Morris Carnovsky

Morris Carnovsky
Morris Carnovsky as Shylock (right) in "The Merchant of Venice" (1973)
Born	Morris Carnovsky (1897-09-05)September 5, 1897 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Died	September 1, 1992(1992-09-01) (aged 94) Easton, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1931-1984
Spouse(s)	? (1922-33; divorced) Phoebe Brand (1941-1992; his death); 1 child

Morris Carnovsky (September 5, 1897 – September 1, 1992) was an American stage and film actor. He was one of the founders of the Group Theatre (1931-1940) in New York City and had a thriving acting career both on Broadway and in films until, in the early 1950s, professional colleagues told the House Un-American Activities Committee that Carnovsky had been a Communist Party member. He was blacklisted and worked less frequently for a few years, but then re-established his acting career, taking on many Shakespearean roles at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and performing the title roles in college campus productions of King Lear and The Merchant of Venice. Carnovsky's nephew is veteran character actor and longtime "Pathmark Guy" James Karen.

Carnovsky was born in St. Louis, Missouri on September 5, 1897. His father, a grocer, took him to performances of the Yiddish theater. In 1975 he recalled: "There was such richness in their portrayals of Jewish life. I could savor it. Once I smelled greasepaint, I was committed." He graduated from Washington University in 1920 and then moved to Boston where he acted in his first professional stage production.

In 1922, Carnovsky began his long career on Broadway with his New York stage debut as Reb Aaron in The God of Vengeance. Two years later, Carnovsky joined the Theatre Guild acting company and appeared in the title role of Uncle Vanya (by Anton Chekhov). This was followed by roles in Saint Joan (by George Bernard Shaw), The Brothers Karamazov, The Doctor's Dilemma (also by Shaw) and the role of Kublai Khan in Eugene O'Neill's Marco Millions.