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| Robert Norris, Marlboro Man Who Didn’t Smoke, Dies at 90 | Robert Norris, Marlboro Man Who Didn’t Smoke, Dies at 90 |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Robert C. Norris, a rancher who took the role of the Marlboro Man in television commercials for the cigarette brand but who abandoned the campaign because, as a nonsmoker, he felt he was setting a bad example for his children, died on Nov. 3 in Colorado Springs. He was 90. | Robert C. Norris, a rancher who took the role of the Marlboro Man in television commercials for the cigarette brand but who abandoned the campaign because, as a nonsmoker, he felt he was setting a bad example for his children, died on Nov. 3 in Colorado Springs. He was 90. |
| His death, at Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care, was announced on his Tee Cross Ranches website. No cause was given. | His death, at Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care, was announced on his Tee Cross Ranches website. No cause was given. |
| Mr. Norris was featured as the Marlboro Man, a rugged, solitary cowboy figure at home in the vast American West, in commercials that ran for about 14 years in the United States and Europe. His website recounted his decision to give up the work because of the message it was sending to children. | Mr. Norris was featured as the Marlboro Man, a rugged, solitary cowboy figure at home in the vast American West, in commercials that ran for about 14 years in the United States and Europe. His website recounted his decision to give up the work because of the message it was sending to children. |
| In 1964, the surgeon general declared smoking a health hazard. Pressured by lawsuits, regulators and Congress, Philip Morris, the nation’s largest manufacturer of cigarettes, including Marlboro, acknowledged decades later that smoking causes lung cancer. | In 1964, the surgeon general declared smoking a health hazard. Pressured by lawsuits, regulators and Congress, Philip Morris, the nation’s largest manufacturer of cigarettes, including Marlboro, acknowledged decades later that smoking causes lung cancer. |
| Mr. Norris was on his ranch when he was approached to appear in the commercials after advertising executives had spotted him in a photo with the actor John Wayne, who was a close friend, his son Bobby Norris told KKTV in Colorado Springs. | Mr. Norris was on his ranch when he was approached to appear in the commercials after advertising executives had spotted him in a photo with the actor John Wayne, who was a close friend, his son Bobby Norris told KKTV in Colorado Springs. |
| Tall and lanky, Mr. Norris was one of several men who depicted the Marlboro Man. The campaign began in 1955 after Philip Morris and the advertising agency Leo Burnett Worldwide had begun ravamping the Marlboro brand; founded as a women’s cigarette, it was being repositioned as a rugged masculine product. | Tall and lanky, Mr. Norris was one of several men who depicted the Marlboro Man. The campaign began in 1955 after Philip Morris and the advertising agency Leo Burnett Worldwide had begun ravamping the Marlboro brand; founded as a women’s cigarette, it was being repositioned as a rugged masculine product. |
| Prof. Scott Ellsworth, a lecturer at the University of Michigan and a former oral historian at the Smithsonian Institution, conducted nearly 60 interviews with former Marlboro men and Philip Morris and Leo Burnett executives in studying Marlboro’s marketing strategy. | Prof. Scott Ellsworth, a lecturer at the University of Michigan and a former oral historian at the Smithsonian Institution, conducted nearly 60 interviews with former Marlboro men and Philip Morris and Leo Burnett executives in studying Marlboro’s marketing strategy. |
| “The Marlboro Man campaign is easily one of the most successful advertising campaigns of all time,” Professor Ellsworth said. “It absolutely conquered the world.” | “The Marlboro Man campaign is easily one of the most successful advertising campaigns of all time,” Professor Ellsworth said. “It absolutely conquered the world.” |
| The ad campaign helped Marlboro become the world’s leading cigarette brand in 1972, a position it has maintained ever since. More than 43 percent of all cigarettes bought in the United States last year were Marlboro, according to Forbes. | The ad campaign helped Marlboro become the world’s leading cigarette brand in 1972, a position it has maintained ever since. More than 43 percent of all cigarettes bought in the United States last year were Marlboro, according to Forbes. |
| A federal ban on television and radio advertisements for cigarettes took effect in 1971, and the Marlboro Man campaign, among others, was discontinued in the late 1990s in the United States as part of a sweeping settlement of litigation brought by nearly all the states against the major tobacco companies. | A federal ban on television and radio advertisements for cigarettes took effect in 1971, and the Marlboro Man campaign, among others, was discontinued in the late 1990s in the United States as part of a sweeping settlement of litigation brought by nearly all the states against the major tobacco companies. |
| Barry Vacker, an associate professor of critical media studies at Temple University in Philadelphia, said the Marlboro Man was popular during a turbulent period, emerging amid the Cold War and the rise of rock ’n’ roll and continuing during the civil rights and women’s rights movements. | Barry Vacker, an associate professor of critical media studies at Temple University in Philadelphia, said the Marlboro Man was popular during a turbulent period, emerging amid the Cold War and the rise of rock ’n’ roll and continuing during the civil rights and women’s rights movements. |
| “The Marlboro Man stood as an iconic symbol, an individual in control of his destiny,” Professor Vacker said. “He was a reassuring figure at the height of our fear of nuclear annihilation and a conservative counter to changing values.” | “The Marlboro Man stood as an iconic symbol, an individual in control of his destiny,” Professor Vacker said. “He was a reassuring figure at the height of our fear of nuclear annihilation and a conservative counter to changing values.” |
| Mr. Norris was born in Chicago on April 10, 1929, to Dellora and Lester Norris. Many of his relatives were financiers and lawyers. He grew up in St. Charles, Ill., about 40 miles west of Chicago, and attended the University of Kentucky, where he played football. | |
| He married Jane Wright, a recent graduate of DePauw University in Indiana in 1950 and moved to Fort Collins, Colo., in 1953, the year he entered the horse and cattle business. A few years later he bought 20,000 acres and established the Tee Cross Ranch. It eventually expanded to 63,000 acres, and a second ranch was established in Arizona. | He married Jane Wright, a recent graduate of DePauw University in Indiana in 1950 and moved to Fort Collins, Colo., in 1953, the year he entered the horse and cattle business. A few years later he bought 20,000 acres and established the Tee Cross Ranch. It eventually expanded to 63,000 acres, and a second ranch was established in Arizona. |
| Mr. Norris, a philanthropist with an affinity for the arts and animals, served on numerous boards and founded the Colorado Festival of World Theater, according to the ranch website. | Mr. Norris, a philanthropist with an affinity for the arts and animals, served on numerous boards and founded the Colorado Festival of World Theater, according to the ranch website. |
| In 2003, five baby elephants, which had been orphaned in Zimbabwe, were brought to the ranch. At the urging of his children, Mr. Norris adopted one elephant and named it Amy, a relationship chronicled in a children’s book, “Cowboys Love Elephants Too,” written by his daughter Carole Sondrup. | In 2003, five baby elephants, which had been orphaned in Zimbabwe, were brought to the ranch. At the urging of his children, Mr. Norris adopted one elephant and named it Amy, a relationship chronicled in a children’s book, “Cowboys Love Elephants Too,” written by his daughter Carole Sondrup. |
| Besides his daughter Carole and his son Bobby, Mr. Norris is survived by two other children, Steve Norris and Leslie Penkhus; a sister, Lavern Gaynor; and 13 grandchildren. His wife, Jan W. Morris, died in 2016. | Besides his daughter Carole and his son Bobby, Mr. Norris is survived by two other children, Steve Norris and Leslie Penkhus; a sister, Lavern Gaynor; and 13 grandchildren. His wife, Jan W. Morris, died in 2016. |