Howard Morton
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May 2025 |
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Howard Morton | |
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![]() Howard Morton in I Dream of Jeannie 1967 | |
Born | Howard Leroy Morton May 15, 1925 New York City, New York |
Died | May 11, 1997 Burbank, California | (aged 71)
Resting place | California |
Years active | 1959–1991 |
Howard Leroy Morton (May 15, 1925 – May 11, 1997) was an American actor.
Career
[edit]Morton is possibly best known for playing dim-witted police officer Ralph Waldo Simpson on Gimme a Break! for five seasons (1981–86). He appears in many TV supporting roles on sitcoms, including The Bill Cosby Show, All in the Family, The Jeffersons, I Dream of Jeannie, Good Times, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and as Brian Henley in My Favorite Martian. He also plays Grandpa in The Munsters Today from 1988 to 1991.[1]
Morton made a number of appearances on game shows, including Super Password and Pyramid.[citation needed] He also appears in many feature films, making his debut in The Mechanic (1972), and he appeared in stage productions of Auntie Mame, Morning's at Seven and Fancy Meeting You Again.[citation needed]
Personal life
[edit]Morton never married nor had any children.[citation needed]
Born in New York City, Morton moved to Hollywood in 1960 to pursue an acting career.[citation needed]
He died of complications of a stroke on May 11, 1997, at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, four days shy of his 72nd birthday. A memorial service was held at the North Hollywood Church of Religious Science.[citation needed]
Partial filmography
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Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1969 | The Bill Cosby Show | Lou Welk | Episode: "Lullaby and Goodnight" |
1972 | The Mechanic | Car Polish Man | |
1972 | The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean | Photographist | |
1973 | Scorpio | Heck Thomas | |
1974 | Rhinoceros | Doctor | |
1976 | One Day at a Time (1975 TV series) | Hal Butterfield | Episodes: "The Runaways (Parts 2, 3 & 4)" |
1978 | Diff'rent Strokes | Headmaster | Episode: "The Prep School" |
1981-1986 | Gimme a Break! | Officer Ralph Waldo Simpson | |
1988-1991 | The Munsters Today | "Grandpa" Vladimir Dracula |
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Howard Morton". Variety. May 21, 1997. Retrieved August 21, 2018.