Philip Bruns (May 2, 1931 – February 8, 2012) was an American television and movie actor and writer. He portrayed George Shumway, the father of Mary Hartman on the 1970s comedic series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and Morty Seinfeld, the father of Jerry Seinfeld, in the 1990 second episode of Seinfeld.
Phil Bruns | |
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 Publicity Photo of Philip Bruns | |
| Born | Philip Bruns May 2, 1931 Pipestone, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | February 8, 2012 (aged 80) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | Bristol Old Vic Theatre School |
| Alma mater | Augustana College Yale School of Drama |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, writer |
| Years active | 1959–2012 |
| Spouses | Jill Owens (m. 1969)
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Early life
editBruns was born on May 2, 1931, at a farm near Pipestone, Minnesota, the youngest of three children of Margie Evelyn Solon (née Trigg) and Henry Phillip Bruns. His ancestry was German and Irish.[1][2] He played high school football.[2]
He graduated with a Bachelor's Degree from Augustana College in South Dakota. He earned his Master's Degree from the Yale School of Drama in New Haven, Connecticut. He also studied at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in London, England.[3][2]
Career
editBruns appeared in dozens of films, TV commercials, and on and Off-Broadway plays (winning an Obie Award for "Mr. Simian" in the 1963-64 season). He played the Warlock in Werner Liepolt's "The Young Master Dante" at The American Place Theater in 1968.[citation needed] He appeared for three seasons on The Jackie Gleason Show and played the father, George Shumway, on the 1970s comedic series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.[2]
Bruns appeared as Morty Seinfeld in the sitcom Seinfeld, in a first-season episode entitled "The Stake Out", but was replaced in the role by Barney Martin[3] after showrunners Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld decided they wanted the character of Morty Seinfeld to be "a harsher parent" or "an easy-to-anger curmudgeon".[4][5]
Films in which Bruns appeared include A Thousand Clowns (1965), Jenny (1970), The Out-of-Towners (1970), The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight (1971), Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972), Harry and Tonto (1974), The Great Waldo Pepper (1975), Nickelodeon (1976), Corvette Summer (1978), The Stunt Man (1980), My Favorite Year (1982), Flashdance (1983), Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988), Dead Men Don't Die (1991), The Opposite Sex and How to Live with Them (1993), Love Bites (1993), Pentathlon (1994), The Trigger Effect, and Ed (1996).[6] He wrote The Character Actor's Do's, Don't and Anecdotes', which was published in early November 2008.[7]
On television Bruns appeared in such dramas and comedies as Sanford and Son, Seinfeld, The Wild Wild West, The Rat Patrol, Here's Lucy, Maude, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Secrets of Isis, The Streets of San Francisco, The Rookies, Kojak, Delvecchio, The Jeffersons, Archie Bunker’s Place, Hill Street Blues, Simon & Simon, St. Elsewhere, Trapper John, M.D. , Cagney & Lacey, It's Garry Shandling's Show, Mr. Belvedere, Columbo: Exercise in Fatality, Barney Miller (as different characters in 4 episodes), Night Court, Airwolf, Just Shoot Me!, and M*A*S*H [6]
Personal life and death
editBruns married Jill Owens, a dancer on The Jackie Gleason Show, in 1969. Afterward, he married Laurie Franks, a Broadway star.[2] He was lifetime friends with Peter O'Toole.[2]
Until his death, Bruns resided in Hollywood with his wife, Laurie Franks (1929–2022). He died of natural causes at a hospital in Los Angeles on February 8, 2012.[2][3]
Partial filmography
edit- A Thousand Clowns (1965) - The Man in the Restaurant
- All Woman (1967) - Drunken Man
- The Swimmer (1968) - Biswangers' Pool Party Guest (uncredited)
- Midnight Cowboy (1969) - Man in TV Montage (uncredited)
- Jenny (1970) - Fred
- The Out-of-Towners (1970) - Officer Meyers
- Taking Off (1971) - Policeman
- The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight (1971) - Gallagher
- Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972) - Wilfred Butler (1929)
- Harry and Tonto (1974) - Burt
- The Great Waldo Pepper (1975) - Dillhoefer
- Flash and the Firecat (1975) - Mr. Walley
- Nickelodeon (1976) - Duncan
- Corvette Summer (1978) - Gil
- The Stunt Man (1980) - Ace
- My Favorite Year (1982) - Fed. Marshal Holt
- Flashdance (1983) - Frank Szabo
- The Christmas Star (1986) - Lucky
- Amazon Women on the Moon (1987) - French Ventriloquist Dummy - Manager
- Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988) - Doc Mandel
- Seinfeld (1990) “The Stakeout” - Morty Seinfeld
- Dead Men Don't Die (1990) - Nolan
- The Opposite Sex and How to Live with Them (1992) - Irv Crown
- Love Bites (1993) - Vinnie Helsting
- Pentathlon (1994) - Vic
- Digital Man (1995) - Bob
- Ed (1996) - Clarence
- The Trigger Effect (1996) - Mr. Schaefer
- Johnny Skidmarks (1998) - Old Coot
- Inferno (1999) - Old Man Buyer (final film role)
References
edit- ^ Phillip Bruns profile Archived 2015-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, phillipbrunsactor.com; accessed March 4, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Bruns, Phillip". Los Angeles Times. 2012-02-12. p. A30. Retrieved 2021-08-26 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Hevesi, Dennis (2012-02-15). "Phil Bruns, Hard-Hat Dad on 'Mary Hartman,' Dies at 80". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
- ^ Agar, Chris (28 November 2021). "Why Seinfeld Recast Jerry's Dad After Season 1 (And Frank Later)". ScreenRant. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Bove, Kate (4 March 2020). "Yada, Yada, Yada: Seinfeld's Behind-the-Scenes Secrets Even Diehard Fans Don't Know". Ask.com. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Philip Bruns profile". filmreference.com. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
- ^ U.S. Library of Congress: https://lccn.loc.gov/2011453782
Sources
edit- Calvin, "Going Out of Business," Sanford and Son, NBC, 1974
- Calvin, "My Kingdom for a Horse" (also known as "First Night Out"), Sanford and Son, NBC, 1974
External links
edit- Phil Bruns at IMDb
- Philip Bruns;(Aveleyman)
- Phil Bruns at the Internet Broadway Database
- Phil Bruns at the Internet Off-Broadway Database