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.
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]
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.[citation needed] 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]
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]