Harry Morgan played the salty but kindly career army man Col. Sherman T. Potter, in the long-running television show "M*A*S*H," and was a familiar Hollywood character actor, starring in more than 100 movies.

Born Harry Bratsburg, of Norwegian and Swedish descent,in Detroit, he developed an interest in acting after participating in debating classes in his pre-law major at the University of Chicago. He made his professional acting debut in a summer stock production of At Mrs. Beam’s in Mount Kisco, NY.

He made his Broadway debut in the Group Theatre's production of Clifford Odets' Golden Boy in 1937. He moved to California in 1942, and never returned to New York.

After appearing in a Santa Barbara production of a Saroyan play, he was signed to a contract with 20th Century Fox. Soon after he changed his professional name from Henry Morgan to Harry Morgan.

Mr. Morgan became a ubiquitous character actor, a familiar wiry, folksy presence to movie audiences. He was particularly at home in Westerns, police dramas and war pictures.

Throughout his life, Mr. Morgan exhibited a healthy and grateful attitude toward his profession. He never seemed to complain about the parts he didn't get, or the peculiarities of his colleagues. "I’d like to be remembered for being a fairly pleasant person and for having gotten along for the most part with a lot of the people I’ve worked with," he told the Archive of American television in 2004. "And for having a wonderful life and for having enjoyed practically every minute of it. Especially in the picture business and on the stage and I think I’m one of the luckiest people in the world."

Source: Playbill.com