Frank Morgan
(1890 - 1949)Frank Morgan is probably the most recognizable character actor on this page. He was born Francis Philip Wuppermann on June 1, 1890 in New York City, New York, one of 11 children of a prosperous manufacturer. His family manufactured and distributed the condiment Dr. Siegert's Angostura Bitters (now known as "Angostura Aromatic Bitters") up until the mid 20th century. After a series of odd jobs, he followed his older brother, Ralph Morgan (nee: Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann), into an acting career on the Broadway stage making his debut in 1914. Two years later he began what would become a prolific film career. For a time he balanced both a stage and film career with Vitagraph films but eventually he moved to Hollywood to concentrate on films. He played gentlemanly type roles, sometimes very amiable, sometimes befuddled, sometimes roguish but always memorable. Easily recognized by his rosy cheeks, snow white hair and sometimes a distinguished looking white mustache, along with a very distinct voice, most people know him from the film that made him immortal: "The Wizard of Oz" (1939). He played the title role of the amazing Wizard of Oz plus a number of other Oz citizens. Among his other credits are: "The Girl Philippa" (1916) a silent, as Halkett, his film debut; "The Light in Darkness" (1917) as Ramsey Latham; "Manhandled" (1924) as Arno Riccardi; "Love's Greatest Mistake" (1927) as William Ogden, his last silent film; "Fast and Loose" (1930) as Bronson Lenox; "Hallelujah, I'm A Bum" (1933) as Maj. John Hastings; "Luxury Liner" (1933) as Alex Stevenson; "The Affairs of Cellini" (1934) as the Duke of Florence, for which he received an Oscar nomination as Best Actor; "Naughty Marietta" (1935) as Gov. Gaspar d'Annard; "Escapade" (1935) as Karl; "The Good Fairy" (1935) as Konrad; "The Great Ziegfeld" (1936) as Jack Billings; "Dimples" (1936) with Shirley Temple, as Prof. Eustace Appleby; "Saratoga" (1937) as Jesse 'Kiffie' Kiffmeyer aka Harriet Hale; "Rosalie" (1937) as King Fredrick Romanikov; "The Crowd Roars" (1938) as Brian McCoy; "Port of Seven Seas" (1938) as Panisse; "Broadway Serenade" (1939) as Cornelius Collier, Jr.; "The Wizard of Oz" (1939) as Prof. Marvel/The Wizard of Oz; "Balalaika" (1939) as Ivan Danchenoff; "The Shop Around the Corner" (1940) as Hugo Matuschek; "Broadway Melody of 1940" (1940) as Bob Casey; "The Mortal Storm" (1940) as Prof. Viktor Roth; "Boom Town" (1940) as Luther Aldrich; "The Wild Man of Borneo" (1941) as J. Daniel 'Dan' Thompson; "Honky Tonk" (1941) as Judge Cotton; "Tortilla Flat" (1942) as Pirate; "White Cargo" (1942) as The Doctor; "The Human Comedy" (1943) as Willie Grogan; "The White Cliffs of Dover" (1944) as Hiram Porter Dunn; "Casanova Brown" (1944) as Mr. Ferris; "Yolanda and the Thief" (1945) as Victor Budlow Trout; "The Cockeyed Miracle" (1946) as Sam Griggs; "The Courage of Lassie" (1946) as Harry MacBain; "Lady Luck" (1946) as William Audrey; "Green Dolphin Street" (1947) as Dr. Edmund Ozanne; "Summer Holiday" (1948) as Uncle Sid; "The Three Musketeers" (1948) as King Louis XIII; "The Great Sinner" (1949) as Aristide Pitard; "The Stratton Story" (1949) with James Stewart, as Barney Wile; "Any Number Can Play" (1949) as Jim Kurstyn and "Key to the City" (1950) as Fire Chief Duggan, his last film. Frank had another brother Carlos Domaso Siegert Wuppermann who acted briefly under the name Carlyle Morgan and died in 1919. Carlyle's death hit Frank very hard as they were very close being the two youngest in a large family. It is suspected to have caused Frank's plunge into alcoholism which he battled in his later years. He was married to Alma Muller in 1914 and they had one child, George Morgan (who died in January 2003). He was filming “Annie Get Your Gun” as Buffalo Bill when he died and was replaced by Louis Calhern. He died on September 18, 1949 in Beverly Hills, California of natural causes at age 59.
From Great Character Actors, Page 1.
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