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{{Short description|British-Canadian actor (1918–2008)}}
{{Infobox Biography
{{Use Canadian English|date=October 2012}}
| subject_name=Barry Morse
{{More citations needed|date=September 2012}}
| image_name=Barry_Morse.jpg|frame|
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
| image_caption='''Barry Morse''' in '''[[Space: 1999]]''' '''([[1975]])'''
{{Infobox person
| date_of_birth=[[June 10]], [[1918]]
| name = Barry Morse
| place_of_birth=[[Shoreditch]], [[England]], [[UK]]
| image = Barry-Morse.jpg
| location = {{flagicon|UK}} [[London]], [[England]]
| caption = Barry Morse in 2007, photo by Anthony Wynn
| birthname = Herbert Morse
| birthname = Herbert Morse
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1918|6|10|df=yes}}
| height = 5'10" (178 cm)
| birth_place = [[Hammersmith]], [[County of London|London]], England
| spouse = [[Sydney Sturgess]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2008|2|2|1918|6|10|df=yes}}
| children = [[Hayward Morse]], [[Melanie Morse MacQuarrie]]}}
| death_place = [[London]], England
| alma_mater = [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]
| known_for = ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]''<br>''[[Space: 1999]]''<br>''[[The Adventurer (TV series)|The Adventurer]]''<br>''[[General Motors Theatre|Encounter]]''
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|director|writer}}
| yearsactive = 1937–2007
| spouse = {{Marriage|[[Sydney Sturgess]]|26 March 1939|30 September 1999|end=died}}
| children = [[Hayward Morse]]<br />[[Melanie Morse MacQuarrie]]
| website = http://www.barrymorse.com/
}}


'''Barry Morse''' (born [[June 10]], [[1918]], [[Shoreditch]]) is a [[England|British]]-born actor of stage, screen and radio best known for his roles in ''[[The Fugitive (TV series)|The Fugitive]]'' and ''[[Space: 1999]]''. His performing career spans eight decades, and he has thousands of roles to his credit, including work for the [[British Broadcasting Corporation]], [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] and the [[American Broadcasting Company]].
'''Herbert Morse''' (10 June 1918{{spaced ndash}}2 February 2008), known professionally as '''Barry Morse''', was a British-Canadian actor of stage, screen, and radio, best known for his roles in the [[television series]] ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'' and the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[sci-fi]] drama ''[[Space: 1999]]''. His performing career spanned seven decades and he had thousands of roles to his credit, including work for the [[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]] and the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]].


==Beginnings==
==Beginnings==
Herbert Morse (he later changed his personal name to Barry) was born on 10 June 1918, in the [[Hammersmith]] area of west London (Morse later claimed to have been born in [[Shoreditch]] in London's East End but publicly-accessible birth records confirm Hammersmith), a son of Charles Hayward Morse and Mary Florence Hollis Morse. His parents owned a tobacco shop.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/arts/05morse.html |title=Barry Morse, Who Played the Dogged Detective in 'The Fugitive,' Is Dead at 89 |work=New York Times |date=2008-02-05 |access-date=2020-12-13 |archive-date=2024-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519101110/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/arts/05morse.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Morse |first=Barry |title=Remember with Advantages |publisher=McFarland and Company |year=2007 |page=2}}</ref> Morse was a 15-year-old errand boy when he won a scholarship to the [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]. He performed the role of the Lion in ''[[Androcles and the Lion (play)|Androcles and the Lion]]'', and as a result, came to know [[George Bernard Shaw]], a patron of the academy. His first paid job as an actor while still a student was in ''If I Were King''. At graduation, he featured in the title role of [[William Shakespeare]]'s play ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry&nbsp;V]]'', presented as a [[Royal Command Performance]] for [[George VI of the United Kingdom|King George VI]] and [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Queen Elizabeth]].


==Career==
Born to a Cockney family, Morse was a 15-year old school dropout and errand boy when he won a scholarship to the [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]. He performed the role of the lion in ''[[Androcles and the Lion]]'' and as a result, came to know [[George Bernard Shaw]], a patron of the [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art|Royal Academy]]. His first paid job as an actor, while a still a student, was in ''If I Were King''. At graduation he starred in the title role of [[Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]'', presented as a [[Royal Command Performance]] for [[King George VI]] and [[Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon|Queen Elizabeth]].


==Radio==
===Radio===
Upon graduation, Morse won the BBC's Radio Prize which resulted in several parts and a main role in the drama ''The Fall of the City''. Later, among dozens of other roles, he played the lead in Shakespeare's ''[[Hamlet]]'' and featured as Paul Temple for the radio series ''[[Paul Temple|Send for Paul Temple Again]]''. He later performed on [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] radio beginning in 1951 and continuing to the 1980s, including the long-running series ''A Touch of Greasepaint'', the [[Joseph McCarthy|Joe McCarthy]]–inspired ''The Investigator'', and ''1984''. He also featured in a number of U.S. productions during the 1970s and 1980s for producer [[Yuri Rasovsky]], including ''The Odyssey of Homer'', which won a [[George Foster Peabody|Peabody Award]].


