Robert Morley

Actor

About

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Birth Place

Wiltshire, England, GB

Born

May 26, 1908

Died

June 03, 1992

Biography

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Portly English character actor who first gained acclaim on the London stage for his title role in "Oscar Wilde." Morley successfully reprised the part on Broadway in 1938, leading to an invitation to Hollywood and an Oscar-nominated film debut as Louis XVI in "Marie Antoinette" (1938). A jovial comic figure who could equally convincingly erupt into rage, Morley portrayed several more roy...

Filmography

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Istanbul: Keep Your Eyes Open (1990)

The Lady And The Highwayman (1989)

Little Dorrit (1988)

The Wind (1987)

The Trouble With Spies (1987)

Loophole (1986)

Photos & Videos

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African Queen, The (1951) -- (Movie Clip) Opening, German East Africa

African Queen, The (1951) -- (Movie Clip) On Account Of The War

Family & Companions

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Meriel Forbes

Companion

Actor. Briefly engaged; later married to Sir Ralph Richardson.

Joan North Buckmaster

Wife

Married in 1940.

Notes

He was made a commander of the British Empire in 1957

Biography

Portly English character actor who first gained acclaim on the London stage for his title role in "Oscar Wilde." Morley successfully reprised the part on Broadway in 1938, leading to an invitation to Hollywood and an Oscar-nominated film debut as Louis XVI in "Marie Antoinette" (1938).

A jovial comic figure who could equally convincingly erupt into rage, Morley portrayed several more royal or aristocratic types, including King George III, in "Beau Brummel" (1954), Louis XI, in "Quentin Durward" (1955), and the Earl of Manchester, in "Cromwell" (1970). Other real-life figures he played were Charles James Fox, in "The Young Mr. Pitt" (1942), Oscar Hammerstein, in "Melba" (1953), and W.S. Gilbert, in "Gilbert and Sullivan" (1953).

A cultivated, erudite presence, Morley imposed a distinctive stamp both on his more serious films and on campy vehicles like "Theatre of Blood" (1973). In this cult classic, he played a pompous theater critic gruesomely dispatched by a Shakespearean actor (Vincent Price) whom he had panned.

Filmography

Cast (Feature Film)

Istanbul: Keep Your Eyes Open (1990)

The Lady And The Highwayman (1989)

Little Dorrit (1988)

The Wind (1987)

The Trouble With Spies (1987)

Loophole (1986)

Second Time Lucky (1984)

High Road to China (1983)

The Great Muppet Caper (1981)

British Gentleman

Oh, Heavenly Dog! (1980)

The Human Factor (1980)

Doctor Percival

Scavenger Hunt (1979)

Hugo the Hippo (1978)

Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978)

The Blue Bird (1976)

Great Expectations (1974)

Theatre Of Blood (1973)

Meredith Merridew

Many Moons (1973)

Many Moons (1973)

When Eight Bells Toll (1971)

Uncle Arthur [Sir Arnold-Jones]

Song of Norway (1970)

Cromwell (1970)

Earl of Manchester

Doctor in Trouble (1970)

Captain George Spratt

The Trygon Factor (1969)

Sinful Davey (1969)

Hot Millions (1968)

Finders Keepers (1967)

Colonel Roberts

Tender Scoundrel (1967)

Woman Times Seven (1967)

Way ... Way Out (1966)

Hotel Paradiso (1966)

A Study in Terror (1966)

Genghis Khan (1965)

The Emperor of China

Life at the Top (1965)

Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines; or How I Flew From London to Paris in 25 Hours and 11 Minutes (1965)

The Alphabet Murders (1965)

Agent 8 3/4 (1965)

Colonel Cunliffe

The Loved One (1965)

Sir Ambrose Abercrombie

Of Human Bondage (1964)

The Old Dark House (1963)

Murder at the Gallop (1963)

The Boys (1963)

Lewis Montgomery

Ladies Who Do (1963)

Colonel Whitforth

Take Her, She's Mine (1963)

Nine Hours to Rama (1963)

The Story of Joseph and His Brethren (1962)

Wonderful To Be Young! (1962)

The Road to Hong Kong (1962)

Go to Blazes (1962)

Oscar Wilde (1960)

The Battle of the Sexes (1960)

Robert Macpherson

The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw (1959)

Uncle Lucius [Tibbs]

The Journey (1959)

The Doctor's Dilemma (1959)

