Read Morgan
Encyclopedia
Read Morgan is a former American
actor
whose longest-running role was as a United States Army
cavalry
officer in the 1960-1961 season of The Deputy
, a western
television series on NBC
created by Norman Lear
. Morgan appeared in thirty episodes as the one-eyed Sergeant Hapgood Tasker, recognized by his black eyepatch and referred to in the series as "Sarge". Henry Fonda
held the starring role on The Deputy as Marshal Simon Fry, with much of the script revolving about native Texan
Allen Case
as his chief deputy, Clay McCord, a storekeeper who tried when possible to avoid using a gun. The program was set in fictitious Silver City in the Arizona Territory
. Morgan debuted on The Deputy as Sergeant Tasker in the episode, "Meet Sergeant Tasker" (October 1, 1960), followed by "The Jason Harris Story" with Jeff Morrow in the title role as a marshal
. Morgan's last episodes included "Tension Point", "Brother in Arms", "The Return of Widow Brown", "Enemy of the Town", "The Deathly Quiet", "Brand of Honesty", and "Lorinda Belle", the series finale.
Morgan guest starred in different roles twelve times between 1959 and 1974 on the longest-running television western, CBS
's Gunsmoke
with James Arness
. However, Morgan did not perform exclusively on westerns but was cast in roles in drama
s, detective
series, and even some comedies
.
, Illinois
, native, Morgan attended the University of Kentucky
at Lexington
, where he played for two years on the basketball
team. In 1950, he began a rigorous diet with regular exercise to accent his physique. One of his first roles was hence as an athletic mountaineer in the Broadway
play Li'l Abner
. His television debut was in 1956-1957 in two episodes of CBS
's United States Steel Hour in the role of the young wrestler "Joey" in episodes entitled "Sideshow". He also played a skindiver named Kelly Randall in the episode "Beached" of Gardner McKay
's ABC
series, Adventures in Paradise
, and a boxer
named Ray Gorski in the episode "The Fight" of the 1958 NBC series based on the cartoon character Steve Canyon
.
's The Restless Gun
(1958) and as Clint Casey in "The Barrier" (1959) on NBC's Riverboat
, with Darren McGavin
. In 1959, he appeared as Jeff Peters in "The Little Man" episode of Dale Robertson
's NBC western, Tales of Wells Fargo
. In 1958-1959, Morgan guest starred in two episodes of Rod Cameron
's 20th century syndicated
western State Trooper
, as Trooper Gaines in "You Can't Run Forever" and as Hess in "Everything Else Is Bridgeport". In 1961, he also appeared on Cameron's modern detective series COronado 9
in the role of Mark Sidon in the episode "Flim Flam".
In 1960, he was cast as Clayton in the episode "A Gun for Willie" of the CBS anthology series, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater
. That same year, he appeared as Jesse Hobbs in "Sundance and Usless" on CBS's Hotel de Paree
, with Earl Holliman
. In 1961, he played Hob Tyler in the episode "The Jodie Tyler Story" of Audie Murphy
's NBC series, Whispering Smith
. In 1962, he portrayed Ed Squires in "Good Old Uncle Walt" on NBC's The Wide Country
, starring Earl Holliman and Andrew Prine
, and with Edgar Buchanan
in the lead guest-starring role. From 1959-1963, he guest starred three times on Wagon Train
: as Ben Denike in "The Vincent Eaglewood Story" with Wally Cox
, as Curly Horse in "The Martha Barham Story" with Ann Blyth
, and as Jake in "The Myra Marshall Story" with Suzanne Pleshette
.
In 1965, he played a sheriff in "The Way to Kill a Killer" on ABC's The Big Valley
with Barbara Stanwyck
. That same year, he appeared on NBC's Bonanza
as Tad Blake in the episode "The Ballerina", with dancer Barrie Chase in the title role. Morgan appeared twice on NBC's The Virginian
and three times each on NBC's Laramie
and on ABC's Alias Smith and Jones
. In 1966, he appeared as Cal in the episode "An Unfamiliar Tune" of the ABC western A Man Called Shenandoah
, starring Robert Horton
. In 1967, he played a medicine man in the episode "Spirit Woman" of ABC's Custer
and the role of Jess Daly in "The Last Wolf" of the CBS 90-minute western, Cimarron Strip
, starring Stuart Whitman
and Randy Boone
. In 1976, Morgan appeared as an unnamed officer in "The Captive" episode of the short-lived NBC series, The Quest
, with Kurt Russell
and Tim Matheson
. In 1979, he guest starred in the second James Arness series, How the West Was Won
, in the role of Morton in the episode "The Slavers".