Morse's final radio performance, ''Rogues and Vagabonds – A Theatrical Scrapbook'', was distributed by internet radio KSAV on 7 August and 9 August 2007, prior to being released on compact disc format. The hour-long special audio drama comprised a half-dozen vignettes and performances culled from theatrical history, including Shakespeare and Shaw.
Upon graduation, Morse won the [[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]]’s Radio Prize which led to several parts and a leading role in ''The Fall of the City''. Later he played the lead in [[William Shakespeare]]’s ''[[Hamlet]]'' and starred as 'Paul Temple' in the radio series ''[[Paul Temple|Send for Paul Temple Again]]'', among dozens of other roles. He later performed on [[CBC]] radio beginning in 1951 and continuing to the 1980s, including the long-running series ''A Touch of Greasepaint'', the [[Joseph McCarthy|Joe McCarthy]] inspired ''The Investigator'', and ''[[1984]]''. He also starred in a number [[USA]] productions in the 1970s and 1980s for producer [[Yuri Rasovsky]], including ''The Odyssey of Homer'', which won a [[George Foster Peabody|Peabody Award]].


==The British Stage==
===British stage===
Morse was a member of repertory theatre companies in [[Peterborough]], [[Nottingham]], and other cities, where he gained experience as an actor while playing more than 200 roles. In 1941, he joined the national tour of ''The First Mrs. Fraser'' featuring Dame [[Marie Tempest]] and [[A.E. Matthews]]. He debuted on the [[London West End]] stage in ''The School for Slavery''. Other West End productions included ''[[Escort (play)|Escort]]'', ''The Assassin'', and ''A Bullet in the Ballet''. He was directed by [[John Gielgud]] in ''Crisis in Heaven''. Morse developed a theatrical partnership with actress [[Nova Pilbeam]], and they worked together both in movies and on stage, most notably in the successful stage productions of ''The Voice of the Turtle'' and ''Flowers for the Living''.


===Movies===
Morse was a member of repertory theatre companies in [[Peterborough]], [[Nottingham]], and other cities where he gained experience as an actor while playing more than 200 roles. In 1941 he joined the national tour of ''The First Mrs. Fraser'' starring [[Marie Tempest|Dame Marie Tempest]] and [[A.E. Matthews]]. He debuted on the [[London West End]] stage in ''The School for Slavery''. Other [[London West End|West End]] productions included ''Escort'', ''[[The Assassin]]'', and ''A Bullet in the Ballet''. He was directed by [[John Gielgud]] in ''Crisis in Heaven''. Morse developed a theatrical partnership with actress [[Nova Pilbeam]] and they worked together both in film and on stage, most notably in the hit stage productions of ''The Voice of the Turtle'' and ''Flowers for the Living''.
Morse made his movie debut in the 1942 comedy ''[[The Goose Steps Out]]'' featuring [[Will Hay]] and continued with roles in ''[[Thunder Rock (film)|Thunder Rock]]'', ''[[When We Are Married (film)|When We Are Married]]'', and ''[[This Man Is Mine (1946 film)|This Man Is Mine]]'' (released as ''[[A Soldier for Christmas]]'' in North America) with [[Glynis Johns]] and Nova Pilbeam. Other notable movies include ''[[Kings of the Sun]]'' with [[Yul Brynner]], ''[[Justine (1969 film)|Justine]]'', and ''[[Puzzle of a Downfall Child]]'' with [[Faye Dunaway]]. He also appeared in the thrillers ''[[Asylum (1972 horror film)|Asylum]]'' (1972) with [[Peter Cushing]], ''[[Funeral Home (1980 film)|Funeral Home]]'' with [[Kay Hawtrey]] and [[Lesleh Donaldson]] (1980), and ''[[The Changeling (1980 film)|The Changeling]]'' with [[George C. Scott]] (1980). He worked on several Lacewood animated productions, notably as the voice of Dragon in ''[[The Railway Dragon]]'', alongside [[Tracey Moore (actress)|Tracey Moore]], who played Emily. In 1999, he featured in the dramatic comedy ''Taxman'' with [[Billy Zane]], released as ''Promise Her Anything'' and on DVD as ''Nothing to Declare''. His final movie appearance was in ''[[I Really Hate My Job]]'', released in 2007. Morse was offered a cameo in the [[The Fugitive (1993 film)|1993 film version of The Fugitive]], but declined.


==Marriage and Relocation==
===Later stage work===
Morse performed on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in ''Hide and Seek'', ''[[Salad Days (musical)|Salad Days]]'', and the lead of [[Frederick Rolfe]] in ''[[Hadrian the Seventh]]'', which he also played in [[Australia]], co-featuring with [[Frank Thring]]. He directed the Broadway debut of ''[[Staircase (play)|Staircase]]'' featuring [[Eli Wallach]] and [[Milo O'Shea]], a depiction of gay male life.<ref name=Gdn2008obit>{{cite news|last1=Gaughan|first1=Gavin|title=Barry Morse (obituary)|url=https://www.theguardian.com/obituaries/story/0%2C%2C2252913%2C00.html|access-date=22 August 2014|work=The Guardian|date=6 February 2008}}</ref> He also featured in the U.S. national tour of [[Harold Pinter]]'s ''[[The Caretaker]]'' as Davies.


He first presented a version of his one-man show ''[[Merely Players (play)|Merely Players]]'' in 1959, which explored the experiences of actors through history, with the definitive version of the show debuting in 1984 for a Canadian national tour. <!-- Morse was perhaps the only actor to have performed in every play of [[William Shakespeare]] and [[George Bernard Shaw]].
After a short courtship, he married fellow actress [[Sydney Sturgess]] on March 26, 1939 during their work together in repertory theatre in [[Peterborough]]. Morse’s two children were born in 1945 ([[Melanie Morse MacQuarrie|Melanie Morse]]) and 1947 ([[Hayward Morse]]). In 1951 the family relocated to Canada, working in radio and theatre, as well as acting in the premiere television broadcasts of [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] Television from Montreal, and later Toronto. He subsequently became a [[Canada|Canadian]] citizen in 1953 and has since held dual citizenship in both countries.
-->
Morse served as artistic director of the [[Shaw Festival]] of Canada for the 1966 season and as an adjunct professor at [[Yale Drama School]] in 1968.


