Robert Morley

A Physically Imposing Man Who Wrote the Screenplay

Robert Morley was a man who took up space. Not only because of his well over two hundred pounds, but because of eyebrows that seemed to have a life of their own and a voice that resembled very expensive chocolate. Casting directors in the 1930s didn't quite know where to place him until the movies found him.

In 1938, he made his Hollywood debut in Marie Antoinette. That role as Louis XVI earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and lifted him out of London's theater obscurity. But Morley never took the statuette, or the glitter of California, too seriously.

He was not the typical leading man of his era.

He preferred the security of the British stage and writing his own plays. Morley didn't just act. He also wrote to better understand the mechanics of the comedy and middle-class drama he loved to dissect.

In 1947, he premiered Edward, My Son on stage. The play was such a resounding hit that it was adapted for film two years later, with Spencer Tracy in the lead role. Morley felt somewhat sidelined by the choice of an American actor for a role he considered his own, but he accepted the paycheck with his usual elegance.

The art of stealing scenes

During the filming of The Queen of Africa in 1951, he proved he could hold his own alongside figures such as Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. His portrayal of Reverend Samuel Sayer brought a vulnerability few expected from an actor of his size. English audiences adored him because he embodied the phlegmatic, somewhat eccentric spirit that defined the nation.

And the gamble paid off.

In 1960, he took on the challenge of playing Oscar Wilde in the film directed by Gregory Ratoff. It was a risky project given the legal and social themes of the era in the United Kingdom. Morley had already played the author on stage years earlier, so he knew every pause and irony of the original text.

By the late 1970s, his face had become familiar to a generation that didn't go to the movies. He became the face of British Airways in a series of very popular TV commercials. He earned astronomical fees for just a few seconds on screen, simply showing off his natural charm.

His presence in Around the World in 80 Days in 1956 or in Kill or Not Kill, That Is the Question in 1973 confirmed he was the most reliable supporting actor in the business. He always arrived on set with his lines memorized and a firm opinion on how his character should move. He never accepted orders that went against his instinct for comedy.

Retirement Years and the Final Silence

His career didn't stop with age. In 1983 he took part in the series The Winds of War and kept appearing in minor television productions looking for that touch of British distinction. He never wanted to fully retire because he felt work was the only way to keep his wit sharp.

He moved to a country house in Berkshire to escape the noise of the city. There he spent his time writing his memoirs and food articles for various specialty magazines. His passion for food was nearly as great as his passion for the stage.

His last appearance on the big screen was in 1989 with the film The Lady and the Highwayman. By then his health was beginning to fail due to circulatory problems stemming from his heavy build. But he kept his sense of humor until the end of his days at his private residence.

Robert Morley died on June 3, 1992 at Reading Hospital after suffering a massive stroke at the age of 84.