Harry Morgan was raised in Muskegon, Michigan, and graduated from Muskegon High School in 1933, where he achieved distinction as a statewide debating champion.
28 Facts About Harry Morgan
2.
Harry Morgan originally aspired to a JD degree, but began acting while a junior at the University of Chicago in 1935.
3.
Harry Morgan began acting on stage under his birth name, in 1937, joining the Group Theatre in New York City formed by Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford, and Lee Strasberg in 1931.
4.
Harry Morgan appeared in the original production of the Clifford Odets play Golden Boy, followed by a host of successful Broadway roles alongside such other Group members as Lee J Cobb, Elia Kazan, John Garfield, Sanford Meisner, and Karl Malden.
5.
Harry Morgan did summer stock at the Pine Brook Country Club located in the countryside of Nichols, Connecticut.
6.
Harry Morgan made his screen debut in the 1942 movie To the Shores of Tripoli.
7.
Harry Morgan hosted the NBC radio series Mystery in the Air starring Peter Lorre in 1947.
8.
In 1950, Harry Morgan appeared as an obtrusive, alcohol-addled hotel clerk in the Dragnet radio episode "The Big Boys".
9.
Harry Morgan is even more widely recognized as Officer Bill Gannon, Joe Friday's partner in the revived version of Dragnet.
10.
Harry Morgan had appeared with Dragnet star Jack Webb in three film noir movies, Dark City, Appointment with Danger and Pete Kelly's Blues, and was an early regular member of Jack Webb's stock company of actors on the original Dragnet radio show.
11.
Harry Morgan appeared in four episodes of Gunsmoke.
12.
Harry Morgan appeared in the role of Inspector Richard Queen, uncle of Ellery Queen in the 1971 television film Ellery Queen: Don't Look Behind You.
13.
Harry Morgan appeared in several Disney movies throughout the decade, including The Barefoot Executive, Snowball Express, Charley and the Angel, The Apple Dumpling Gang, The Cat from Outer Space and The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again.
14.
In 1987, Harry Morgan reprised his Bill Gannon character, now a captain, for a supporting role in another film version of Dragnet, a parody and homage to the original series written by and starring Dan Aykroyd and costarring Tom Hanks and Christopher Plummer.
15.
Harry Morgan lent his voice to an episode of The Simpsons from season seven, where he played Bill Gannon; in the episode "Mother Simpson", Gannon and Joe Friday are FBI agents trying to track down Homer's mother, who is a fugitive from justice.
16.
Harry Morgan had a guest role on The Jeff Foxworthy Show as Raymond and a guest role on Grace Under Fire as Jean's pot-smoking boyfriend.
17.
Harry Morgan had four sons with his first wife: Christopher, Charles, Paul, and Daniel.
18.
Harry Morgan then married Barbara Bushman Quine on December 17,1986.
19.
Harry Morgan was close friends with bandleader Glenn Miller, whom he met while filming Orchestra Wives in 1942, until Miller's death two years later.
20.
Harry Morgan was later cast in the 1954 movie about his friend, The Glenn Miller Story, playing Chummy MacGregor.
21.
Harry Morgan's body was cremated and his remains were given to his family.
22.
Harry Morgan was a wonderful man, a fabulous actor and a dear and close friend since the first day we worked together.
23.
Harry Morgan was a treasure as a person, an imp at times, and always a true professional.
24.
Harry Morgan had worked with the greats and never saw himself as one of them.
25.
Harry Morgan was the rock everyone depended on and yet he could cut up like a kid when the situation warranted it.
26.
Harry Morgan was the apotheosis, the finest example of what people call a 'character actor'.
27.
Harry Morgan made those who are thought of as 'stars' shine even more brightly.
28.
Harry Morgan responded by saying, 'I don't know about that, but it made me a better human being.