In 1995, he premiered the [[Elizabeth Sharland]] play ''The Private Life of George Bernard Shaw'' in [[Toronto]], also featuring [[Shirley Knight]]. The play featured Morse in the role of Shaw, with 10 actresses portraying the various women in Shaw's life. Morse later performed the play in 1997 at the British Theatre Museum in London.
==Film==


With his son [[Hayward Morse]], he featured in the 2004 North American debut of ''Bernard and Bosie: A Most Unlikely Friendship'' by [[Anthony Wynn]], performed at the [[University of Florida]], [[Sarasota]]. This two-act stage drama is based on the correspondence between playwright George Bernard Shaw, played by Morse, and [[Lord Alfred Douglas|Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas]] ([[Oscar Wilde]]'s boyfriend), played by Hayward.
Morse made his film debut in the 1942 comedy ''[[The Goose Steps Out]]'' with [[Will Hay]] and continued with roles in ''Thunder Rock'', ''When We Are Married'', and ''This Man is Mine'' (released as ''A Soldier for Christmas'' in North America) with [[Glynis Johns]] and [[Nova Pilbeam]]. Other notable films include ''[[Kings of the Sun]]'' with [[Yul Brynner]], ''[[Justine]]'', and ''Puzzle of a Downfall Child'' with [[Faye Dunaway]]. He also appeared in the thrillers ''[[Asylum]]'' with [[Peter Cushing]] and ''[[The Changeling]]'' with [[George C. Scott]]. He has worked on several Lacewood animated productions, notably as the voice of Dragon in ''The Railway Dragon'' and ''The Birthday Dragon'', alongside [[Tracey Moore]] who played Emily. In 1999 he filmed the dramatic comedy ''Taxman'' with [[Billy Zane]].


The next year, Morse appeared in the world premiere performance of the science-fiction play ''Contact'' by Doug Grissom, co-featuring Ryan Case and presented in [[Tampa, Florida]].{{citation needed|date=September 2012}}
==Television Guest Roles==


===Television===
[[Image:Ol-controlledexperiment.jpg|none|thumb|right|'''Barry Morse''' in '''[[The Outer Limits]]''' episode ''[[Controlled Experiment]]'' ([[1964]])]]
1975-77 [[Space: 1999]] (Dr. Victor Bergman)


====Guest roles====
Morse has guest starred in more than a thousand drama, comedy, and talk show presentations in the [[USA]], [[Canada]] and the [[United Kingdom|UK]] since the inception of television in 1936. Early [[United States|American]] appearances include the ''[[U.S. Steel Hour]]'', ''[[Playhouse 90]]'', and ''[[Encore]]''. He also guest starred on such [[TV series]] as ''[[The Untouchables (1959 TV series)|The Untouchables]]'', ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'', ''[[Wagon Train]]'', and ''[[The Defenders (TV series)|The Defenders]]''. In ''[[The Outer Limits]]'' episode "[[Controlled Experiment]]" he starred with [[Carroll O%27Connor]] and [[Grace Lee Whitney]]. This episode was shot as a pilot for a proposed series starring [[Carroll O%27Connor|O’Connor]] and Morse as two [[Mars|Martians]] sent to [[Earth]] to examine human life and experiences. [[CBS]] instead opted for the series ''[[My Favorite Martian]]'' with [[Ray Walston]] and [[Bill Bixby]].
Morse guest-featured in more than a thousand drama, comedy, and talk-show presentations in the U.S., Canada, and [[United Kingdom|Britain]]. Early American appearances include the ''[[U.S. Steel Hour]],'' ''[[Encounter (1958 TV series)|Encounter]],'' and ''[[Playhouse 90]]''. He also guest-geatured on such [[TV series]] as ''[[Naked City (TV series)|Naked City]]'', ''[[The Untouchables (1959 TV series)|The Untouchables]]'', ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'', ''[[Wagon Train]]'', ''[[The Defenders (1961 TV series)|The Defenders]]'', ''[[The Invaders]]'', ''[[The Starlost]]'', and ''[[The Saint (TV series)|The Saint]]'', episode: The Reluctant Revolution (season 5, episode 4). In ''[[The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)|The Outer Limits]]'' episode "[[Controlled Experiment]]", he featured with [[Carroll O'Connor]] and [[Grace Lee Whitney]]. In ''The Starlost'' episode "The Goddess Calabra", he guest-featued with [[John Colicos]]. In The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ‘A Tangled Web’ with Robert Redford & Zohra Lampert.