(1967), Easy Come, Easy Go (1968) as Ensign Tompkins, Marlowe (1969) as Gumpshaw, Dillinger
(1973) as Big Jim Wollard, The New Centurions
(1972) as Woodrow Gandy, Shanks (1974), and in made for television films, Return of the Gunfighter (1967) as Wid Boone, Helter Skelter (1976) as an officer named "Columbine", The Billion Dollar Threat (1979), Power (1980), and A Year in the Life (1986).
Morgan's dramatic credits ranged from the role of Corporal Hoop Keeler in the 1959 episode, "The Tallest Marine", on Ronald W. Reagan's anthology, General Electric Theater
. That same year, he was cast as Lefty in "What You Need" of CBS's science fiction
The Twilight Zone
, hosted by Rod Serling
. He appeared twice on CBS's Alfred Hitchcock Presents
and once on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. He appeared briefly on ABC's The Fugitive
and The Outer Limits
. He portrayed Kessler in "A World Without Sundays" on CBS's Mannix
, with Mike Connors
and Blackie in "Murder on Stage 17" of ABC's Starsky and Hutch
. He appeared four times from 1973-1978 in different role on CBS's Barnaby Jones
, starring Buddy Ebsen
, and twice on ABC's Charlie's Angels
in 1977 and 1979. He was Sergeant Kevin Hogan in the 1984 episode, "Death Takes a Curtain Call", on Angela Lansbury
's Murder, She Wrote
. In 1987, he appeared twice as Curtis on ABC's night-time soap opera
The Colbys
.
Morgan's comedy roles were on ABC's McHale's Navy
(a Marine
sergeant in "The Big Raffle"), Pistols 'n' Petticoats
(as Moose Dreyfus in "The Triangle"), Love, American Style
, and three episodes of CBS's The Doris Day Show
. He appeared as Bert in the 1959 comedy film Ask Any Girl
with Shirley MacLaine
.
Morgan's last roles were on two CBS series, as Hap Moody in "Dear Hearts and Gentle People" on Dallas
and in the episode "The Coward" of Lee Horsley
's latter-day western Paradise
. His final role was as a card dealer in the 1994 western film Maverick
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
whose longest-running role was as a United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
officer in the 1960-1961 season of The Deputy
The Deputy (TV series)
The Deputy is a 1959-1961 half-hour NBC western series featuring Henry Fonda as Chief Marshal Simon Fry of the Arizona Territory and Allen Case as Deputy Clay McCord, a storekeeper who tried to avoid using a gun.-Production:...
, a western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
television series on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
created by Norman Lear
Norman Lear
Norman Milton Lear is an American television writer and producer who produced such 1970s sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude...
. Morgan appeared in thirty episodes as the one-eyed Sergeant Hapgood Tasker, recognized by his black eyepatch and referred to in the series as "Sarge". Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
held the starring role on The Deputy as Marshal Simon Fry, with much of the script revolving about native Texan
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Allen Case
Allen Case
Allen Case was an American television actor most noted for the lead role of Deputy Clay McCord in NBC's The Deputy opposite series regular Henry Fonda...
as his chief deputy, Clay McCord, a storekeeper who tried when possible to avoid using a gun. The program was set in fictitious Silver City in the Arizona Territory
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
. Morgan debuted on The Deputy as Sergeant Tasker in the episode, "Meet Sergeant Tasker" (October 1, 1960), followed by "The Jason Harris Story" with Jeff Morrow in the title role as a marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
. Morgan's last episodes included "Tension Point", "Brother in Arms", "The Return of Widow Brown", "Enemy of the Town", "The Deathly Quiet", "Brand of Honesty", and "Lorinda Belle", the series finale.
Morgan guest starred in different roles twelve times between 1959 and 1974 on the longest-running television western, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
with James Arness
James Arness
James King Arness was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon in the television series Gunsmoke for 20 years...
. However, Morgan did not perform exclusively on westerns but was cast in roles in drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
s, detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
series, and even some comedies
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
.
Early years
A ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, native, Morgan attended the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
at Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, where he played for two years on the basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team. In 1950, he began a rigorous diet with regular exercise to accent his physique. One of his first roles was hence as an athletic mountaineer in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
play Li'l Abner
Li'l Abner (musical)
Li'l Abner is a musical with a book by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, music by Gene De Paul, and lyrics by Johnny Mercer.Based on the comic strip Li'l Abner by Al Capp, the show is, on the surface, a broad spoof of hillbillies but is also a pointed satire taking on any number of topics, ranging...
