T. Potter in the long-running series "M*A*S*H", died Wednesday morning at his home in Los Angeles. He was 96.
He was born Harry Bratsberg on April 10, 1915 in Detroit, Michigan, to Henry and Anna Bratsberg, where his father worked for war hero and car designer Eddie Rickenbacker. The family soon moved to Muskegon, Michigan, where Harry, hoping to be a lawyer, became heavily involved debate and speech classes; his junior year in high school he won a debate championship at the University of Michigan. He attended the University of Chicago for a few years, before leaving school and finding employment with an office equipment maker who eventually sent him to Washington D.C. It was during his time in Washington D.C. that Harry got his start on the stage, joining the Civic Theater in Ben Hecht’s "Front Page". Eventually, he moved on to a Mt. Kisco summer stock theater company, where he met and acted regularly with actress Frances Farmer. Ms. Farmer had quite an impact of his life; she promoted his career by involving him to acting classes with Elia Kazan, and also introduced him to her University of Washington classmate Eileen Detchon. He married Detchon in 1940 and they would have four children, sons Christopher, Charles, Paul and Daniel. Harry's stage career continued to grow, as he joined New York's Group Theater, whose members included Kazan, Karl Malden and Lee J. Cobb. When Hollywood agent Charlie Feldman saw him perform on Broadway, he signed the young actor and had him quickly under studio contract with Twentieth Century Fox, where he changed his name to Henry Morgan.
Harry and Eileen made the move to Hollywood in the early 1942 and his first billed appearance (as Henry Morgan) came that year in To the Shores of Tripoli. To avoid confusion with a popular comedian of the time, another name change soon followed, and he became Harry Morgan. Morgan’s film career prospered, and in the next 5 decades he appeared in many now-legendary dramatic films, including The Ox-Bow Incident, All My Sons, Madame Bovary, High Noon, The Glenn Miller Story, Inherit the Wind, Cimarron, How the West Was Won, Frankie and Johnny, The Apple Dumpling Gang and The Shootist.
While building this impressive film resume, Morgan was simultaneously working regularly in radio and television, with brief roles in "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "Cavalcade of America" and "The Twentieth Century Fox Hour" before landing the role of comedic neighbor Pete Porter in "December Bride", which eventually lead to the spin-off series "Pete and Gladys". In 1963, his TV career took a turn toward more serious projects, as part of the ensemble in "The Richard Boone Show" and an iconic role as Officer Bill Gannon in 1967’s "Dragnet". The series, and his performance in it, was not only a precursor to modern police and detective series, but would also inform the 1987 film Dragnet, a comedic reimagination of the show starring Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks; Morgan appeared in this film as Captain Bill Gannon.
Despite decades spent working in film and TV, it would be his work in the TV series "M*A*S*H" that made him instantly recognizable around the world. After a memorable, Emmy-nominated guest turn as loony Major General Steele at the beginning of the third season in 1974, Morgan was invited back to join the cast a year later as Colonel Sherman T. Potter, the late-career Army man sent to run the eccentric medical unit after the loss of their previous commanding officer. Morgan's nuanced performance as dedicated leader and surgeon with an unwavering sense of right and wrong combined with a father-like protectiveness of his staff, allowed Potter to grow organically through the long run of the series. The small touches he brought to the role – Potter's paintings were done by Morgan himself, and the picture of Mildred Potter on Potter’s desk was actually Morgan's wife Eileen – only added to the authentic humanity of his portrayal, and in 1980 Morgan won an Emmy for his performance. After the series came to an end in 1983, Morgan continued the role in the short-lived spin-off "AfterMASH".
After the death of his wife Eileen in 1985, he kept himself busy making guest appearances in series such as "The Love Boat" and took a regular role in the single season run of "Blacke's Magic". In December of 1986, he married Barbara Bushman, the granddaughter of silent film star Francis X. Bushman. His work as a TV guest star continued through the late 1990s in "The Simpsons," "3rd Rock from the Sun," "Grace Under Fire", and his final movie work included Family Plan and the short film Crosswalk.
He is survived by Barbara, his sons Christopher, Charles and Paul, and grandchildren Spencer, Rosemary and Jeremy.
He was preceded in death by his first wife Eileen in 1985 and his son Daniel in 1989.
He was born Harry Bratsberg on April 10, 1915 in Detroit, Michigan, to Henry and Anna Bratsberg, where his father worked for war hero and car designer Eddie Rickenbacker. The family soon moved to Muskegon, Michigan, where Harry, hoping to be a lawyer, became heavily involved debate and speech classes; his junior year in high school he won a debate championship at the University of Michigan. He attended the University of Chicago for a few years, before leaving school and finding employment with an office equipment maker who eventually sent him to Washington D.C. It was during his time in Washington D.C. that Harry got his start on the stage, joining the Civic Theater in Ben Hecht’s "Front Page". Eventually, he moved on to a Mt. Kisco summer stock theater company, where he met and acted regularly with actress Frances Farmer. Ms. Farmer had quite an impact of his life; she promoted his career by involving him to acting classes with Elia Kazan, and also introduced him to her University of Washington classmate Eileen Detchon. He married Detchon in 1940 and they would have four children, sons Christopher, Charles, Paul and Daniel. Harry's stage career continued to grow, as he joined New York's Group Theater, whose members included Kazan, Karl Malden and Lee J. Cobb. When Hollywood agent Charlie Feldman saw him perform on Broadway, he signed the young actor and had him quickly under studio contract with Twentieth Century Fox, where he changed his name to Henry Morgan.