In his later years, Morse guest-featured in a number of Canadian-produced series, including ''[[La Femme Nikita (TV series)|La Femme Nikita]]'' and ''[[Kung Fu: The Legend Continues]]'', as well as such British series as ''[[Doctors (2000 TV series)|Doctors]]'', ''[[Waking the Dead (TV series)|Waking the Dead]]'', and ''[[Space Island One]]''.
==Later Stage Work==


====Series====
Morse has performed on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in ''Hide and Seek'', ''Salad Days'', and the lead of [[Frederick William Rolfe]] in ''[[Hadrian the Seventh]]''. He directed the historic debut of ''Staircase'' starring [[Eli Wallach]] and [[Milo O'Shea]], which stands as Broadway’s first depiction of [[homosexual]] men in a serious way. He also starred in the [[USA]] national tour of [[Harold Pinter]]'s ''[[The Caretaker]]'' as The Derelict.
Morse's first television series was ''Presenting Barry Morse'', which was broadcast for 13 weeks during the summer of 1960 on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Some of his best-known television roles included: [[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)#Lt Philip Gerard|Lt Philip Gerard]] for the 1960s series ''The Fugitive'' with [[David Janssen]]; Victor Bergman in the 1975–76 season of ''[[Space: 1999]]'' with [[Martin Landau]], [[Barbara Bain]], and [[Zienia Merton]]; Mr Parminter in ''[[The Adventurer (TV series)|The Adventurer]]'' with [[Gene Barry]]; and Alec "the Tiger" Marlowe in ''[[The Zoo Gang]]'' with [[John Mills|Sir John Mills]], [[Lilli Palmer]], and [[Brian Keith]]. In 1982, he played the [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]]esque U.S. President Johnny Cyclops in the satirical sitcom ''[[Whoops Apocalypse]]'' in the [[UK]] and hosted the series ''Strange But True'' for the Global and the BBC.


====Miniseries====
He first presented a version of his one man show ''[[Merely Players]]'' in 1959, which explored the experiences of actors through history, with the definitive version of the show debuting in 1984 for a [[Canadian]] national tour. Morse is perhaps the only actor to have performed in every play of [[William Shakespeare]] and [[George Bernard Shaw]]; two of the greatest playwrights in the English language.
Morse appeared in a number of television miniseries, including ''[[The Winds of War (miniseries)|The Winds of War]]'' and ''[[War and Remembrance (miniseries)|War and Remembrance]]'' (both with [[Robert Mitchum]]), ''[[The Martian Chronicles (miniseries)|The Martian Chronicles]]'', ''[[Sadat (miniseries)|Sadat]]'', ''[[JFK: Reckless Youth]]'', and [[Frederick Forsyth]]'s ''[[Icon (film)|Icon]]''. Other notable miniseries appearances include ''[[A Woman of Substance (TV series)|A Woman of Substance]]'', ''[[Master of the Game (miniseries)|Master of the Game]]'', and ''Race for the Bomb''.


Morse also served as Artistic Director of the [[Shaw Festival]] of [[Canada]] for the 1966 season and as an Adjunct Professor at [[Yale University]] in 1968.


===Books===
In 2004, with his son [[Hayward Morse]], he starred in the North American debut of ''Bernard and Bosie: A Most Unlikely Friendship'' by [[Anthony Wynn]], performed at the University of Florida, Sarasota. This two-act stage drama is based on the correspondence between playwright [[George Bernard Shaw]], played by Morse, and [[Lord Alfred Douglas|Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas]] (the intimate friend of [[Oscar Wilde]]), played by [[Hayward Morse|Hayward]].
The book based on his long-running stage play ''[[Merely Players (play)|Merely Players – The Scripts]]'' was published in 2003. His first autobiography ''Pulling Faces, Making Noises'' was released in 2004.


''Stories of the Theatre'' was published in 2006 and features material from his CBC radio series ''A Touch of Greasepaint'', which was broadcast from 1954 to 1967.
The following year, Morse appeared in the world premiere performance of the science fiction play ''Contact'' by Doug Grissom, co-starring [[Ryan Case]] and presented in [[Tampa, Florida]].


His theatrical memoir, ''Remember With Advantages – Chasing 'The Fugitive' and Other Stories from an Actor's Life'' ({{ISBN|9780786427710}}), (written with [[Robert E. Wood (painter, born 1971)|Robert E. Wood]] and [[Anthony Wynn]]), details his life and career. The book features a foreword written by Academy Award-winning actor Martin Landau, and was released in 2007.
==Television Series==


He wrote the afterword to ''Destination: Moonbase Alpha – The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to SPACE: 1999'' ({{ISBN|9781845830342}}), published in 2010 by Telos Publishing, and written by Robert E. Wood. It featured a colour photo section of models created for the ''Space: 1999'' television series by [[Martin Bower]], and a foreword by [[Zienia Merton]]. Morse is quoted extensively throughout the book, as are numerous other series cast and crew.
Some of his best-known television roles include: 'Lt. Philip Gerard' on the 1960s series ''[[The Fugitive (TV series)|The Fugitive]]'' with [[David Janssen]]; '[[Victor Bergman|Prof. Victor Bergman]]' in the 1975-1976 season of ''[[Space: 1999]]'' with [[Martin Landau]], [[Barbara Bain]], and [[Zienia Merton]]; 'Mr. Parminter' in ''[[The Adventurer (TV series)|The Adventurer]]'' with [[Gene Barry]]; and "Alec 'The Tiger' Marlowe" in ''[[The Zoo Gang]]'' with [[John Mills|Sir John Mills]], [[Lilli Palmer]], and [[Brian Keith]]. In 1982 he played the [[Ronald Reagan]]-esque U.S. President Johnny Cyclops in the satirical sitcom ''[[Whoops Apocalypse]]''.