. His television debut was in 1956-1957 in two episodes of CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's United States Steel Hour in the role of the young wrestler "Joey" in episodes entitled "Sideshow". He also played a skindiver named Kelly Randall in the episode "Beached" of Gardner McKay
Gardner McKay
George Cadogan Gardner McKay was an American actor, artist, and author.-Biography:Born in New York City, McKay graduated from Cornell University, where he majored in art. He became a Hollywood heart throb in the 1950s and 1960s. He landed the lead role in Adventures in Paradise, based loosely on...
's ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series, Adventures in Paradise
Adventures in Paradise
Adventures in Paradise is an American television series which ran on ABC from 1959 until 1962. It starred Gardner McKay as Adam Troy, the captain of the schooner Tiki III which sailed the South Pacific looking for passengers and adventure. The show was created by James Michener...
, and a boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
named Ray Gorski in the episode "The Fight" of the 1958 NBC series based on the cartoon character Steve Canyon
Steve Canyon
Steve Canyon was a long-running American adventure comic strip by writer-artist Milton Caniff. Launched shortly after Caniff retired from his previous strip, Terry and the Pirates, Steve Canyon ran from January 13, 1947 until June 4, 1988, shortly after Caniff's death...
.
Television westerns
Morgan appeared in numerous television westerns, before and after The Deputy, as Bob Kenyon in the episode "Jebediah Bonner" of John PayneJohn Payne (actor)
John Payne was an American film actor who is mainly remembered as a singer in 20th Century Fox musical films, and for his leading roles in Miracle on 34th Street and the NBC western television series The Restless Gun.-Background:Payne was born in Roanoke, Virginia...
's The Restless Gun
The Restless Gun
The Restless Gun is a western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Civil War. A skilled gunfighter, Bonner is an idealistic person who prefers peaceful resolutions of conflict...
(1958) and as Clint Casey in "The Barrier" (1959) on NBC's Riverboat
Riverboat (TV series)
Riverboat is a western television series starring Darren McGavin and Burt Reynolds that was broadcast on the NBC television network from September 13, 1959 until January 2, 1961....
, with Darren McGavin
Darren McGavin
Darren McGavin was an American actor best known for playing the title role in the television horror series Kolchak: The Night Stalker and his portrayal in the film A Christmas Story of the grumpy father given to bursts of profanity that he never realizes his son overhears...
. In 1959, he appeared as Jeff Peters in "The Little Man" episode of Dale Robertson
Dale Robertson
Dayle Lymoine "Dale" Robertson is an American actor best known for his starring roles on television. He played the role of Jim Hardie in the TV series, Tales of Wells Fargo, and the owner of an incomplete railroad line in ABC's The Iron Horse, often appearing as the deceptively thoughtful but...
's NBC western, Tales of Wells Fargo
Tales of Wells Fargo
Tales of Wells Fargo is an American Western television series that ran from March 18, 1957 to June 2, 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season when it expanded to an hour.-Synopsis:...
. In 1958-1959, Morgan guest starred in two episodes of Rod Cameron
Rod Cameron
Rod Cameron was a Canadian-born movie actor whose career extended from the 1930s to the 1970s. He appeared in horror, war, action and science fiction movies, but is best remembered for his many Westerns....
's 20th century syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
western State Trooper
State Trooper (TV series)
State Trooper is a half-hour television crime drama set in the 1950s American West, starring Rod Cameron as Rod Blake, an officer of the Nevada State Troopers. The series aired 104 episodes in syndication from September 25, 1956, to June 25, 1959...
, as Trooper Gaines in "You Can't Run Forever" and as Hess in "Everything Else Is Bridgeport". In 1961, he also appeared on Cameron's modern detective series COronado 9
COronado 9
Coronado 9 is a syndicated crime drama set in San Diego, California, starring Rod Cameron as Dan Adams, a former United States Navy intelligence officer turned private detective. Coronado 9 is Adams's address; the numeral 9 on a rock shown near his front door in the opening credits denotes the...
in the role of Mark Sidon in the episode "Flim Flam".
In 1960, he was cast as Clayton in the episode "A Gun for Willie" of the CBS anthology series, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, sometimes simply called Zane Grey Theatre, is an American Western anthology series which ran on CBS from 1956 to 1961.-Overview:Zane Grey Theatre was created by Luke Short and Charles A. Wallace...
