Enlarge image
Robert Morse (1931-2022): He played the character of eccentric company co-founder Bert Cooper in 58 episodes
Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic
Series creator Matthew Weiner treated him to one of the most spectacular departures in "Mad Men": Bertram Cooper, the eponymous senior partner of the advertising agency Sterling Cooper, died in 1969 on the day of the first moon landing - and then reappeared in the dream of the main character, Don Draper to sing the musical classic »The Best Things in Life Are Free«.
It was a suitably celebrity ending for a supporting character with a small but big influence on the events of the agency series that was billed as the epitome of quality television in the '00s and '10s.
And, as befits such a show, a great actor was brought in for such a supporting role: Robert Morse, a two-time Tony Award winner who received five Emmy nominations for best guest appearance for his portrayal of the senior partner.
Robert Morse, born in Newton, Massachusetts, in 1931, began his acting career on Broadway, where he appeared in musicals and straight plays - often in comic roles in which he used his boyish face with the noticeable cleft teeth.
In 1962 he starred in the play How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying as a window cleaner who climbs the ladder with the help of a mentor.
The role earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, and he also played it in the 1967 film adaptation of the play.
The film version of How to Succeed Without Trying Too Much was one of the movies about 1960s professional life that he says inspired Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner.
Robert Morse starred in a few other period-typical cinematic successes of this phase, including the black comedy Death in Hollywood about a funeral home and Guide to Infidelities alongside Walter Matthau.
Morse appeared primarily in television roles during the 1970s and early 1980s before making a triumphant return to Broadway in 1989 as the aging writer Truman Capote in "Tru," a role that won him not only his second Tony Award but also won an Emmy in a television adaptation.
The character of the eccentric company co-founder Bert Cooper was played by Robert Morse in 58 episodes of the series "Mad Men".
Always dressed in a bow tie, Cooper received his office, which was furnished with Japanese art objects and his employees were only allowed to enter without shoes.
Screenwriter and producer Larry Karaszewski, vice president of the US Film Academy, announced on Thursday that Robert Morse has died at the age of 90.
His son Charlie confirmed his father's death to local Los Angeles ABC news station.
Feb
