Herbert "Barry" Morse (10 June 1918 – 2 February 2008) was an English Canadian actor of stage, screen and radio best known for his roles in the ABC television series The Fugitive and the British sci-fi drama Space: 1999. His performing career spanned seven decades and he had thousands of roles to his credit, including work for the BBC and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Known for his ability to mimic various foreign accents
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Quote
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[on live radio drama] Sometimes you had to die more slowly or more quickly, depending on how much time was left.
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Of his role as "Lt. Gerard" on TV's The Fugitive (1963): I grew very used to having elderly ladies thrash at me with their handbags and say 'You rotten mean man! Why don't you leave that nice doctor alone?'.
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The whole of my career, such as it has been, has been an attempt to explore and enlarge whatever natural gifts I may have, and by the day-to-day practice of those natural gifts, to try to expand and polish them. I like investigating and, if possible, creating, or least examining, all sorts of human characteristics. To that extent, my favorite role is always the next one.
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Fact
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Read Victor Hugo's Les Miserables when he was told that it had inspired The Fugitive. This helped him model his portrayal of Lt. Gerard after his inspiration, Inspector Javert.
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Release of his autobiography, "Remember with Advantages: Chasing 'The Fugitive' and Other Stories From an Actor's Life" by Barry with Robert E. Wood and Anthony Wynn. [2006]
His friend and co-author of his autobiography, Robert E. Wood, said: "Little old ladies would come up to him in airports and whack at him with their purses, shouting, 'Why didn't you leave that man alone?".
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His character, Lt. Philip Gerard, actually appeared in only 37 of the episodes of The Fugitive (1963).
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Performed his one-man play "Merely Players" in order to help establish a show-business retirement home in Toronto.
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Was working as a messenger when he happened upon a public performance by students at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He later attended the school from 1935 to 1937 on a full scholarship.
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Born of humble surroundings, he claims he left school at age 14 to escape beatings by his teachers who tried to force the left handed student to write with his right hand.
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Tommy Lee Jones assumed Morse's Lt. Gerard role when the TV series was adapted into a full-length feature film starring Harrison Ford. Jones won an Oscar for "supporting actor".
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The final broadcast of The Fugitive (1963) made TV history. It was seen by more than 72% of viewers, a record that stood untouched until "Dallas" and the J.R. shooting some 13 years later.
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Maintained homes in both England and Canada. He died in London.
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His meeting with George Bernard Shaw at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts exerted a long-lasting influence on Morse's life and culminated in his being appointed artistic director of the Shaw Festival of Canada in 1966. He also portrayed Shaw in later years in one- and two-person stage shows. Wife Sydney Sturgess was also renowned for her work in Shavian plays.
Was offered but declined a cameo appearance in the role of "Samuel Gerard"'s father in the motion picture version of The Fugitive (1963).
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Attempted to enlist in the Royal Navy during World War II, but a physical examination revealed he had tuberculosis which was caught in the early stages and cured.
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Following his debut in the classic television series The Fugitive (1963) as Lt. Gerard - the relentless pursuer of the falsely accused Dr. Richard Kimble - he was given the moniker "The most hated man in America."
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Sometimes referred to as the "CBC Test Pattern" due to his frequency on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation programming.
$1.5 Million
