David Morse | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Morse in 2013 | |
| Born | David Bowditch Morse (1953-10-11)October 11, 1953 (age 72) Beverly, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Alma mater | William Esper Studio |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
David Bowditch Morse[1] (born October 11, 1953)[2] is an American actor. Morse became widely known for his role as Dr. Jack "Boomer" Morrison in the medical drama seriesSt. Elsewhere (1982–88), and he has had roles inThe Negotiator,The Good Son,Horns,Contact,The Green Mile,Dancer in the Dark,Disturbia,The Hurt Locker,The Long Kiss Goodnight,The Rock and12 Monkeys.
In 2006, Morse had a recurring role asDetective Michael Tritter on the medical drama seriesHouse, for which he received anEmmy Award nomination. He portrayedGeorge Washington in the 2008HBO miniseriesJohn Adams, which garnered him a second Emmy nomination. He received acclaim for his portrayal of Uncle Peck on theOff-Broadway playHow I Learned to Drive, earning aDrama Desk Award andObie Award. He has had success on Broadway, portraying James "Sharky" Harkin inThe Seafarer. From 2010 to 2013, he portrayed Terry Colson, an honest police officer in a corruptNew Orleans police department, on the HBO seriesTreme. Morse appeared in the WGN America seriesOutsiders (2016–17), theShowtime miniseriesEscape at Dannemora (2018), and theNetflix comedy drama seriesThe Chair (2021).
Morse was born October 11, 1953, inBeverly, Massachusetts, the son of Jacquelyn Morse, a teacher, and Charles Morse, a salesman.[3] He was raised inEssex, Massachusetts andHamilton, Massachusetts. As a teenager, he was confirmed in theEpiscopal Church, and he has said that he continues to pray daily into adulthood.[4] His middle name, Bowditch, comes from mathematicianNathaniel Bowditch.[1]
After graduating from high school in 1971,[5] Morse was invited byEsquire Jauchem, who had directed him in one of his school plays, to audition for the repertory theater he was helping form in Boston, the Boston Repertory Company.[6] Morse became a member that summer at age 17 and spent six years performing there while living in the Fort Hill section of Roxbury.[7]
In 1975, Jauchem, by then the artistic director of the Boston Repertory Theater, adapted and directed a stage musical version ofThe Point! that starred Morse as Oblio.[8] The production later toured to the Trinity Square Repertory Company in Providence. In the late 1970s, Morse moved from Boston to New York to further his stage career with theCircle Repertory Company and to study acting at theWilliam Esper Studio.[9][10]
In 1980, Morse made his theatrical film debut in the dramaInside Moves.[7] Morse was listed as one of the twelve most "Promising New Actors of 1980" inJohn A. Willis'sScreen World, Vol. 32.[11]
Morse's big break came in 1982 when he was cast in the television medical dramaSt. Elsewhere. He 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.[12]
Morse appeared in a number of supporting roles followingSt. Elsewhere. He is quoted as saying, "I made the decision that I didn't care if there was any money in the role or not. I had to find roles that were different from what I had been doing."[13] His turn inDesperate Hours as antagonist showed a darker side of Morse.[13] He later starred inThe Indian Runner andThe Crossing Guard. He has appeared in three adaptations ofStephen King stories:The Langoliers,Hearts in Atlantis, andThe Green Mile. He was a guest star onHomicide: Life on the Street, playing a racist cousin of DetectiveTim Bayliss.[14]
In 2002, Morse starred as Mike Olshansky, an ex-Philadelphia police officer turned cab driver, in the television filmHack. For his role in the 2002 crime-drama filmShuang Tong, Morse was nominated as Best Supporting Actor in theGolden Horse Awards, the first ever nomination for an English-speaking actor. He appeared as suspicious neighbor Mr. Turner in the 2007 thrillerDisturbia. Film critic and commentatorJohn Podhoretz wrote that Morse is a "largely unsung character actor who enlivens and deepens every movie fortunate enough to have him in the cast."[15]