Before his death, Morse wrote the foreword to ''Conversations At Warp Speed'' ({{ISBN|9781593932893}}), published in 2012 by BearManor Media, and written by Anthony Wynn. The book is a compilation of interviews with actors and other professionals associated with the various incarnations of ''[[Star Trek]]''. It also contains a bonus chapter featuring an interview with Barry Morse, who worked with numerous actors who appeared in ''Star Trek''.
==Television Miniseries==


==Personal life==
Morse has appeared in a number of television miniseries, including ''[[The Winds of War]]'' and ''[[War and Remembrance]]'' (both with [[Robert Mitchum]]), ''[[The Martian Chronicles]]'', ''[[Sadat]]'', and [[Frederick Forsyth]]'s ''[[Icon]]''. Other notable miniseries appearances include ''[[A Woman of Substance]]'', ''[[Master of the Game(mini-series)|Master of the Game]]'', and ''Race for the Bomb''.


==Charitable Work==
===Family life===
After a short courtship, Morse married actress [[Sydney Sturgess]] on 26 March 1939, during their work together in repertory theatre in [[Peterborough]], [[Cambridgeshire]]. The couple had two children, [[Melanie Morse MacQuarrie|Melanie Morse]] (1945–2005) and [[Hayward Morse]] (b. 1947).


In 1951, the Morse family relocated to Canada, where he worked in radio and theatre, and participated with the first television broadcasts of CBC Television from [[Montreal]], and later [[Toronto]]. Morse became a Canadian citizen in 1953.
[[Image:RememberWithAdvantages.jpg|none|thumb|right|'''Remember With Advantages''' book cover]]


===Charitable work===
Barry Morse has long supported a number of charitable organizations, including the Toronto-based Performing Arts Lodges of Canada, the Royal Theatrical Fund, the London Shakespeare Workout Prison Project, Actors’ Fund of Canada, The Samaritans, BookPALS, and [[Parkinsons disease]] treatment and research.
Barry Morse long patronized a number of charitable organisations, including the Toronto-based Performing Arts Lodges of Canada, the Royal Theatrical Fund, the London Shakespeare Workout Prison Project, Actors' Fund of Canada, the Samaritans, BookPALS, and [[Parkinson's disease]] treatment and research.


The [[Parkinsons disease]] cause in particular holds a special place in Barry’s heart as his wife of more than 60 years, actress [[Sydney Sturgess]], had a 14-year long battle with the disease prior to her death in 1999. In recent years, he has also become an advocate for senior citizens in his adopted homeland of Canada.
The cause of Parkinson's disease was special for Morse, as his wife of more than 60 years, actress Sydney Sturgess, battled the illness for 14 years before her death in 1999. In later years, he also became an advocate for senior citizens in his adopted homeland of Canada.


==Books==
===Death===
Barry Morse died on 2 February 2008 at [[University College Hospital]], [[London]], aged 89, after a brief illness.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/02/05/obit.morse.ap/index.html '' 'Fugitive's' Lt. Girard dead at 89''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080207143144/http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/02/05/obit.morse.ap/index.html |date=7 February 2008 }}. CNN.com. 5 February 2008.</ref> His body was donated to science, and on 3 April 2011 Morse's ashes were scattered in St. James's Square Garden, Pall Mall, London, England.


==Selected filmography==
The book based on his long running stage play ''[[Merely Players|Merely Players - The Scripts]]'' was published in 2003 and his ''Pulling Faces, Making Noises'' was released in 2004.
{{Div col}}
*''[[The Goose Steps Out]]'' (1942) (with [[Will Hay]]) – Kurt
*''[[Thunder Rock (film)|Thunder Rock]]'' (1942) – Robert
*''[[When We Are Married (film)|When We Are Married]]'' (1943) – Gerald Forbes
*''[[Schweik's New Adventures]]'' (1943) – S.A. prisoner
*''The Dummy Talks'' (1943) (uncredited)
*''Late at Night'' (1946) – Dave Jackson
*''[[This Man Is Mine (1946 film)|This Man Is Mine]]'' (1946) – Ronnie
*''[[Mrs. Fitzherbert]]'' (1947) – Beau Brummell
*''[[Daughter of Darkness (1948 film)|Daughter of Darkness]]'' (1948) – Robert Stanforth
*''[[No Trace (1950 film)|No Trace]]'' (1950) – John Harrison
*''[[The Untouchables (1959 TV series)|The Untouchables]]'' (1961, episode: "The King of Champagne") - Michel Viton
*''[[The Twilight Zone]]'' (1962, episode: "[[A Piano in the House]]") – Fitzgerald Fortune
*''[[Kings of the Sun]]'' (1963) – Ah Zok
*''[[The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]'' (1963) (Season 1 Episode 18: "A Tangled Web") – Karl Gault
*''[[The Untouchables (1959 TV series)|The Untouchables]]'' (1963, episode: "The Globe of Death") - Larry Bass
*''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'' (1963-1967, TV series) – Lieutenant Philip Gerard
*''[[The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)|The Outer Limits]]'' (1964, episode: "[[Controlled Experiment]]") - Phobos One
*''[[The Invaders]]'' (1968, TV Series) – Keith
*''[[Justine (1969 film)|Justine]]'' (1969) – Colonel Maskelyne
*''[[Puzzle of a Downfall Child]]'' (1970) – Dr. Galba
*''[[The Telephone Book]]'' (1971) – Har Poon
* ''[[The Golden Bowl (TV series)|The Golden Bowl]]'' (1972, TV series) – Adam Verver
*''[[Running Scared (1972 film)|Running Scared]]'' (1972) – Mr. Case
*''[[Asylum (1972 horror film)|Asylum]]'' (1972) – Bruno (segment "The Weird Tailor")
*''To Kill The King'' (1974) – Secretary
*''[[The Zoo Gang]]'' (1974, TV series) – Alec 'The Tiger' Marlowe
*''[[Space 1999]]'' (1975-1976, TV series) – Victor Bergman
*''[[Love at First Sight (1977 Canadian film)|Love at First Sight]]'' (1977) – William
*''[[Welcome to Blood City]]'' (1977) – Supervisor
*''[[One Man (film)|One Man]]'' (1977) – Colin Angus Campbell
*''[[Power Play (1978 film)|Power Play]]'' (1978) – Jean Rousseau
*''[[H. G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come|The Shape of Things to Come]]'' (1979) – John Caball
*''[[The Martian Chronicles]]'' (1980, TV miniseries) – Peter Hathaway
*''[[Klondike Fever]]'' (1980) – John Thornton
*''[[The Changeling (1980 film)|The Changeling]]'' (1980) – Parapsychologist
*''[[Funeral Home (1980 film)|Funeral Home]]'' (1980) – Mr. Davis
*''[[The Hounds of Notre Dame]]'' (1980) – Bishop Williams
*''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1980 film)|A Tale of Two Cities]]'' (1980, TV movie) – Marquis St. Evremonde
*''[[Murder by Phone]]'' (1982) – Fred Waites
*''Strange But True'' (1983) – Host
*''[[Reunion at Fairborough]]'' (1985, TV movie) – Nathan Barsky
*''[[The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' (1988, episode: "Dream Me a Life") - Frank
*''[[The Railway Dragon]]'' (1988, TV movie) – The Railway Dragon
*''[[War and Remembrance (miniseries)|War and Remembrance]]'' (1988–89, miniseries) - Colonel General Franz Halder
*''[[Glory! Glory!]]'' (1989, TV Movie) – Dan Stuckey
*''[[The Birthday Dragon]]'' (1992, TV Movie) - The Railway Dragon
*''[[Al lupo al lupo]]'' (1992) – Mario Sagonà
*''Sacred Trust'' (1997) – Mon Farare
*''Promise Her Anything'' (1999) – Reverend Adam Putter
*''[[I Really Hate My Job]]'' (2007) – Old Man #2 – Georg
{{div col end}}


