David Morse (actor)

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David Morse
Born David Morse
October 11, 1953 (1953-10-11) (age 54)
Hamilton, Massachusetts, United States
Spouse(s) Susan Wheeler Duff
(1982–present) 3 children

David Morse (born October 11, 1953) is an Emmy Award-nominated American stage, television, and film actor.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Personal life

Morse was born in Hamilton, Massachusetts, the son of Jacquelyn, a school teacher, and Charles Morse, a sales manager.[1] He has three sisters. Morse has been married to actress Susan Wheeler Duff since June 19, 1982. They have three children and reside in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

[edit] Career

Morse began his acting career in the theatre as a player for the Boston Repertory Theatre in the early 1970s. He spent some time in New York's theatre community in the early 1980s before moving into television and film. Morse's big break came in 1982 when he was cast in the television medical drama St. Elsewhere. Morse played Dr. Jack "Boomer" Morrison, a young physician who is forced to deal with the death of his wife and the struggles of a single parent professional.

After St. Elsewhere ended in 1988, Morse went on to appear as a supporting character in films such as The Good Son, The Rock, Twelve Monkeys, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Contact, and The Negotiator. And he had starring roles in The Indian Runner and The Crossing Guard, which were the first two films written and directed by Sean Penn. He has also appeared in three adaptations of Stephen King stories, The Langoliers, Hearts in Atlantis, and The Green Mile. In addition to this Morse was a guest star on Homicide: Life on the Street, as Detective Tim Bayliss's (Kyle Secor) racist cousin.

Morse starred as Mike Olshansky, an ex-Philadelphia police officer turned cab driver, in the television series Hack which ran from 2002 to 2004. For his role in the 2002 crime-drama film Double Vision, Morse was nominated as "Best Supporting Actor" in the Golden Horse Awards, the first nomination ever for an English speaking actor. His most recent big-screen appearance was as questionable neighbor Mr. Turner in the 2007 release Disturbia.

The actor had a recurring role during the third season of the TV medical drama House as Michael Tritter, a detective with a vendetta against Gregory House, earning a 2007 Emmy nomination for his work on the series.

Film critic (and commentator) John Podhoretz has written that Morse is a "largely unsung character actor who enlivens and deepens every movie fortunate enough to have him in the cast."[2]

In addition to his film and television career, Morse has continued to appear on stage. For his performance in the 1997 Off-Broadway production of Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama How I Learned to Drive, he was awarded Obie, Drama League, Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Awards. In 2007/2008, Morse appeared on Broadway in Conor McPherson's The Seafarer.

In 2008, Morse portrays George Washington in the HBO mini-series John Adams.

[edit] Filmography

Awards
Preceded by
Frank Langella
for The Father
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play
1996-1997
for How I Learned to Drive
Succeeded by
Anthony LaPaglia
for A View from the Bridge

[edit] References

  1. ^ filmreference.com
  2. ^ Podhoretz, John, "Hitchcock Lite; Entertaining, yes, but Shia LaBeouf is no James Stewart", review of Disturbia in The Weekly Standard, April 30, 2007, Vol. 12, No. 31, pp. 46-47
  3. ^ Internet Movie Database: "Reasonable Doubts": Moment of Doubt (1992)
  4. ^ Internet Movie Database: The Taming Power of the Small (1995)

[edit] External links