Sir Ralph Bloomfield-Bonington

Law and Disorder (1958)

Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

Ralph, a governor of the Bank of England

Quentin Durward (1955)

Beau Brummell (1954)

King George III

Beat the Devil (1954)

The Good Die Young (1954)

Sir Francis Ravenscourt

The Rainbow Jacket (1954)

Oscar Hammerstein

The Final Test (1953)

The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan (1953)

Curtain Up (1952)

The African Queen (1951)

The Brother [Rev. Samuel Sayer]

Outcast of the Islands (1951)

The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947)

Blue pants Northerner

The Young Mr. Pitt (1943)

Charles James Fox

This Was Paris (1942)

Major Barbara (1941)

Andrew Undershaft

Marie Antoinette (1938)

Writer (Feature Film)

Return to Yesterday (1940)

Play As Source Material ("Goodness How Sad")

Cast (Special)

Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days (2001)

Timmy ("Something'S Got To Give")

Deadly Game (1982)

Cast (Short)

Another Romance of Celluloid (1938)

Cast (TV Mini-Series)

Around the World in 80 Days (1989)

War and Remembrance (1988)

Alice in Wonderland (1985)

Life Events

1929

London stage debut

1938

American stage debut in Broadway production of London hit, "Oscar Wilde"

1938

Film debut, playing Louis XVI opposite Norma Shearer in "Marie Antoinette" (nominated for Academy Award)

1949

"Edward My Son", play co-written with Noel Langley, adapted for the screen

Photo Collections

Beat the Devil - Movie Poster

Here is the American one-sheet movie poster for Beat the Devil (1954), directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart, Gina Lollobrigida, and Jennifer Jones. One-sheets measured 27x41 inches, and were the poster style most commonly used in theaters.

Videos

African Queen, The (1951) -- (Movie Clip) Opening, German East Africa Opening titles and introduction of key characters Rose (Katharine Hepburn), "Brother" (Robert Morley), Alnut (Humphrey Bogart) and the boat called The African Queen, 1951, directed by John Huston.

African Queen, The (1951) -- (Movie Clip) On Account Of The War Captain Charlie Alnut (Humphrey Bogart) has tea with missionaries Brother (Robert Morley) and Sister (Katharine Hepburn) where they discuss gastric noise and war, in John Huston's The African Queen, 1951.

Journey, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Russian Clocks Sometimes Very Slow After credits establishing Budapest, during the 1956 Hungarian uprising, Robert Morley the English correspondent stranded in an airport, with fellows David Kossoff, Gèrard Oury and E.G. Marshall, Russian-born Anatole Litvak producing and directing, in The Journey, 1959, starring Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner and Jason Robards Jr.

Journey, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Wanna Play War? Excepting one earlier shot, the feature debut of Jason Robards Jr., his character’s identity not quite revealed, except that he’s traveling with English aristocrat Deborah Kerr, who’s recognized by journalist Deverill (Robert Morley), then meeting American E.G. Marshall and family (sons Flip Mark and “Ronny” Howard, wife Anne Jackson), all stranded at the Budapest airport during the 1956 Hungarian uprising, in Anatole Litvak’s The Journey, 1959.

Journey, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip) You Think I'm The Devil! Yul Brynner is Surov, Russian commander of a Hungarian town during the 1956 uprising, holding forth with temporarily detained guests, journalist Robert Morley, American mom Anne Jackson, Deborah Kerr as a socialite whom we know is helping a dissident escape, then with Anouk Aimee, secret leader of a rebel band, in Anatole Litvak’s The Journey, 1959.

Journey, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip) We'd Better Speak English Robert Morley is the English journalist leading a group of foreigners escaping Hungary by bus during the 1956 uprising, Yul Brynner the just-introduced Russian district commander, Anne Jackson and E.G. Marshall an American couple (Ron Howard one of their sons!), Deborah Kerr as Lady Ashmore, traveling officially alone, in The Journey, 1959.

Old Dark House, The (1963) -- (Movie Clip) The Morgan The Pirate? The Femms (Robert Morley as Roderick, Janette Scott as Cecily, Fenella Fielding as Morgana, Joyce Grenfell as Agatha) explain to American Tom (Poston) that they don't believe he's been sent to their English home by accident, in William Castle's re-make The Old Dark House, 1963.