. That same year, he appeared as Jesse Hobbs in "Sundance and Usless" on CBS's Hotel de Paree
Hotel de Paree
Hotel de Paree is a Western television series that aired on the CBS Friday schedule from October 2, 1959, until June 3, 1960, under the alternate sponsorship of Liggett & Myers and Kellogg's....
, with Earl Holliman
Earl Holliman
-Early life:Earl Holliman was born at Delhi in Richland Parish of northeastern Louisiana. Holliman’s biological father died before he was born, and his biological mother, living in poverty with several other children, gave him up for adoption at birth...
. In 1961, he played Hob Tyler in the episode "The Jodie Tyler Story" of Audie Murphy
Audie Murphy
Audie Leon Murphy was a highly decorated and famous soldier. Through LIFE magazine's July 16, 1945 issue , he became one the most famous soldiers of World War II and widely regarded as the most decorated American soldier of the war...
's NBC series, Whispering Smith
Whispering Smith (TV series)
Whispering Smith is a short-lived American Western series that aired on NBC. Based on a 1948 movie, the series stars Audie Murphy as Tom "Whispering" Smith, a police detective in Denver, Colorado...
. In 1962, he portrayed Ed Squires in "Good Old Uncle Walt" on NBC's The Wide Country
The Wide Country
The Wide Country is an American Western television series which aired on NBC from September 20, 1962 to April 25, 1963.-Synopsis:The series stars Earl Holliman and Andrew Prine as brothers, Mitch and Andy Guthrie, respectively, who are traveling rodeo competitors...
, starring Earl Holliman and Andrew Prine
Andrew Prine
Andrew Lewis Prine is an American film, stage, and television actor.-Early life and career:Prine was born in Jennings, Florida. After graduation from Andrew Jackson High School in Miami, Prine made his acting debut three years later in an episode of CBS U.S. Steel Hour...
, and with Edgar Buchanan
Edgar Buchanan
Edgar Buchanan was an American actor with a long career in both film and television, most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the Petticoat Junction, Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies television sitcoms of the 1960s...
in the lead guest-starring role. From 1959-1963, he guest starred three times on Wagon Train
Wagon Train
Wagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...
: as Ben Denike in "The Vincent Eaglewood Story" with Wally Cox
Wally Cox
Wallace Maynard Cox was an American comedian and actor, particularly associated with the early years of television in the United States. He appeared in the U.S. TV series Mr. Peepers , plus several other popular shows, and as a character actor in over 20 films...
, as Curly Horse in "The Martha Barham Story" with Ann Blyth
Ann Blyth
Ann Marie Blyth is an American actress and singer, often cast in Hollywood musicals, but also successful in dramatic roles. Her performance as Veda Pierce in the 1945 film Mildred Pierce was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.-Life and career:Blyth was born in Mount Kisco,...
, and as Jake in "The Myra Marshall Story" with Suzanne Pleshette
Suzanne Pleshette
Suzanne Pleshette was an American actress, on stage, screen and television.After beginning her career in theatre, she began appearing in films in the early 1960s, such as Rome Adventure and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds...
.
In 1965, he played a sheriff in "The Way to Kill a Killer" on ABC's The Big Valley
The Big Valley
The Big Valley is an American television Western which ran on ABC from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969, which starred Barbara Stanwyck, as a California widowed mother. It was created by A.I. Bezzerides and Louis F. Edelman...
with Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...
. That same year, he appeared on NBC's Bonanza
Bonanza
Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
as Tad Blake in the episode "The Ballerina", with dancer Barrie Chase in the title role. Morgan appeared twice on NBC's The Virginian
The Virginian (TV series)
The Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute western series...
and three times each on NBC's Laramie
Laramie (TV series)
Laramie is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from 1959 to 1963. Laramie was a Revue Studios production which originally starred John Smith as Slim Sherman, Robert Fuller as Jess Harper, Hoagy Carmichael as Jonesy and Robert Crawford, Jr...
and on ABC's Alias Smith and Jones
Alias Smith and Jones
Alias Smith and Jones is an American Western series that originally aired on ABC from 1971 to 1973. It stars Pete Duel as Hannibal Heyes and Ben Murphy as Jedediah "Kid" Curry, a pair of Western cousin outlaws trying to reform...
. In 1966, he appeared as Cal in the episode "An Unfamiliar Tune" of the ABC western A Man Called Shenandoah
A Man Called Shenandoah
A Man Called Shenandoah is a Western series that aired on ABC-TV from 1965 to 1966 by MGM Television.-Synopsis:The series starred Robert Horton as a man who was found shot and left for dead on the trail and is revived...
