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 ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself and ...

''.

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.Phillip Bruns profile
, phillipbrunsactor.com; accessed March 4, 2017. He played high school football. He graduated with a Bachelor's Degree from Augustana College in

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large po ...

. He earned his Master's Degree from the Yale School of Drama in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

. He also studied at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

Career

Bruns appeared in dozens of films, TV commercials, and on and Off-Broadway plays (winning an

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the ...

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 ''The Jackie Gleason Show'' is the name of a series of American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970, in various forms. ''Cavalcade of Stars'' Gleason's first variety series, which aired on the DuMon ...

'' and played the father, George Shumway, on the 1970s comedic series '' Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman''. He appeared as

Morty Seinfeld This is a list of characters who appeared on ''Seinfeld''. This list features only characters who appeared in multiple episodes; those that appeared in only one are not included here. Primary characters Jerry Seinfeld George Costanza Elaine ...

in the sitcom ''

'', in a first-season episode entitled " The Stake Out", but was replaced in the role by

Barney Martin Barney Martin (March 3, 1923 – March 21, 2005) was an American actor, best known for playing Morty Seinfeld, father of Jerry, on the sitcom ''Seinfeld'' (1991-1998). He also played supporting roles in Mel Brooks' '' The Producers'' (1967), ...

after showrunners Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld decided they wanted the character of Morty Seinfeld to be harsher, as they thought Bruns was too laid-back for the role. Films in which Bruns appeared include ''

A Thousand Clowns ''A Thousand Clowns'' is a 1965 American comedy-drama film directed by Fred Coe and starring Jason Robards, Barbara Harris, Martin Balsam, and Barry Gordon. An adaptation of a 1962 play by Herb Gardner, it tells the story of an eccentric come ...

'' (1965), ''

Jenny Jenny may refer to: * Jenny (given name), a popular feminine name and list of real and fictional people * Jenny (surname), a family name Animals * Jenny (donkey), a female donkey * Jenny (gorilla), the oldest gorilla in captivity at the time of h ...

'' (1970), '' The Out-of-Towners'' (1970), '' The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight'' (1971), ''

Silent Night, Bloody Night ''Silent Night, Bloody Night'' is a 1972 American slasher film directed by Theodore Gershuny and co-produced by Lloyd Kaufman. The film stars Patrick O'Neal and cult actress Mary Woronov in leading roles, with John Carradine in a supporting p ...

'' (1972), ''

Harry and Tonto ''Harry and Tonto'' is a 1974 road movie written by Paul Mazursky and Josh Greenfeld and directed by Mazursky. It features Art Carney as Harry in an Oscar-winning performance. Tonto is his pet cat. Plot Harry Coombes (Art Carney) is an elderly ...

'' (1974), '' The Great Waldo Pepper'' (1975), ''

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

'' (1976), ''

Corvette Summer ''Corvette Summer'' is a 1978 American adventure comedy film directed by Matthew Robbins. It was Mark Hamill's first screen appearance after the unexpected success of '' Star Wars'' the previous year. Hamill stars as a California teenager who h ...

'' (1978), '' The Stunt Man'' (1980), ''

My Favorite Year ''My Favorite Year'' is a 1982 American comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Richard Benjamin and written by Norman Steinberg and Dennis Palumbo from a story written by Palumbo. The film tells the story of a young comedy wr ...

'' (1982), '' Flashdance'' (1983), ''

Amazon Women on the Moon ''Amazon Women on the Moon'' is a 1987 American satirical science fiction film that parodies the experience of watching low-budget films on late-night television. The film, featuring a large ensemble cast including cameo appearances from film and ...

'' (1987), ''

Return of the Living Dead Part II ''Return of the Living Dead Part II'' is a 1988 American comedy horror film written and directed by Ken Wiederhorn, and starring Michael Kenworthy, Marsha Dietlein, Dana Ashbrook, Thom Mathews, James Karen, and Phil Bruns. It is the first of ...

'' (1988), ''

Dead Men Don't Die ''Dead Men Don't Die'' is a 1990 American horror-comedy film written and directed by Malcolm Marmorstein and starring Elliott Gould and Melissa Sue Anderson. Plot News anchor Barry Baron (Elliott Gould) discovers that a drug smuggling ring i ...

'' (1991), ''

The Opposite Sex and How to Live with Them ''The Opposite Sex and How to Live with Them'' is a 1993 American romantic comedy film directed by Matthew Meshekoff and written by Noah Stern. The film stars Arye Gross, Courteney Cox, Kevin Pollak, Julie Brown, Mitchell Ryan and Mitzi McCal ...