==References==
''Stories of the Theatre'' was published in 2006 and features material from his [[CBC]] radio series ''A Touch of Greasepaint'', which aired from 1954 to 1967.
{{Reflist}}

His long-awaited theatrical memoir, ''Remember With Advantages - Chasing 'The Fugitive' and Other Stories from an Actor's Life'' (ISBN 078642771X), (written with [[Robert E. Wood (painter)|Robert E. Wood]] and [[Anthony Wynn]]), details his life and career. The book features a Foreword written by Academy Award-winning actor [[Martin Landau]] and was released by McFarland and Company publishers in March 2007.

Morse has written the Forward to the upcoming book ''Talkin' Trek and Other Stories'', by [[Anthony Wynn]] (ISBN 1593930747). He reminisces about his experience as a 'character actor' working with varied [[Star Trek]] performers such as [[William Shatner]], [[James Doohan]], [[Grace Lee Whitney]], [[Paul Carr (actor)|Paul Carr]], and others. The book is to be released by BearManor Media in 2007.


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Barry Morse}}

*[http://www.barrymorse.com/ The Official Barry Morse Website]
*[http://www.barrymorse.com/ The Official Barry Morse Website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100124022216/http://www.destinationmoonbasealpha.net/ Destination: Moonbase Alpha] – The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Space: 1999
*{{imdb-name|0607579}}
*[http://www.actorsfund.ca The Actors' Fund of Canada] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100110100904/http://www.actorsfund.ca/ |date=10 January 2010 }}
*[http://www.RobertEWood.ca Website of Robert E. Wood]
*[http://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Morse%2C%20Barry Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia – Barry Morse]
*[http://www.AnthonyWynn.com Website of Anthony Wynn]
*[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080205.OBMORSE05/TPStory//?pageRequested=1 Obituary, The Globe and Mail]

* {{IMDb name|id=0607579|name=Barry Morse}}
== References ==
* {{IBDB name|15716}}
<references />
* {{amg name|103605}}
*[http://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Morse%2C%20Barry Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia - Barry Morse]
* {{rotten-tomatoes-person|barry_morse_2}}


{{Authority control}}
[[Category:English film actors|Morse, Barry]]
[[Category:English stage actors|Morse, Barry]]
[[Category:English television actors|Morse, Barry]]
[[Category:Canadian film actors|Morse, Barry]]
[[Category:Canadian stage actors|Morse, Barry]]
[[Category:Canadian television actors|Morse, Barry]]
[[Category:1918 births|Morse, Barry]]
[[Category:Living people|Morse, Barry]]
[[Category:Doctors actors|Morse, Barry]]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Morse, Barry}}
[[de:Barry Morse]]
[[fr:Barry Morse]]
[[Category:1918 births]]
[[Category:2008 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of RADA]]
[[Category:Canadian male film actors]]
[[Category:Canadian male soap opera actors]]
[[Category:Canadian male stage actors]]
[[Category:Canadian male television actors]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male soap opera actors]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:Actors from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham]]
[[Category:English male Shakespearean actors]]
[[Category:Canadian people of English descent]]
[[Category:Naturalized citizens of Canada]]
[[Category:Canadian artistic directors]]
[[Category:British emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:Canadian theatre directors]]
[[Category:Male actors from London]]
[[Category:People from Hammersmith]]

