Ralph Morgan
Morgan in 1934
Born	Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann (1883-07-06)July 6, 1883 New York City, U.S.
Died	June 11, 1956(1956-06-11) (aged 72) New York City, U.S.
Education	Columbia University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1908–1953
Spouse	Grace Arnold (born Georgiana Louise Iverson)
Children	Claudia Morgan
Relatives	Frank Morgan (brother)
1st and 4th President of the Screen Actors Guild
In office 1938–1940
Preceded by	Robert Montgomery
Succeeded by	Edward Arnold
In office 1933–1933
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Eddie Cantor
Acting President of the Actors' Equity Association
In office June 17, 1924 – August 12, 1924
Preceded by	John Emerson
Succeeded by	John Emerson

Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann (July 6, 1883 – June 11, 1956), known professionally as Ralph Morgan, was a Hollywood stage and film character actor, and union activist. He was a brother of actor Frank Morgan as well as the father of actress Claudia Morgan.

Early life

Morgan's father, George Wuppermann, was of Spanish and German lineage. Born in Venezuela and raised in Germany, he later immigrated to the United States. He had made a fortune by distributing Angostura bitters, allowing him to send all of his children to universities.^{[citation needed]}

Morgan attended Trinity School, Riverview Military Academy^[1] and graduated from Columbia University with a law degree. However, after almost two years' practicing, he abandoned the world of jurisprudence^[2] for the vocation of journeyman actor, having already appeared in Columbia's annual Varsity Show. In 1905, billed as Raphael Kuhner Wupperman, he appeared in The Khan of Kathan, that year's variety show.^[3]

Career

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His first role on the stage came in The Bachelor in 1909 and, in 1913, he joined the Summer stock cast at Denver's Elitch Theatre.^[4] Later he played John Marvin in the 1918 hit play, Lightnin' . Morgan made his debut in silent films in 1915, appearing in several productions made on the East Coast. In the early talkie era, he played such leading roles in such productions as Strange Interlude in 1932 and Rasputin and the Empress also in 1932.

He later settled into secondary, sometimes uncredited, character parts. One of his roles was in the 1942 serial Gang Busters, in which he played a brilliant surgeon turned master criminal. Morgan later worked in both radio and television, frequently in religious dramas filmed for Family Theater.^{[citation needed]}

Among his off-camera activities, he, alongside Grant Mitchell, Berton Churchill, Charles Miller, Alden Gay, and Kenneth Thomson, formed the Screen Actors Guild to resolve and stop most of the injustice that actors faced within the industry (among which, were prolonged work hours enforced by the studios and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences' membership policy, which was exclusively by invitation). He was a co-founder, charter member, and the first president of SAG in 1933, and he was elected to two additional one-year terms in 1938 and 1939, serving until 1940.^{[citation needed]}

Morgan became so successful in stock and on Broadway that his younger brother, Frank, was encouraged to give acting a try, using the same surname as Ralph for his stage name. His career would eventually overshadow that of Ralph.^{[citation needed]}

Recognition

Morgan has a star in the Motion Pictures section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1617 Vine Street. It was dedicated February 8, 1960.^[6]

Personal life and death

Ralph Morgan was married to Georgiana Louise Iverson, who as a stage actress was known as Grace Arnold. Their daughter was Claudia Morgan (1911–1974), an actress best known for creating the role of Vera Claythorne on Broadway in the original production of Ten Little Indians, and for her portrayal of Nora Charles on the radio series The Thin Man.^{[citation needed]}

Morgan died on June 11, 1956, aged 72, of a lung ailment.^[7][1] He was buried at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.^{[citation needed]}

Selected filmography

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ralph Morgan.

• Ralph Morgan at IMDb
• Ralph Morgan at the Internet Broadway Database
• Ralph Morgan at Find a Grave