Bill Morey

American actor

Bill Morey
Born	(1919-12-19)December 19, 1919 Framingham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	December 10, 2003(2003-12-10) (aged 83) Santa Monica, California, U.S.

Bill Morey (December 19, 1919 – December 10, 2003) was an American character actor.^[1] He was perhaps best known for portraying Oscar in the 1990s sitcom, The John Larroquette Show.^[2]

Biography

Early life

Morey was born on December 19, 1919, in Framingham, Massachusetts.^[1]^[3]^[4] He was a World War II veteran.^[5]

Career

Morey began his career in the 1940s, performing on stage and radio.^[1] He moved to Traverse City, Michigan, because of the Cherry County Playhouse, where he acted their productions during the 1950s and early 1960s. In addition, he acted in and directed productions at the Civic Theater, the former name of what is now the Old Town Playhouse during the early 1960s. Morey also worked in local radio and television while residing in Traverse City.^[5]

Morey was awarded the 1970 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Janus at the Pheasant Run Playhouse in Chicago.^[4] It was there when he was discovered by Michael Ritchie, who cast Morey in his first feature role in Prime Cut (1972).^[4]^[5] From then on, Morey moved to Los Angeles in 1974 where he continued to work in film and television until his retirement in 2001.^[4]^[5]

Personal life and death

Morey was first married to a woman by the name of Chris. They met while both were employed by the WWJ television station in Detroit. He was also the father of sons Christopher and Michael and daughter Dianne.^[5] On December 10, 2003, Morey died of natural causes at the age of 83 in a Santa Monica hospital.^[1]^[3]

Partial filmography

Prime Cut (1972)
Death Race 2000 (1975) - Deacon
The Onion Field (1979) - Lawyer #1
Whitcomb's War (1980)
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb (1980) - General of the Army George C. Marshall
This House Possessed (1981) - Robbins
Some Kind of Hero (1982) - Major Ryan
Brainstorm (1983) - James Zimbach
Ghost Warrior (1984) - Doctor Carl Anderson
Omega Syndrome (1986) - Dr. Lloyd Pearson
Real Men (1987) - Millard Cunard
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1988) - Mr. Rivers
Big Man on Campus (1989) - Dean Crawford
Dad (1989) - Hal McCarthy

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Harris M. Lentz III, Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2003: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture, McFarland, 2004 page 279
^ Everett, Todd (20 September 1994). "Review: 'The John Larroquette Show Changes'". Variety. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Overview for Bill Morey". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Bill Morey". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e South, Carol (7 January 2004). "Morey makes mark on stage and screen: Veteran actor instrumental in early days of Traverse City Civic Theater". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.