Frank Morgan

Infobox actor
name = Frank Morgan

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imagesize = 200px
caption = from the trailer for "Sweethearts" (1938)
birthname = Francis Phillip Wuppermann
birthdate = birth date|1890|6|1|mf=y
birthplace = New York City, New York, United States
deathdate = death date and age|1949|9|18|1890|6|1|mf=y
deathplace = Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California
restingplace = Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York, United States
yearsactive = 1914 – 1949
spouse = Alma Muller
(1914 – 1949) (his death) 1 son
awards = Hollywood Walk of Fame

Frank Morgan (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949) was an American character actor best known for his portrayal of the title character in the film "The Wizard of Oz".

Early life

Born as Francis Phillip Wuppermann in New York City, the youngest of eleven children (six boys and five girls) to the wealthy family which distributed Angostura bitters, he attended Cornell University where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. He then followed his older brother Ralph Morgan into show business, first on the Broadway stage and then into theaters.

Acting career

His first film was "The Suspect" in 1916. His career expanded when talkies began, his most stereotypical role being that of a befuddled but good-hearted middle-aged man. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1934's "The Affairs of Cellini", where he played the cuckolded Duke of Florence and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1942's "Tortilla Flat", where he played a simple Hispanic man.

Morgan's most famous performance was in "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), in which he played the carnival huckster "Professor Marvel", the gatekeeper of the Emerald City, the driver of the carriage drawn by "The Horse of a Different Color", the armed guard leading to the wizard's hall, and the Wizard himself. Like Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West, his characters only appear on-screen for a few minutes in total, but they are show-stoppers. He was so popular that MGM gave him a lifetime contract. Other movies of note include "The Shop Around the Corner", "The Human Comedy", "The Mortal Storm", "The White Cliffs of Dover" and his last movie, "Key to the City", which was released after his death, in Beverly Hills, California.

He also recorded a number of children's records, including the popular Gossamer Wump, released in 1949 by Capitol Records.

Like most character actors of the studio era Frank Morgan had numerous roles in many motion pictures. One of his last roles was as a key supporting player in "The Stratton Story", a true story about a ballplayer (played by James Stewart) who makes a comeback after losing a leg in a hunting accident.

Frank Morgan, Cheryl Ladd, and Robin Williams

The three guest stars were conversated with Disney's The Aristocats. In the play, Frank Morgan played the voice of Georges Hautecourt, and Robin Williams played Edgar the Butler, and Cheryl Ladd played Madame Adelaide Boumnfaille, the rich old lady for Edgar and her lawyer, fond of Duchess (Judy Garland), and Thomas O'Malley (Ray Bolger).

Personal life

Morgan married Alma Muller in 1914; they had one son. They were married until his death in 1949.

Frank Morgan's niece, Claudia Morgan (neé Claudia Wuppermann) was a stage and film actress, most notable for creating the role of Vera Claythorne in the original production of "And Then There Were None".

Death

Morgan died after suffering a heart attack in 1949 (while filming "Annie Get Your Gun"). He was the one major player from "The Wizard of Oz" who did not live to see the film become both a television fixture and an American institution. He was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.

He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1708 Vine Street.

Filmography

* "The Suspect" (1916)
* "The Daring of Diana" (1916)
* "The Girl Philippa" (1916)
* "A Modern Cinderella" (1917)
* "A Child of the Wild" (1917)
* "The Light in Darkness" (1917)
* "Baby Mine" (1917)
* "Who's Your Neighbor?" (1917)
* "Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman" (1917)
* "The Knife" (1918)
* "At the Mercy of Men" (1918)
* "The Gray Towers Mystery" (1919)
* "The Golden Shower" (1919)
* "Manhandled" (1924)
* "Born Rich" (1924)
* "The Crowded Hour" (1925)
* "The Man Who Found Himself" (1925)
* "Scarlet Saint" (1925)
* "Love's Greatest Mistake" (1927)
* "Belle of the Night" (1930) (short subject)
* "Dangerous Nan McGrew" (1930)
* "Queen High" (1930)
* "Laughter (film)" (1930)
* "Fast and Loose (film)" (1930)
* "Secrets of the French Police" (1932)
* "The Half Naked Truth" (1932)
* "Billion Dollar Scandal" (1933)
* "Luxury Liner" (1933)
* "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum (film)" (1933)
* "Reunion in Vienna" (1933)
* "The Kiss Before the Mirror" (1933)
* "The Nuisance" (1933)
* "When Ladies Meet" (1933)
* "Best of Enemies" (1933)
* "Broadway to Hollywood" (1933)
* "Bombshell (film)" (1933)
* "The Cat and the Fiddle" (1934)
* "Sisters Under the Skin" (1934)
* "Success at Any Price" (1934)
* "The Affairs of Cellini" (1934)
* "A Lost Lady (film)" (1934)
* "There's Always Tomorrow" (1934)
* "By Your Leave" (1934)
* "The Mighty Barnum" (1934)
* "The Good Fairy (film)" (1935)
* "Enchanted April" (1935)
* "Naughty Marietta (film)" (1935)
* "Lazybones (film)" (1935)
* "Escapade" (1935)
* "I Live My Life" (1935)

* "The Perfect Gentlemen" (1935)
* "The Great Ziegfeld" (1936)
* "Dancing Pirate" (1936)
* "Trouble for Two" (1936)
* "Dimples (film)" (1936)
* "The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937 film)" (1937)
* "The Emperor's Candlesticks" (1937)
* "Saratoga (film)" (1937)
* "Sunday Night at the Trocadero" (1937) (short subject)
* "Beg, Borrow or Steal" (1937)
* "Rosalie" (1937)
* "Paradise for Three" (1938)
* "Port of Seven Seas" (1938)
* "The Crowd Roars" (1938)
* "Sweethearts (film)" (1938)
* "Broadway Serenade" (1939)
* "The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)" (1939)
* "Henry Goes Arizona" (1939)
* "Balalaika" (1939)
* "The Shop Around the Corner" (1940)
* "Broadway Melody of 1940" (1940)
* "The Ghost Comes Home" (1940)
* "The Mortal Storm" (1940)
* "Boom Town (film)" (1940)
* "Hullabaloo (film)" (1940)
* "Keeping Company" (1940)
* "The Wild Man of Borneo" (1941)
* "Washington Melodrama" (1941)
* "Honky Tonk (1941 film)" (1941)
* "The Vanishing Virginian" (1942)
* "Tortilla Flat (film)" (1942)
* "White Cargo" (1942)
* "The Human Comedy (film)" (1943)
* "A Stranger in Town" (1943)
* "Thousands Cheer" (1943)
* "The White Cliffs of Dover (1944 film)" (1944)
* "Kismet (1944 film)" (1944) (narrator)
* "Casanova Brown" (1944)
* "Yolanda and the Thief" (1945)
* "The Great Morgan" (1946)
* "Courage of Lassie" (1946)
* "The Cockeyed Miracle" (1946)
* "Lady Luck (1946 film)" (1946)
* "Green Dolphin Street" (1947)
* "Summer Holiday" (1948)
* "The Three Musketeers (1948 film)" (1948)
* "The Stratton Story" (1949)
* "The Great Sinner" (1949)
* "Any Number Can Play" (1949)
* "Key to the City" (1950)

External links

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Persondata
NAME= Morgan, Frank
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Wuppermann, Francis Phillip
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Actor
DATE OF BIRTH= 1890-6-1
PLACE OF BIRTH= New York City, New York, United States
DATE OF DEATH= 1949-9-18
PLACE OF DEATH= Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California