Howard Morton
{{Short description|American actor (1925–1997)}}{{multiple issues|May 2025}}{{more citations needed|date=May 2025}}{{for|Helen Macfarlane (1818-1860), the feminist Chartist journalist who wrote under the name Howard Morton|Helen Macfarlane}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Howard Morton
| image = Howard_Morton_in_I_Dream_of_Jeannie_1967.jpg
| caption = Howard Morton in I Dream of Jeannie 1967
| birth_name = Howard Leroy Morton
| birth_date = {{birth date|1925|5|15}}
| birth_place = New York City, New York
| death_date = {{death date and age|1997|5|11|1925|5|15}}
| death_place = Burbank, California
| resting_place = California
| yearsactive = 1959–1991
}}
Howard Leroy Morton (May 15, 1925 – May 11, 1997) was an American actor.
Career
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.{{cite news| title=Howard Morton| newspaper=Variety| url=https://variety.com/1997/scene/people-news/howard-morton-1116678214/| date=May 21, 1997| accessdate=August 21, 2018}}
Morton made a number of appearances on game shows, including Super Password and Pyramid.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}} 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|date=May 2025}}
Personal life
Morton never married nor had any children.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}
Born in New York City, Morton moved to Hollywood in 1960 to pursue an acting career.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}
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|date=July 2021}}
Partial filmography
{{Expand section|date=May 2025}}
| class="wikitable" | |||
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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
- {{IMDb name|id=0607990|name=Howard Morton}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
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Category:American male television actors
Category:Male actors from New York City
Category:20th-century American male actors
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