Harry Morgan Net Worth

What Was Harry Morgan's Net Worth?

Harry Morgan was an American actor and director who had a net worth of $5 million at the time of his death in 2011.

Harry Morgan was best known for playing Officer Bill Gannon on "Dragnet" and Colonel Sherman T. Potter on "MAS*H." Over a career that stretched from the 1930s to the 1990s, Morgan became one of the most reliable and beloved character actors in American film and television.

Harry Morgan appeared in more than 160 film and television projects. Before becoming a television fixture, he built a major movie career with roles in "The Ox-Bow Incident," "Wing and a Prayer," "All My Sons," "High Noon," "Inherit the Wind," "How the West Was Won," and "The Apple Dumpling Gang." On television, he played Pete Porter on "December Bride" and "Pete and Gladys," Amos Coogan on "Hec Ramsey," and later reprised his "MASH" role on "AfterMASH." He also directed episodes of "MASH," "Hec Ramsey," "The D.A.," "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour," and "Adam-12."

Early Life

Harry Morgan was born Harry Bratsberg on April 10, 1915, in Detroit, Michigan. His parents, Henry and Hannah Bratsberg, were of Norwegian and Swedish heritage. He grew up in Muskegon, Michigan, with siblings Arnold and Marguerite.

Morgan attended Muskegon High School, where he became a statewide debating champion. After graduating in 1933, he enrolled at the University of Chicago. He originally had an interest in law, but acting gradually took over. In 1937, he joined New York City's Group Theatre, the influential company associated with Lee Strasberg, Harold Clurman, and Cheryl Crawford. That same year, Morgan made his Broadway debut in Clifford Odets' "Golden Boy."

Film Career

Morgan made his film debut in the 1942 war drama "To the Shores of Tripoli." During the 1940s and 1950s, he was often credited as Henry Morgan before settling on Harry Morgan professionally.

He quickly became a familiar presence in studio-era Hollywood, appearing in films such as "The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe," "The Omaha Trail," "The Ox-Bow Incident," "Wing and a Prayer," "From This Day Forward," "The Gangster," "All My Sons," "Holiday Affair," "The Highwayman," "High Noon," "Thunder Bay," "Torch Song," "The Far Country," "Under Fire," and "It Started with a Kiss."

Morgan was rarely the flashy star, but he was exactly the kind of actor directors trusted. He could play soldiers, sheriffs, clerks, judges, sidekicks, authority figures, comic foils, and ordinary men with equal credibility. In the 1960s and 1970s, his film work included "Inherit the Wind," "Cimarron," "How the West Was Won," "Frankie and Johnny," "The Flim-Flam Man," "Support Your Local Sheriff!," "The Barefoot Executive," "Snowball Express," "The Apple Dumpling Gang," "The Shootist," and "The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again."

Television Career

Morgan's first major television success came as Pete Porter on the sitcom "December Bride," which aired from 1954 to 1959. The character was popular enough to lead to the spin-off "Pete and Gladys," which aired from 1960 to 1962.

From 1967 to 1970, Morgan starred as Officer Bill Gannon opposite Jack Webb on the revived version of "Dragnet." His dry, grounded performance made him an ideal partner for Webb's Sgt. Joe Friday. Morgan later returned to the Gannon role in the 1987 film version of "Dragnet."

Morgan also worked frequently within Webb's television universe. He appeared on "The D.A.," starred as Amos Coogan on "Hec Ramsey," and directed episodes of several Webb-produced series. His association with Webb helped keep him central to the procedural television world of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

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M*A*S*H

Morgan's most famous role came in 1975, when he joined "MAS*H" as Colonel Sherman T. Potter. He had already appeared on the series in a different role, playing Major General Bartford Hamilton Steele in the episode "The General Flipped at Dawn." After McLean Stevenson left the show, Morgan was brought in as the new commanding officer of the 4077th.

Colonel Potter was a career Army officer, but Morgan gave him warmth, humor, authority, and a deep sense of decency. The character became a father figure to the unit and helped the show transition after the departure of several original cast members. Morgan remained with "MAS*H" through its 1983 finale and won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1980 for his performance.

After "MAS*H" ended, Morgan reprised the role on the spin-off "AfterMASH," which aired from 1983 to 1985. While the spin-off did not achieve the same success as the original series, Colonel Potter remained one of Morgan's defining characters.

Later Work

Morgan continued acting after "MAS*H." In the 1980s, he appeared in television movies including "The Wild Wild West Revisited," "More Wild Wild West," and "Scout's Honor," and he co-starred with Hal Linden on the mystery series "Blacke's Magic."

In the 1990s, Morgan starred in the television movies "The Incident," "Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore," and "Incident in a Small Town." He also guest-starred on shows including "The Jeff Foxworthy Show," "Grace Under Fire," "Love & Money," and "3rd Rock from the Sun." His final years on screen reinforced his reputation as an actor who could bring instant authority and humanity to almost any role.

Personal Life

Harry Morgan married Eileen Ann Detchon in 1940. They had four sons together: Charles, Daniel, Christopher, and Paul. Eileen died in 1985. Their marriage was quietly reflected in Morgan's work: a photo of Eileen appeared on Colonel Potter's desk on "MAS*H," and the wife of his "Dragnet" character was also named Eileen.

Morgan married Barbara Bushman Quine in 1986. She was the granddaughter of silent film actor Francis X. Bushman. In 1996, Morgan was arrested after an alleged domestic incident involving Barbara. The charges were later dismissed.

Morgan died in his sleep in Los Angeles on December 7, 2011, after recently being treated for pneumonia. He was 96 years old.

Awards and Honors

Morgan earned 11 Primetime Emmy nominations during his career, including nine acting nominations for "MAS*H." He won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series in 1980.

He also received a Directors Guild of America nomination for his work directing "MAS*H." Earlier in his career, he won a National Board of Review Award for his work in "Happy Land" and "The Ox-Bow Incident." In 1998, he received a Golden Boot Award, and he was later inducted into the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum's Hall of Great Western Performers. In 2006, Morgan and Jack Webb received a TV Land Award for Coolest Crime Fighting Team for "Dragnet."

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