Latest revision as of 22:15, 19 May 2024

Barry Morse
Barry Morse in 2007, photo by Anthony Wynn
Born
Herbert Morse

(1918-06-10)10 June 1918
Hammersmith, London, England
Died2 February 2008(2008-02-02) (aged 89)
London, England
Alma materRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • writer
Years active1937–2007
Known forThe Fugitive
Space: 1999
The Adventurer
Encounter
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1939; died 1999)​
ChildrenHayward Morse
Melanie Morse MacQuarrie
Websitehttp://www.barrymorse.com/

Herbert Morse (10 June 1918 – 2 February 2008), known professionally as Barry Morse, was a British-Canadian actor of stage, screen, and radio, best known for his roles in the television series The Fugitive and the British sci-fi drama Space: 1999. His performing career spanned seven decades and he had thousands of roles to his credit, including work for the BBC and the CBC.

Beginnings[edit]

Herbert Morse (he later changed his personal name to Barry) was born on 10 June 1918, in the Hammersmith area of west London (Morse later claimed to have been born in Shoreditch in London's East End but publicly-accessible birth records confirm Hammersmith), a son of Charles Hayward Morse and Mary Florence Hollis Morse. His parents owned a tobacco shop.[1][2] Morse was a 15-year-old errand boy when he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He performed the role of the Lion in Androcles and the Lion, and as a result, came to know George Bernard Shaw, a patron of the academy. His first paid job as an actor while still a student was in If I Were King. At graduation, he featured in the title role of William Shakespeare's play Henry V, presented as a Royal Command Performance for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

Career[edit]

Radio[edit]

Upon graduation, Morse won the BBC's Radio Prize which resulted in several parts and a main role in the drama The Fall of the City. Later, among dozens of other roles, he played the lead in Shakespeare's Hamlet and featured as Paul Temple for the radio series Send for Paul Temple Again. He later performed on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio beginning in 1951 and continuing to the 1980s, including the long-running series A Touch of Greasepaint, the Joe McCarthy–inspired The Investigator, and 1984. He also featured in a number of U.S. productions during the 1970s and 1980s for producer Yuri Rasovsky, including The Odyssey of Homer, which won a Peabody Award.

Morse's final radio performance, Rogues and Vagabonds – A Theatrical Scrapbook, was distributed by internet radio KSAV on 7 August and 9 August 2007, prior to being released on compact disc format. The hour-long special audio drama comprised a half-dozen vignettes and performances culled from theatrical history, including Shakespeare and Shaw.

British stage[edit]

Morse was a member of repertory theatre companies in Peterborough, Nottingham, and other cities, where he gained experience as an actor while playing more than 200 roles. In 1941, he joined the national tour of The First Mrs. Fraser featuring Dame Marie Tempest and A.E. Matthews. He debuted on the London West End stage in The School for Slavery. Other West End productions included Escort, The Assassin, and A Bullet in the Ballet. He was directed by John Gielgud in Crisis in Heaven. Morse developed a theatrical partnership with actress Nova Pilbeam, and they worked together both in movies and on stage, most notably in the successful stage productions of The Voice of the Turtle and Flowers for the Living.

Movies[edit]

Morse made his movie debut in the 1942 comedy The Goose Steps Out featuring Will Hay and continued with roles in Thunder Rock, When We Are Married, and This Man Is Mine (released as A Soldier for Christmas in North America) with Glynis Johns and Nova Pilbeam. Other notable movies include Kings of the Sun with Yul Brynner, Justine, and Puzzle of a Downfall Child with Faye Dunaway. He also appeared in the thrillers Asylum (1972) with Peter Cushing, Funeral Home with Kay Hawtrey and Lesleh Donaldson (1980), and The Changeling with George C. Scott (1980). He worked on several Lacewood animated productions, notably as the voice of Dragon in The Railway Dragon, alongside Tracey Moore, who played Emily. In 1999, he featured in the dramatic comedy Taxman with Billy Zane, released as Promise Her Anything and on DVD as Nothing to Declare. His final movie appearance was in I Really Hate My Job, released in 2007. Morse was offered a cameo in the 1993 film version of The Fugitive, but declined.

Later stage work[edit]

Morse performed on Broadway in Hide and Seek, Salad Days, and the lead of Frederick Rolfe in Hadrian the Seventh, which he also played in Australia, co-featuring with Frank Thring. He directed the Broadway debut of Staircase featuring Eli Wallach and Milo O'Shea, a depiction of gay male life.[3] He also featured in the U.S. national tour of Harold Pinter's The Caretaker as Davies.

He first presented a version of his one-man show Merely Players in 1959, which explored the experiences of actors through history, with the definitive version of the show debuting in 1984 for a Canadian national tour. Morse served as artistic director of the Shaw Festival of Canada for the 1966 season and as an adjunct professor at Yale Drama School in 1968.

In 1995, he premiered the Elizabeth Sharland play The Private Life of George Bernard Shaw in Toronto, also featuring Shirley Knight. The play featured Morse in the role of Shaw, with 10 actresses portraying the various women in Shaw's life. Morse later performed the play in 1997 at the British Theatre Museum in London.