In 2006, Morse received a phone call fromDavid Shore, who had previously worked with him on theHack series. Shore asked him if he would be interested in having a guest role onHouse. When Morse watched the show, he could not understand why people enjoyed it because he believed "this House guy is a total jerk." When he told some of his friends about the offer, however, their excited reactions convinced him to accept the role.[16] Morse portrayedMichael Tritter, a detective with a vendetta againstDr. House. He earned his firstEmmy Award nomination for his work on the series.[17]
In 2008, Morse portrayedGeorge Washington in theHBO miniseriesJohn Adams, for which his nose was made bigger with prosthetics. Morse commented, "The first thing that comes to mind is my nose; it was my big idea to do that nose. We didn't have a lot of time, because they asked me to do this about three weeks before they started shooting, and I just kept looking at these portraits and thinking 'this man's face is so commanding.' And I did not feel that my face was very commanding in the way his was. So I convinced them that we should try the nose, and we tried it on, and everybody went, 'Wow, that's Washington.'"[16] Morse's portrayal earned him his secondEmmy Award nomination. He also portrays Washington in voice form as part ofThe Hall of Presidents show inWalt Disney World Resort'sMagic Kingdom.[18]
Morse has stated that out of all of the films he has done, his favorites areThe Green Mile,[19]The Crossing Guard, andThe Indian Runner.[16]
In 2010, he guest starred in two episodes of the HBO drama seriesTreme as Lt. Terry Colson of theNew Orleans Police Department. He was promoted to series regular starting with the show's second season, which began in April 2011. Later that year, Morse won the best actor award at theKarlovy Vary International Film Festival for his role inCollaborator.[20] He played an ex-CIA agent in the filmWorld War Z (2013). He played the late NFL playerMike Webster in the biographical sports dramaConcussion (2015).
In addition to performing in films and on television, Morse has continued to appear on stage. For his performance in the 1997 Off-Broadway production ofPaula Vogel'sPulitzer Prize-winning dramaHow I Learned to Drive, he received anObie Award, aDrama League Award, aDrama Desk Award, and aLucille Lortel Award. That same year, he played Father Barry in the play adaptation ofOn the Waterfront.[21] From 2007 to 2008, Morse appeared on Broadway inConor McPherson's playThe Seafarer.[22][23] He received aTony Award nomination for his role in the 2018 Broadway revival ofThe Iceman Cometh.[24]
Morse has three younger sisters and had one stepsister.[25] He has been married to actress and author ofThe Habit, Susan Wheeler Duff Morse since 1982. They have one daughter and twin sons.[26] After losing their home in the1994 Northridge earthquake, Morse and his family moved toPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania.[13][19] Morse has food sensitivities and has to personally prepare almost all food he eats.[4]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Nurse | Kevin Mallory | Episode: "Equal Opportunity" |
| 1981 | Our Family Business | Phil | Television film |
| 1982–1988 | St. Elsewhere | Dr. Jack Morrison | 137 episodes Directed episodes: "A Coupla White Dummies Sitting Around Talking", "Handoff" |
| 1983 | Prototype | Michael | Television film |
| 1984 | Shattered Vows | Father Tim | Television film |
| 1985 | When Dreams Come True | Robert Wynton | Television film |
| 1987 | Place at the Table | Tom Williams | Television film |
| 1987 | KnowZone | Host | 13 episodes |
| 1987 | Six Against the Rock | Marvin Hubbard | Television film |
| 1987 | Downpayment on Murder | Det. Jackson | Television film |
| 1988 | Winnie | Thomas | Television film |
| 1989 | Brotherhood of the Rose | Chris / Remus | Television film |
| 1989 | Cross of Fire | Klell Henry | Television film |
| 1989 | Friday the 13th: The Series | Wrote and directed episode: "A Friend to the End" | |
| 1989 | Midnight Caller | Chandler | Episode: "Wait Until Midnight" |
| 1991 | Cry in the Wild: The Taking of Peggy Ann | Bicycle Pete | Television film |
| 1992 | The Hat Squad | Frankie Stein | Episode: "Frankie Stein" |
| 1992 | Tales from the Crypt | Tom McMurdo | Episode: "Showdown" |
