Hayward Morse

Hayward Morse is a British stage and voice actor born in 1947, the son of actors Barry Morse and Sydney Sturgess and the brother of Melanie Morse MacQuarrie. At sixteen he was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where he earned the Silver Medal upon graduation. His early career included television work on CBC and stage performances in both Canada and the United States, and he made his US television debut in 1959 alongside Ingrid Bergman in the film The Turn of the Screw.

Morse made his London West End debut in 1969 in the original production of Joe Orton's What the Butler Saw at the Queen's Theatre, appearing with Ralph Richardson, Stanley Baxter, and Coral Browne. He subsequently appeared in the first stage production of The Rocky Horror Show and in the Bristol Old Vic production of Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan, and has performed in numerous productions of William Shakespeare's plays internationally.

His Broadway debut came in 1972 in Simon Gray's Butley, a performance that earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play in 1973. Additional stage credits include the role of Hercule Poirot in Alibi, the dual roles of Aunt and Nephew in Travels with My Aunt, Sleuth, and I Ought to be in Pictures. He also appeared as Bosie in the North American premiere of Anthony Wynn's Bernard and Bosie: A Most Unlikely Friendship, performing opposite his father, Barry Morse.

As a voice artist, Morse has recorded hundreds of audiobooks, with works by authors including Edgar Allan Poe, Harold Robbins, Bernard Cornwell, Jackie Collins, Arthur C. Clarke, and Mickey Spillane.