Born Harry Bratsberg in Detroit, he worked on stage before making his way to Hollywood in 1942. He originally used the screen name Henry Morgan but changed it to Harry in the 1950s to avoid confusion with radio’s Henry Morgan. He appeared in more than 100 films throughout his career, often playing bad guys and sidekicks.
On the small screen, he played numerous guest roles and was a regular on several TV shows, including Pete and Gladys, December Bride, The Richard Boone Show, Kentucky Jones, The D.A., Hec Ramsey, and Blacke’s Magic. He was most recognized however for his work on two other series; Dragnet and M*A*S*H.
On Dragnet, he played Officer Bill Gannon as slightly less-serious cop when compared to Jack Webb’s always-by-the-book Sgt. Joe Friday. He returned to role as Captain Bill Gannon in the 1987 film comedy Dragnet, opposite Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks.
For M*A*S*H, Morgan replaced McLean Stevenson as the commander of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital unit in Korea. He initially guest-starred as a crazy Major but Morgan played Colonel Sherman T. Potter from 1975 until the show’s big finish in 1983. He reprised the role for two seasons for the less-successful spin-off AfterMASH.
He was married twice and had four children with his first wife, Eileen. She died in 1985 after they had been together for 45 years. One of Morgan’s sons, Daniel, died in 1989. Harry Morgan is survived by three sons, eight grandchildren, and his second wife, Barbara Bushman.
What do you think? How will you best remember Harry Morgan? Are there any particular M*A*S*H scenes that come to mind?
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