| 1992 | Reasonable Doubts | Edward Durrell | Episode: "Moment of Doubt" |
| 1992 | Dead Ahead: The Exxon Valdez Disaster | Rick Steiner | Television film |
| 1993 | Miracle on Interstate 880 | Dr. Jim Betts | Television film |
| 1993 | Big Wave Dave's | Dave Bell | 6 episodes |
| 1993 | SeaQuest DSV | Lenny Sutter | Episode:"SeaWest" |
| 1995 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Jim Bayliss | Episode: "Colors" |
| 1995 | The Langoliers | Captain Brian Engle | Television film |
| 1995 | Tecumseh: The Last Warrior | Galloway | Television film |
| 1997 | Murder Live! | Frank McGrath | Television film |
| 2001 | American Experience | Abraham Lincoln | Voice 6 episodes |
| 2002–2004 | Hack | Mike Olshansky | 40 episodes Wrote episode: "Gone" |
| 2006–2007 | House | Det. Michael Tritter | 6 episodes Nominated –Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series |
| 2008 | John Adams | George Washington | 4 episodes Nominated –Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated –Monte-Carlo Television Festival for Outstanding Actor in a Mini Series |
| 2009 | Medium | Douglas Lydecker | 3 episodes |
| 2009 | Empire State | James Cochrane | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2010–2013 | Treme | NOPD Lt. Terry Colson | 31 episodes |
| 2011 | Lights Out | Jerry "The Rainmaker" Raines | Episode: "Rainmaker" |
| 2012 | Victory in Defeat | Douglas MacArthur | Japanese series |
| 2012 | Robot Chicken | Robin Hood The Lorax | Voice Episode: "Butchered in Burbank" |
| 2014 | Untitled Wall Street Project | Conklin | CBS pilot |
| 2015 | True Detective | Eliot Bezzerides | 3 episodes |
| 2016–2017 | Outsiders | "Big Foster" Farrell VI | 26 episodes |
| 2017–2020 | Blindspot | Hank Crawford | 7 episodes |
| 2018 | Escape at Dannemora | Gene Palmer | 6 episodes |
| 2019 | The Deuce | Matthew Rouse | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | The Morning Show | Mr. Jackson | Episode: "No One's Gonna Harm You, Not While I'm Around" |
| 2020 | The Good Lord Bird | Dutch Henry Sherman | Episode: "Meet the Lord" |
| 2021 | The Chair | Dean Paul Larson | 6 episodes |
| 2023 | The Last Thing He Told Me | Nicholas Bell | Miniseries |
| 2025 | We Were Liars | Harris Sinclair |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | The Trading Post | Jim | WPA Theatre |
| 1981 | Threads | Nub / Clyde | Circle Theatre |
| 1990–1991 | The Wild Duck | Los Angeles Theatre Center | |
| 1992 | Redwood Curtain | Lyman | Bagley Wright Theatre –Seattle Repertory Theatre World Premiere |
| 1995 | On the Waterfront | Father Barry | Brooks Atkinson Theatre |
| 1997–1998 | How I Learned to Drive | Uncle Peck | Century Center for the Performing Arts World Premiere Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Actor Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor Obie Award for Best Performance Nominated –Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor |
| 2007–2008 | The Seafarer | James "Sharky" Harkin | Booth Theatre |
| 2013 | The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin[28] | Tom Durnin | Laura Pels Theatre |
| 2018 | The Iceman Cometh | Larry Slade | Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre Nominated –Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play |
| 2022 | How I Learned to Drive | Uncle Peck | Samuel J. Friedman Theatre Broadway Premiere Nominated –Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play |
| Year | Title | Author | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | A Patchwork Planet | Anne Tyler | Abridged Version |
| 2003 | Messenger | Lois Lowry | |
| 2014 | Revival | Stephen King | |
| 2015 | The Andromeda Strain | Michael Crichton | |
| 2016 | Skeleton Crew | Stephen King | Partial Reading |
| 2016 | And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer | Fredrik Backman | English Translation |
| 2018 | Flight or Fright | Various | Partial Reading |
| 2018 | Leadership: In Turbulent Times | Doris Kearns Goodwin | Partial Reading |
| 2020 | The Second Life of Tiger Woods | Michael Bamberger |
It's got thrills and scares and laughs and a frightening villain in David Morse (a largely unsung character actor who enlivens and deepens every movie fortunate enough to have him in the cast).
