Harry Morgan sustained one of the most successful acting careers of the twentieth century, working in the theatre, motion pictures, and television. He appeared in 50 films and 10 television series. Counting made-for-tv movies, he appeared in prime-time roles for 42 consecutive seasons, 1957-1999. (Source: IMDB.Com)
He was born Harry Bratsberg (often misspelled with a “u”) in Detroit to immigrant parents. His father came from Norway, his mother from Sweden. He graduated from Muskegon (MI) High School and attended the University of Chicago. As Bratsberg, he began his professional theatrical career in New York with the influential Group Theatre. With that company in 1937, he debuted in Clifford Odets’ Golden Boy, directed by Harold Clurman, assisted by Sanford Meisner. The cast included Luther Adler, Morris Carnovsky, Frances Farmer, John Garfield (still Jules Garfinkle), Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden (still Mladen Sekulovich), and Elia Kazan. (Source: IBDB.Com)
Read the full New York Times obituary here.
Harry Morgan’s interview for the Archive of American Television can be accessed here.