, starring Robert Horton
Robert Horton (actor)
Robert Horton is an American television actor, who was most noted for the role of the frontier scout Flint McCullough in the NBC Western television series, Wagon Train...
. In 1967, he played a medicine man in the episode "Spirit Woman" of ABC's Custer
Custer (TV series)
Custer, also known as The Legend of Custer, is a 17-episode military-western television series which ran on ABC from September 6 to December 27, 1967, with Wayne Maunder in the starring role of then Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. During the American Civil War, Custer had risen to the...
and the role of Jess Daly in "The Last Wolf" of the CBS 90-minute western, Cimarron Strip
Cimarron Strip
Cimarron Strip is an American Western television series that aired on CBS from September 1967 to March 1968. Starring Stuart Whitman as Marshal Jim Crown, the series was produced by the creators of Gunsmoke...
, starring Stuart Whitman
Stuart Whitman
Stuart Maxwell Whitman is an American actor.Stuart Whitman is arguably best-known for playing Marshal Jim Crown in the western television series Cimarron Strip in 1967...
and Randy Boone
Randy Boone
Clyde Wilson Randall Boone, Jr., known as Randy Boone , is a former actor who co-starred in two of the three 90-minute westerns telecast during the 1960s on the national television networks, NBC's The Virginian and CBS's Cimarron Strip...
. In 1976, Morgan appeared as an unnamed officer in "The Captive" episode of the short-lived NBC series, The Quest
The Quest (TV series)
The Quest, a 15-episode Western television series which aired on NBC beginning September 22, 1976, starring Kurt Russell and Tim Matheson.-Overview:...
, with Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell
Kurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters...
and Tim Matheson
Tim Matheson
Tim Matheson is an American actor, director and producer. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the smooth-talking Eric 'Otter' Stratton in the 1978 comedy National Lampoon's Animal House and has had a variety of other well-known roles, including providing the voice of the lead character...
. In 1979, he guest starred in the second James Arness series, How the West Was Won
How the West Was Won (TV series)
How the West Was Won is an American western television series that featured an all star cast that included: James Arness, Eva Marie Saint, Fionnula Flanagan, Bruce Boxleitner, G. W. Bailey, Trisha Noble, William Shatner, Jack Elam, Woody Strode, Anthony Zerbe, Richard Kiley, Lloyd Bridges,...
, in the role of Morton in the episode "The Slavers".
Other credits
After The Deputy left the air, Morgan was frequently cast as law enforcement officers or detectives in such films as Fort UtahFort Utah
Fort Utah was the original settlement at Provo, Utah, and was established March 12, 1849. The original settlers were President John S. Higbee, and about 30 families or 150 persons that were sent from Salt Lake City to Provo by President Brigham Young...
(1967), Easy Come, Easy Go (1968) as Ensign Tompkins, Marlowe (1969) as Gumpshaw, Dillinger
Dillinger (1973 film)
Dillinger is a 1973 gangster film about the life and criminal exploits of notorious bank robber John Dillinger.It stars Warren Oates as Dillinger and Ben Johnson as his pursuer, FBI Agent Melvin Purvis. The film, narrated by Purvis, chronicles the last few years of Dillinger's life as the FBI and...
(1973) as Big Jim Wollard, The New Centurions
The New Centurions
The New Centurions is a 1972 crime drama film based on the novel by policeman turned author Joseph Wambaugh.It stars George C. Scott, Stacy Keach, Scott Wilson, Jane Alexander, Erik Estrada and James Sikking and was directed by Richard Fleischer....
(1972) as Woodrow Gandy, Shanks (1974), and in made for television films, Return of the Gunfighter (1967) as Wid Boone, Helter Skelter (1976) as an officer named "Columbine", The Billion Dollar Threat (1979), Power (1980), and A Year in the Life (1986).
Morgan's dramatic credits ranged from the role of Corporal Hoop Keeler in the 1959 episode, "The Tallest Marine", on Ronald W. Reagan's anthology, General Electric Theater
General Electric Theater
General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald W. Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.-Radio:...
. That same year, he was cast as Lefty in "What You Need" of CBS's science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
, hosted by Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
. He appeared twice on CBS's Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
and once on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. He appeared briefly on ABC's The Fugitive
The Fugitive (TV series)
The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...
and The Outer Limits
The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)
The Outer Limits is an American television series that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1965. The series is similar in style to the earlier The Twilight Zone, but with a greater emphasis on science fiction, rather than fantasy stories...
