Frank Morgan

Frank Morgan, born Francis Phillip Wuppermann on June 1, 1890, in New York City, was an American character actor whose career spanned stage, film, and radio over 35 years. The youngest of eleven children born to Josephine Wright Wuppermann and George Diogracia Wuppermann, he grew up in a family that had accumulated wealth through the distribution of Angostura bitters. His father, born in Venezuela and raised in Hamburg, Germany, was of German and Spanish ancestry, while his mother was of English ancestry and American-born. Morgan attended Cornell University, where he joined the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and participated in the Glee Club. His brother Ralph Morgan was also an actor of stage and screen, and his niece Claudia Morgan pursued careers in both stage and film. Early in his professional life, Morgan performed under the names Frank Wuppermann and Francis Morgan before settling on the stage name by which he became widely known.

Morgan made his Broadway debut on October 14, 1914, in Mr. Wu, having adopted his stage name in part by following in his brother's footsteps as an aspiring vaudevillian. His Broadway career, which ran from 1914 to 1932, included productions such as Rock-a-Bye Baby, Under Sentence, Under Fire, Granny Maumee, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, in which he played Henry Spoffard in 1927. He drew critical attention for his portrayal of Count Carlo Boretti in The Lullaby, performed alongside Florence Reed. In 1930, Morgan took on the role in Topaze, which he regarded as among his finest stage work. His final Broadway appearances were in The Band Wagon and Hey Nonny Nonny!, after which his theatrical career gave way to his contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He also married Alma Muller in 1914, the same year he made his stage debut; the couple had one son, George, and remained married until Morgan's death.

Morgan's film career began in the silent era with his debut as Sir Richard in The Suspect in 1916. He subsequently appeared in Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman in 1917 alongside John Barrymore, playing Bunny Manders, and went on to appear in the propaganda film Who's Your Neighbor? as well as At the Mercy of Men, Manhandled, and Born Rich, among other productions. After signing a contract with MGM, he co-starred with Al Jolson in Hallelujah, I'm a Bum in 1933. The following year, his performance as Alessandro, Duke of Florence in The Affairs of Cellini earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Leading Actor. In 1935 he appeared in The Good Fairy opposite Margaret Sullavan and in The Great Ziegfeld as Jack Billings. Morgan played Professor Appleby alongside Shirley Temple in Dimples in 1936, and in 1937 appeared as Jesse Kiffmeyer in Saratoga.

Morgan's most celebrated screen role came in MGM's 1939 production of The Wizard of Oz, in which he was cast on September 22, 1938, after W. C. Fields, originally chosen for the part, was passed over following prolonged disputes over his fee. Morgan played five distinct roles in the film: the carnival huckster Professor Marvel, the title character the Wizard, the Gatekeeper of the Emerald City, the carriage driver of the city, and the Palace Guard. The role cemented his reputation as a versatile character actor capable of both comic and dramatic work. That range was further demonstrated in The Shop Around the Corner and The Mortal Storm, both released in 1940, in which he played Hugo Matuschek and Professor Roth respectively, as well as in The Human Comedy in 1943, where he portrayed Willie Grogan. He received a second Academy Award nomination, this time for Best Supporting Actor, for his work in Tortilla Flat in 1942. Among his other notable MGM appearances were Boom Town, supporting Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, and Claudette Colbert; White Cargo alongside Walter Pidgeon and Hedy Lamarr; The Three Musketeers in 1948, in which he played King Louis XIII; and The Stratton Story in 1949, in which he appeared as Jimmy Stewart's boss. He also played Mr. Ferris in Casanova Brown in 1944 and a shepherd in Courage of Lassie in 1946. The compilation film The Great Morgan in 1946 placed him at the center of the picture as a version of himself. Morgan had filmed several scenes as Buffalo Bill in Annie Get Your Gun when he died, and Louis Calhern replaced him in that production.

In radio, Morgan co-starred with Fanny Brice during the 1940s on Maxwell House Coffee Time, also known as The Frank Morgan-Fanny Brice Show, on which he performed comic tall tales about his supposed life adventures. When Brice departed in 1944 to headline her own program, Morgan continued for a year with The Frank Morgan Show. In 1947 he starred as the title character in the radio series The Fabulous Dr. Tweedy, and in 1949 he recorded the children's record Gossamer Wump for Capitol Records.

Morgan died in his sleep of a heart attack on September 18, 1949, at his home in Beverly Hills, California, at the age of 59. His funeral was held at All Saints Protestant Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills, and he is buried at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, where his tombstone bears both his stage name and his birth name, Wuppermann. Two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame were dedicated in his honor on February 8, 1960, one at 1708 Vine Street recognizing his film work and one at 6700 Hollywood Boulevard recognizing his contributions to radio.