Robert Adolph Wilton Morley, CBE (26 May 1908 – 3 June 1992) was an English actor and writer.
Recognisable by his ungainly bulk, bushy eyebrows, thick lips and double chin, he was frequently cast in supporting roles as English gentlemen representing the Establishment (Lords, doctors, lawyers, accountants etc), running the gamut from pompous and/or snobbish to Stiff Upper Lip and jolly fellows at that. His portrayal of King Louis XVI of France in Marie Antoinette (1938) earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Morley was married to Joan Buckmaster, the daughter of English actress Gladys Cooper, from 1940 until his death. They had three children, including author and critic Sheridan Morley.
Not to be confused with Bob Morley.
Selected filmography:
- Scrooge (1935) as a businessman at the Exchange
- Marie Antoinette (1938) as King Louis XVI
- The African Queen (1951) as Reverend Samuel "The Brother" Sayer
- Beat the Devil (1953) as Peterson
- The Adventures of Quentin Durward (1955) as King Louis XI
- Around the World in 80 Days (1956) as Gauthier Ralph
- The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw (1958) as Uncle Lucius
- Oscar Wilde (1960) as Oscar Wilde
- The Old Dark House (1963) as Roderick Femm
- Topkapi (1964) as Cedric Page
- The Dot and the Line (1965) - narrator of the cartoon
- The Alphabet Murders (1965) as Captain Hastings
- The Loved One (1965) as Sir Ambrose Abercrombie
- Genghis Khan (1965) as the Emperor of China
- Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965) as Lord Rawnsley
- Doctor in Trouble (1970) as Captain George Spratt, RNR
- Cromwell (1970) as the Earl of Manchester
- When Eight Bells Toll (1971) as Sir Arthur Arnford-Jones
- Theatre of Blood (1973) as Meredith Merridew
- Hugo the Hippo (1975) as Sultan (English dub)
- The Blue Bird (1976) as Father Time
- Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978) as Maximillian Vandeveer
- The Human Factor (1979) as Dr. Perceval
- Scavenger Hunt (1979) as Charles Bernstein
- Oh! Heavenly Dog (1980) as Bernie
- The Great Muppet Caper (1981) as the British Gentleman
- Alice in Wonderland (1985) as the King of Hearts
- War and Remembrance (1988–89) as Alistair Tudsbury
Tropes and Trivia in his works:
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: He had bushy eyebrows, which reinforced how pompous or snobbish his usual upper class characters could be.
- Celebrity Endorsement: He appeared in ads for British Airways in The '80s.
- Large and in Charge: His bulk gave weight, if not always authority, to the aristocrats, monarchs, and other ruling class figures he often played.
- What Could Have Been:
- He was originally supposed to play the Sandman in the 1960s Batman series, but he quit after the episode was rewritten to include Catwoman note . This led to Michael Rennie getting the part.
- John Huston originally wrote the role of M in 1967's Casino Royale with Morley in mind. Morley was unavailable, so Huston played the part himself instead.
- Yellowface: He played the Emperor of China in 1965's Genghis Khan.