With his son Hayward Morse, he featured in the 2004 North American debut of Bernard and Bosie: A Most Unlikely Friendship by Anthony Wynn, performed at the University of Florida, Sarasota. This two-act stage drama is based on the correspondence between playwright George Bernard Shaw, played by Morse, and Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas (Oscar Wilde's boyfriend), played by Hayward.

The next year, Morse appeared in the world premiere performance of the science-fiction play Contact by Doug Grissom, co-featuring Ryan Case and presented in Tampa, Florida.[citation needed]

Television[edit]

1975-77 Space: 1999 (Dr. Victor Bergman)

Guest roles[edit]

Morse guest-featured in more than a thousand drama, comedy, and talk-show presentations in the U.S., Canada, and Britain. Early American appearances include the U.S. Steel Hour, Encounter, and Playhouse 90. He also guest-geatured on such TV series as Naked City, The Untouchables, The Twilight Zone, Wagon Train, The Defenders, The Invaders, The Starlost, and The Saint, episode: The Reluctant Revolution (season 5, episode 4). In The Outer Limits episode "Controlled Experiment", he featured with Carroll O'Connor and Grace Lee Whitney. In The Starlost episode "The Goddess Calabra", he guest-featued with John Colicos. In The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ‘A Tangled Web’ with Robert Redford & Zohra Lampert.

In his later years, Morse guest-featured in a number of Canadian-produced series, including La Femme Nikita and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, as well as such British series as Doctors, Waking the Dead, and Space Island One.

Series[edit]

Morse's first television series was Presenting Barry Morse, which was broadcast for 13 weeks during the summer of 1960 on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Some of his best-known television roles included: Lt Philip Gerard for the 1960s series The Fugitive with David Janssen; Victor Bergman in the 1975–76 season of Space: 1999 with Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, and Zienia Merton; Mr Parminter in The Adventurer with Gene Barry; and Alec "the Tiger" Marlowe in The Zoo Gang with Sir John Mills, Lilli Palmer, and Brian Keith. In 1982, he played the Reaganesque U.S. President Johnny Cyclops in the satirical sitcom Whoops Apocalypse in the UK and hosted the series Strange But True for the Global and the BBC.

Miniseries[edit]

Morse appeared in a number of television miniseries, including The Winds of War and War and Remembrance (both with Robert Mitchum), The Martian Chronicles, Sadat, JFK: Reckless Youth, and Frederick Forsyth's Icon. Other notable miniseries appearances include A Woman of Substance, Master of the Game, and Race for the Bomb.


Books[edit]

The book based on his long-running stage play Merely Players – The Scripts was published in 2003. His first autobiography Pulling Faces, Making Noises was released in 2004.

Stories of the Theatre was published in 2006 and features material from his CBC radio series A Touch of Greasepaint, which was broadcast from 1954 to 1967.

His theatrical memoir, Remember With Advantages – Chasing 'The Fugitive' and Other Stories from an Actor's Life (ISBN 9780786427710), (written with Robert E. Wood and Anthony Wynn), details his life and career. The book features a foreword written by Academy Award-winning actor Martin Landau, and was released in 2007.

He wrote the afterword to Destination: Moonbase Alpha – The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to SPACE: 1999 (ISBN 9781845830342), published in 2010 by Telos Publishing, and written by Robert E. Wood. It featured a colour photo section of models created for the Space: 1999 television series by Martin Bower, and a foreword by Zienia Merton. Morse is quoted extensively throughout the book, as are numerous other series cast and crew.

Before his death, Morse wrote the foreword to Conversations At Warp Speed (ISBN 9781593932893), published in 2012 by BearManor Media, and written by Anthony Wynn. The book is a compilation of interviews with actors and other professionals associated with the various incarnations of Star Trek. It also contains a bonus chapter featuring an interview with Barry Morse, who worked with numerous actors who appeared in Star Trek.

Personal life[edit]

Family life[edit]

After a short courtship, Morse married actress Sydney Sturgess on 26 March 1939, during their work together in repertory theatre in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. The couple had two children, Melanie Morse (1945–2005) and Hayward Morse (b. 1947).

In 1951, the Morse family relocated to Canada, where he worked in radio and theatre, and participated with the first television broadcasts of CBC Television from Montreal, and later Toronto. Morse became a Canadian citizen in 1953.

Charitable work[edit]

Barry Morse long patronized a number of charitable organisations, including the Toronto-based Performing Arts Lodges of Canada, the Royal Theatrical Fund, the London Shakespeare Workout Prison Project, Actors' Fund of Canada, the Samaritans, BookPALS, and Parkinson's disease treatment and research.

The cause of Parkinson's disease was special for Morse, as his wife of more than 60 years, actress Sydney Sturgess, battled the illness for 14 years before her death in 1999. In later years, he also became an advocate for senior citizens in his adopted homeland of Canada.

Death[edit]

Barry Morse died on 2 February 2008 at University College Hospital, London, aged 89, after a brief illness.[4] His body was donated to science, and on 3 April 2011 Morse's ashes were scattered in St. James's Square Garden, Pall Mall, London, England.

Selected filmography[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Barry Morse, Who Played the Dogged Detective in 'The Fugitive,' Is Dead at 89". New York Times. 5 February 2008. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  2. ^ Morse, Barry (2007). Remember with Advantages. McFarland and Company. p. 2.
  3. ^ Gaughan, Gavin (6 February 2008). "Barry Morse (obituary)". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  4. ^ 'Fugitive's' Lt. Girard dead at 89 Archived 7 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine. CNN.com. 5 February 2008.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Barry Morse.
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