Phil Bruns

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
Publicity Photo of Philip Bruns
Born
Philip Bruns

(1931-05-02)May 2, 1931
Pipestone, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedFebruary 8, 2012(2012-02-08) (aged 80)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
EducationBristol Old Vic Theatre School
Alma materAugustana College
Yale School of Drama
Occupation(s)Actor, writer
Years active1959–2012
Spouses
Jill Owens
​
(m. 1969)​
  • Laurie Franks

Early life

Bruns 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

Bruns 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. 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

Bruns 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

References
  1. Phillip Bruns profile Archived 2015-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, phillipbrunsactor.com; accessed March 4, 2017.
  2. "Bruns, Phillip". Los Angeles Times. 2012-02-12. p. A30. Retrieved 2021-08-26 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  3. Hevesi, Dennis (2012-02-15). "Phil Bruns, Hard-Hat Dad on 'Mary Hartman,' Dies at 80". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  4. Agar, Chris (28 November 2021). "Why Seinfeld Recast Jerry's Dad After Season 1 (And Frank Later)". ScreenRant. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  5. 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.
  6. "Philip Bruns profile". filmreference.com. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  7. U.S. Library of Congress: https://lccn.loc.gov/2011453782

Sources
  • 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


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