Edward, My Son (1949) -- (Movie Clip) We Want Him To Have The Best Birthday cake is the device showing the age of the title character, the narrative framed by his later very-rich father (Spencer Tracy), who with his wife Evelyn (Deborah Kerr), gets bad news from an expert (Walter Fitzgerald) and family friend Dr. Woodhope (Ian Hunter), in Edward, My Son, 1949.

Edward, My Son (1949) -- (Movie Clip) I've Started The Fire London between the wars, Spencer Tracy as Boult, our narrator whom we know will become very rich, and lose his son, confronted by his partner (Mervyn Johns), who wants out of the scheme to burn their business for money, to pay for the boy’s operation, in Edward, My Son, 1949.

Edward, My Son (1949) -- (Movie Clip) I Want Your Opinion Spencer Tracy addresses the camera, as in the original play by Robert Morley and Noel Langley, opening the MGM-British production, directed by George Cukor, as industrialist Boult, flashing back to join Deborah Kerr as his wife, in Edward, My Son, 1949.

Murder At The Gallop (1963) -- (Movie Clip) Strong Yet Supple A minor riding accident brings Miss Marple (Margaret Rutherford) and the still-suspect Hector (Robert Morley) back to the stable for physical comedy, in Murder At The Gallop, 1963, from MGM's Agatha Christie series.

Doctor's Dilemma, The (1958) -- (Movie Clip) They Daren't Be Ill Dr. Colenso Ridgeon (John Robinson) with colleagues congratulating him on his knighthood, poor Blenkinsop (Michael Gwynn) joins prosperous Sir Ralph, Walpole and Sir Patrick (Robert Morley, Alastair Sim, Felix Aylmer), in The Doctor’s Dilemma, 1959, from the George Bernard Shaw play, starring Leslie Caron and Dirk Bogarde.

Genghis Khan - (Original Trailer) The Asian conqueror (Omar Sharif) and his mentor (Stephen Boyd) vie for the same woman in Genghis Khan (1965).

Doctor's Dilemma, The - (Original Trailer) A woman tries to convince the medical profession to save her ill husband despite his lack of character in The Doctor's Dilemma (1958), starring Leslie Caron and Dirk Bogarde.

Cromwell - (Original Trailer) Richard Harris, Alec Guinness and Timothy Dalton star in the story of the man who overthrew the British monarchy, Cromwell (1970).

African Queen, The - (Original Trailer) Humphrey Bogart won a Best Actor Oscar portraying a grizzled skipper who pilots missionary Katharine Hepburn aboard The African Queen (1951).

Topkapi - (Original Trailer) An international band of thieves plots to steal a priceless treasure from a heavily guarded museum in Topkapi (1964) starring Peter Ustinov and Maximilian Schell.

Beau Brummell (1954) - (Original Trailer) An English Don Juan (Stewart Granger) courts the Prince of Wales's favor while romancing his way through society in Beau Brummell (1954).

Loved One, The - (Original Trailer) Robert Morse heads an all-star cast in the bizarre comedy The Loved One (1965) based on a novel by Evelyn Waugh.

This Was Paris - (Original Trailer) On the eve of the Nazi occupation, spies in Paris try to outguess each other in This Was Paris (1942).

Take Her, She's Mine - (Original Trailer) James Stewart attempts to protect his college-age daughter from trouble which leads to scandal in Take Her, She's Mine (1963).

Quentin Durward, The Adventures of - (Original Trailer) Robert Taylor is Sir Walter Scott's medieval hero in The Adventures Of Quentin Durward (1955).

Marie Antoinette - (Wide Release Trailer) Norma Shearer stars in Marie Antoinette (1938), a lavish film biography of the French queen whose rule alienated the citizens of France.

Hotel Paradiso - (Original Trailer) Chaos results when a mild mannered man (Alec Guinness) tries to have an affair with his neighbor's wife (Gina Lollobrigida) at Hotel Paradiso (1966).

Family

Robert W Morley

Father

Major in the British army.

Gertrude Morley

Mother

Sheridan Morley

Son

Journalist, author. Born December 5, 1941.

Wilton Morley

Son

Impresario.

Annabel Morley

Daughter

Companions

Meriel Forbes

Companion

Actor. Briefly engaged; later married to Sir Ralph Richardson.

Joan North Buckmaster

Wife

Married in 1940.

Bibliography

Notes

He was made a commander of the British Empire in 1957

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