Is there anything this man can't do? The versatile David Morse has conquered theatre, television and more recently become a regular feature as character actor in a wide variety of films. In his latest effort, Proof Of Life (which opens today), Morse continues to do what he does best playing a strong second fiddle to the star of the show, in this case Russell Crowe.
Morse (above) was born on October 11, 1953, in Beverly, Massachusetts. There weren't any real family ties that bound him to the acting profession, his father worked for a lighting company and his mum was a teacher, but Morse got hooked when he auditioned for a play during his first year in high school. After graduating from high school, Morse joined the Boston Repertory Theatre and by 1977 had worked his way to New York, where he found roles in both on and off-Broadway productions.
By 1980, Morse had made his big-screen debut in the basketball drama Inside Moves. But a year later he won the role that was to establish his career, that of Dr Jack Morrison on the widely successful, Bruce Paltrow-directed TV hospital drama series St Elsewhere.
On the set of St Elsewhere, Morse found himself working not only on a quality product but alongside some quality workmates including future Oscar winner Denzel Washington. He ended up staying with the series for five years, all the while filling in his spare time with roles in made-for-TV films such as Six Against The Rock and Downpayment On Murder. By the 90s, Morse had made his way off the small screen and into some pretty big-time productions, including 12 Monkeys (1995), opposite Jack Nicholson in The Crossing Guard (1995), with Sean Connery in The Rock (1996) and on to roles in The Negotiator (1998), The Green Mile (1999), and last year's Proof of Life and Dancer in the Dark.
