Robert Morse, Tony-winning Mad Men star, dies at 90


Robert Morse, the Tony-winning actor who starred as Bert Cooper on Mad Men, has died. He was 90.
Morse's death was confirmed Thursday by writer and producer Larry Karaszewski, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Morse played Bert, founding partner of the Sterling Cooper advertising agency, on AMC's Mad Men for seven seasons. The role earned him five Emmy nominations for guest actor in a drama series. Perhaps his most memorable scene saw him sing and dance to "The Best Things in Life Are Free" while appearing as a vision following his character's death.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"It's just obvious that [Mad Men creator] Matt Weiner really paid homage to me with this episode," he told Vanity Fair at the time. "I get misty-eyed thinking about it."
That, of course, was far from his first musical rodeo. Prior to Mad Men, Morse starred on Broadway in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and his role as J. Pierrepont Finch earned him a Tony for Best Actor in a Musical. He reprised the role in the 1967 film version of the musical.
Later, Morse earned another Tony for playing Truman Capote in Tru, a role that also won him an Emmy via a filmed performance of the play. His other Tony nominations were for Take Me Along, Sugar, and Say, Darling.
More recently, Morse played journalist Dominick Dunne in American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, and he lent his voice to animated shows like Teen Titans Go! and The Legend of Korra.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
"A huge talent and a beautiful spirit," Karaszewski tweeted Thursday. "Sending love to his son Charlie & daughter Allyn."
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
How is Chili's saving casual dining? Could others follow?
Today's Big Question Value and TikTok virality bring in the diners
-
NASA is abandoning the climate
The Explainer Climate missions could be going dark
-
Every MCU movie since 'Avengers: Endgame,' ranked
The Week Recommends How did the recent 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' stack up?
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show