Frank Morgan

Frank Morgan
from the trailer for Sweethearts (1938)
Born	Francis Phillip Wuppermann June 1, 1890(1890-06-01) New York City, New York, United States
Died	September 18, 1949 (aged 59) Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California
Years active	1914 – 1949
Spouse(s)	Alma Muller (1914 – 1949) (his death) 1 son

Frank Morgan (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949) was an American 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 motion pictures.

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.

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 playing the role of Vera Claythorne in the first Broadway production of Agatha Christie's 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

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Frank Morgan

• Frank Morgan at the Internet Movie Database
• Frank Morgan at Find A Grave