Photo: NBC Television / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Evans is a fascinating bridge figure, a serious classical Shakespearean who became beloved through pop culture in a way few of his peers managed. His Dr. Zaius in Planet of the Apes is buried under prosthetics, yet that magnificent theatrical voice cuts right through, giving the orangutan a real weight of authority and dread. I also love that he could pivot to playing Samantha's eccentric father on Bewitched and clearly have fun with it. He helped popularize Shakespeare on American television when that was a genuine cultural mission, and there's something admirable about a stage giant who never thought genre work or sitcoms were beneath him.
Overview
Maurice Evans (1901-1989) was a British-American actor and producer born in Dorchester, England, best known for his distinguished Shakespearean stage work in Britain and the United States. He became a leading interpreter of Shakespeare on Broadway and won an Emmy Award in 1961 for his television performance in Macbeth. To later generations he was familiar as Dr. Zaius in the original Planet of the Apes films and as the warlock Maurice on the sitcom Bewitched.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Maurice Evans
- Name (Japanese)
- モーリス・エヴァンス
- Reading
- もーりす・えゔぁんす
- Born
- June 3, 1901 – March 12, 1989
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Ox
- Origin
- Dorchester, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- Film producer / Stage actor / Film actor / Television actor / Actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- Emmy Award
- 1961 Best Lead Actor (Miniseries/Television Film)
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Film producer — see all → · Stage actor — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.