. He portrayed Kessler in "A World Without Sundays" on CBS's Mannix
Mannix
Mannix is an American television detective series that ran from 1967 through 1975 on CBS. Created by Richard Levinson and William Link and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller, the title character, Joe Mannix, is a private investigator. He is played by Mike Connors...
, with Mike Connors
Mike Connors
Mike Connors is an American actor best known for playing detective Joe Mannix in the CBS television series, Mannix. Before that, he had played a crime-fighting investigator, wielding a .38 handgun hidden in his back, in another CBS series, Tightrope.-Early life:Connors was born Krekor Ohanian in...
and Blackie in "Murder on Stage 17" of ABC's Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
. He appeared four times from 1973-1978 in different role on CBS's Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones is a television detective series starring Buddy Ebsen and Lee Meriwether as father- and daughter-in-law who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles. A spin-off from Cannon, the show ran on CBS from January 28, 1973 to April 3, 1980, beginning as a midseason replacement...
, starring Buddy Ebsen
Buddy Ebsen
Buddy Ebsen was an American character actor and dancer. A performer for seven decades, he had starring roles as Jed Clampett in the long-running television series The Beverly Hillbillies and as the title character in the 1970s detective series Barnaby Jones, and played Barnaby Jones in the movie...
, and twice on ABC's Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
in 1977 and 1979. He was Sergeant Kevin Hogan in the 1984 episode, "Death Takes a Curtain Call", on Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
's Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
. In 1987, he appeared twice as Curtis on ABC's night-time soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
The Colbys
The Colbys
The Colbys is an American prime time soap opera, which originally aired on ABC from November 20, 1985 to March 26, 1987. The Aaron Spelling-produced series was a spin-off of Dynasty, which had been the highest rated series for the 1984-1985 U.S. television season...
.
Morgan's comedy roles were on ABC's McHale's Navy
McHale's Navy
McHale's Navy is an American television sitcom series which ran for 138 half-hour episodes from October 11,1962, to August 31, 1966, on the ABC network. The series was filmed in black and white and originated in a one-hour drama called Seven Against the Sea, broadcast on April 3, 1962...
(a Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
sergeant in "The Big Raffle"), Pistols 'n' Petticoats
Pistols 'n' Petticoats
Pistols 'n' Petticoats is an American Western sitcom that ran on CBS during the 1966-1967 television season. It was produced by Kayro/Universal Television for CBS Productions and ran from September 17, 1966 to March 11, 1967. The series was created by George Tibbles, who wrote the show's theme song...
(as Moose Dreyfus in "The Triangle"), Love, American Style
Love, American Style
Love, American Style is an hour-long TV anthology produced by Paramount Television and originally aired between September 1969 and January 1974...
, and three episodes of CBS's The Doris Day Show
The Doris Day Show
The Doris Day Show is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 1968 until September 1973. In addition to showcasing Doris Day, the show is remembered for its many abrupt format changes over the course of its five-year run...
. He appeared as Bert in the 1959 comedy film Ask Any Girl
Ask Any Girl (film)
Ask Any Girl is a 1959 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer romantic comedy film starring David Niven, Shirley MacLaine and Gig Young.-Plot:A wide-eyed Meg Wheeler comes to New York City and takes a job in market research for a large firm...
with Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine is an American film and theater actress, singer, dancer, activist and author, well-known for her beliefs in new age spirituality and reincarnation. She has written a large number of autobiographical works, many dealing with her spiritual beliefs as well as her Hollywood career...
.
Morgan's last roles were on two CBS series, as Hap Moody in "Dear Hearts and Gentle People" on Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
and in the episode "The Coward" of Lee Horsley
Lee Horsley
Lee Arthur Horsley is an American film, television, and theater actor known for starring roles in the television series, Nero Wolfe , Matt Houston , and Paradise . He starred in the 1982 cult film, The Sword and the Sorcerer, and recorded the audiobook edition of Lonesome Dove...
's latter-day western Paradise
Paradise (TV series)
Paradise is an American Western family television series, broadcast by CBS from 1988 to 1991. Created by David Jacobs and Robert Porter, the series presents the adventures of fictitious gunfighter Ethan Allen Cord, whose sister left her four children in his custody when she died.-Synopsis:Paradise...
. His final role was as a card dealer in the 1994 western film Maverick
Maverick (film)
Maverick is a 1994 Western comedy film based on the 1950s television series of the same name, created by Roy Huggins. The film was directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by William Goldman and features Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner, as well as several cameo appearances...
.