'' (1993), '' Love Bites'' (1993), ''

Pentathlon A pentathlon is a contest featuring five events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words ''pente'' (five) and -''athlon'' (competition) ( gr, πένταθλον). The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of ...

'' (1994), '' The Trigger Effect'', and '' Ed'' (1996). He wrote ''The Character Actor's Do's, Don't and Anecdotes, which was published in early November 2008.U.S. Library of Congress: https://lccn.loc.gov/2011453782 On television Bruns appeared in such dramas and comedies as ''

Sanford and Son ''Sanford and Son'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. It was based on the British sitcom '' Steptoe and Son'', which initially aired on BBC One in the Unit ...

'', ''

'', '' The Rat Patrol'', ''

Here's Lucy ''Here's Lucy'' is an American sitcom starring Lucille Ball. The series co-starred her long-time comedy partner Gale Gordon and her real-life children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. It was broadcast on CBS from 1968 to 1974. It was Ball's th ...

'', '' Maude'', ''

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin ...

'', ''

The Secrets of Isis ''The Secrets of Isis'', originally broadcast as ''Isis'', is an American live-action superhero television series produced by Filmation from 1975 to 1976 for CBS's Saturday morning lineup. The series was renamed ''The Secrets of Isis'' in syndic ...

'', ''

The Streets of San Francisco ''The Streets of San Francisco'' is a television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the show on its ...

'', '' The Rookies'', '' Kojak'', '' Delvecchio'', ''

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'', '' Archie Bunker’s Place'', ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...

'', '' Simon & Simon'', ''

St. Elsewhere ''St. Elsewhere'' was an American medical drama television series created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982, to May 25, 1988. The series stars Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd, and William Daniels ...

'', '' Trapper John, M.D. '', ''

Cagney & Lacey ''Cagney & Lacey'' is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988. The show is about two New York City police detectives who lead very di ...

'', '' It's Garry Shandling's Show'', ''

Mr. Belvedere ''Mr. Belvedere'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on ABC from March 15, 1985, to July 8, 1990. The series is based on the Lynn Aloysius Belvedere character created by Gwen Davenport for her 1947 novel ''Belvedere'', which was later ...

'', '' Columbo: Exercise in Fatality'', ''

Barney Miller ''Barney Miller'' is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th St in Greenwich Village. The series was broadcast on ABC Network from January 23, 1975, to May 20, 1982. It was cre ...

'' (as different characters in 4 episodes), '' Night Court'', ''

Airwolf ''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series that centers on a high-technology military helicopter, code-named ''Airwolf'', and its crew. The show follows them as they undertake various exotic missions, many involving e ...

'', ''

Just Shoot Me! ''Just Shoot Me!'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from March 4, 1997, to November 26, 2003, with a total of 145 half-hour episodes spanning seven seasons. The show was created by Steven Levitan, the show's executive ...

'', and ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. T ...

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. He was lifetime friends with

Peter O'Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was a British stage and film actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old V ...

. Until his death, Bruns resided in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

with his wife, Laurie Franks (1929–2022). He died of natural causes at a hospital in Los Angeles on February 8, 2012.

Partial filmography

*''

'' (1965) - The Man in the Restaurant *''All Woman'' (1967) - Drunken Man *'' The Swimmer'' (1968) - Biswangers' Pool Party Guest (uncredited) *''

Midnight Cowboy ''Midnight Cowboy'' is a 1969 American drama film, based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. The film was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, with notable smaller ...

'' (1969) - Man in TV Montage (uncredited) *''

'' (1970) - Fred *'' The Out-of-Towners'' (1970) - Officer Meyers *'' Taking Off'' (1971) - Policeman *'' The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight'' (1971) - Gallagher *''

'' (1972) - Wilfred Butler (1929) *''

'' (1974) - Burt *'' The Great Waldo Pepper'' (1975) - Dillhoefer *''Flash and the Firecat'' (1975) - Mr. Walley *''

'' (1976) - Duncan *''

'' (1978) - Gil *'' The Stunt Man'' (1980) - Ace *''

'' (1982) - Fed. Marshal Holt *'' Flashdance'' (1983) - Frank Szabo *''The Christmas Star'' (1986) - Lucky *''

'' (1987) - French Ventriloquist Dummy - Manager *''

'' (1988) - Doc Mandel *''

'' (1990) - Nolan *''

'' (1992) - Irv Crown *'' Love Bites'' (1993) - Vinnie Helsting *''

'' (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

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

External links

*
Philip Bruns
(Aveleyman) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruns, Phil 1931 births 2012 deaths People from Pipestone, Minnesota Male actors from Minnesota American male film actors American male television actors Yale School of Drama alumni Augustana University alumni