Harry and Eileen made the move to Hollywood in the early 1942 and his first billed appearance (as Henry Morgan) came that year in To the Shores of Tripoli. To avoid confusion with a popular comedian of the time, another name change soon followed, and he became Harry Morgan. Morgan’s film career prospered, and in the next 5 decades he appeared in many now-legendary dramatic films, including The Ox-Bow Incident, All My Sons, Madame Bovary, High Noon, The Glenn Miller Story, Inherit the Wind, Cimarron, How the West Was Won, Frankie and Johnny, The Apple Dumpling Gang and The Shootist.
While building this impressive film resume, Morgan was simultaneously working regularly in radio and television, with brief roles in "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "Cavalcade of America" and "The Twentieth Century Fox Hour" before landing the role of comedic neighbor Pete Porter in "December Bride", which eventually lead to the spin-off series "Pete and Gladys". In 1963, his TV career took a turn toward more serious projects, as part of the ensemble in "The Richard Boone Show" and an iconic role as Officer Bill Gannon in 1967’s "Dragnet". The series, and his performance in it, was not only a precursor to modern police and detective series, but would also inform the 1987 film Dragnet, a comedic reimagination of the show starring Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks; Morgan appeared in this film as Captain Bill Gannon.
Despite decades spent working in film and TV, it would be his work in the TV series "M*A*S*H" that made him instantly recognizable around the world. After a memorable, Emmy-nominated guest turn as loony Major General Steele at the beginning of the third season in 1974, Morgan was invited back to join the cast a year later as Colonel Sherman T. Potter, the late-career Army man sent to run the eccentric medical unit after the loss of their previous commanding officer. Morgan's nuanced performance as dedicated leader and surgeon with an unwavering sense of right and wrong combined with a father-like protectiveness of his staff, allowed Potter to grow organically through the long run of the series. The small touches he brought to the role – Potter's paintings were done by Morgan himself, and the picture of Mildred Potter on Potter’s desk was actually Morgan's wife Eileen – only added to the authentic humanity of his portrayal, and in 1980 Morgan won an Emmy for his performance. After the series came to an end in 1983, Morgan continued the role in the short-lived spin-off "AfterMASH".
After the death of his wife Eileen in 1985, he kept himself busy making guest appearances in series such as "The Love Boat" and took a regular role in the single season run of "Blacke's Magic". In December of 1986, he married Barbara Bushman, the granddaughter of silent film star Francis X. Bushman. His work as a TV guest star continued through the late 1990s in "The Simpsons," "3rd Rock from the Sun," "Grace Under Fire", and his final movie work included Family Plan and the short film Crosswalk.
He is survived by Barbara, his sons Christopher, Charles and Paul, and grandchildren Spencer, Rosemary and Jeremy.
He was preceded in death by his first wife Eileen in 1985 and his son Daniel in 1989.
- 12/7/2011
- by Heather Campbell
- IMDb News
Emmy Award-winning actor Harry Morgan -- who played Colonel Potter on the series M*A*S*H -- died this morning in his L.A. home ... this according to the actor's son.His son Charles told the NY Times ... Morgan was recently treated for pneumonia -- thought it's unclear if that was a cause of death.Morgan had an illustrious TV career -- also starring in "Dragnet," "Pete and Gladys," "December Bride," and "Hec Ramsey.
- 12/7/2011
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
When I was a kid, I loved the cartoon Top Cat. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was the cool music or the fact it was set in New York City. I also really loved Top Cat's voice.
Arnold Stang, the voice of the clever feline, died earlier this week at the age of 91. Stang was in 75 gazillion TV shows and movies over the years (you'd know the face and/or the voice even if you couldn't place the name), including The Jonathan Winters Show, Broadside, Batman, Bonanza, The Red Skelton Show, December Bride, The Steve Allen Show, The Milton Berle Show, Emergency, and Mathnet.
He was also in several movies, including Hercules in New York, Dennis The Menace, and It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. He was also the original voice of Buzz Bee in Honey-Nut Cheerios commercials.
After the jump, an episode of Top Cat.
Continue reading Arnold Stang,...
Arnold Stang, the voice of the clever feline, died earlier this week at the age of 91. Stang was in 75 gazillion TV shows and movies over the years (you'd know the face and/or the voice even if you couldn't place the name), including The Jonathan Winters Show, Broadside, Batman, Bonanza, The Red Skelton Show, December Bride, The Steve Allen Show, The Milton Berle Show, Emergency, and Mathnet.
He was also in several movies, including Hercules in New York, Dennis The Menace, and It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. He was also the original voice of Buzz Bee in Honey-Nut Cheerios commercials.
After the jump, an episode of Top Cat.
Continue reading Arnold Stang,...
- 12/24/2009
- by Bob Sassone
- Aol TV.
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