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Don Murray 1929 - 2024

Don Murray was born on July 31, 1929 at Hollywood in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California United States, and died at age 94 years old on February 2, 2024.

Don Murray

Donald Patrick Murray - at birth only

July 31, 1929

Hollywood in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States

February 2, 2024

Male

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Don Murray Don Murray (1929 - 2024)

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Don Murray's History: 1929 - 2024

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07/31

1929

Birthday

July 31, 1929

Birthdate

Hollywood in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California United States

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

Don Murray Born Donald Patrick Murray, July 31, 1929 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Died February 2, 2024 (aged 94) Goleta, California, U.S. Alma mater American Academy of Dramatic Arts Occupation Actor Years active 1950–2001; 2017–2021 Spouses Hope Lange (m. 1956; div. 1961) Bettie Johnson (m. 1962) Children 5, including Christopher Donald Patrick Murray (July 31, 1929 – February 2, 2024) was an American actor best known for his breakout performance in the film Bus Stop (1956, with Marilyn Monroe), which earned him a nomination for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His other films include A Hatful of Rain (1957), Shake Hands with the Devil (1959, with James Cagney), One Foot in Hell (1960, with Alan Ladd), The Hoodlum Priest (1961), Advise & Consent (1962, with Henry Fonda and Charles Laughton), Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965, with Steve McQueen and Lee Remick), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), Deadly Hero (1975), and Peggy Sue Got Married (1986, with Kathleen Turner). Murray starred in television series such as The Outcasts (1968–1969), Knots Landing (1979–1981), and Twin Peaks (2017).
Early Life & Education

Early life and career Donald Patrick Murray was born in Los Angeles on July 31, 1929, the second of three children, to Dennis Aloisius Murray, a Broadway dance director and stage manager, and Ethel Murray (née Cook), a former Ziegfeld Follies performer. Murray attended East Rockaway High School (class of 1947) in East Rockaway, New York, where he played football and was on the track team. He was a member of the student government, glee club, and joined the Alpha Phi Chapter of the Omega Gamma Delta Fraternity. Upon graduation from high school, he studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. After graduating from the AADA, he soon made his Broadway debut in the play The Rose Tattoo (1951), as Jack Hunter. A member of the Brethren Church, Murray registered as a conscientious objector during the Korean War, when many young American men were being drafted into the armed forces. Murray was assigned to alternative service in Europe, where he helped orphans and war casualties. In 1954, Murray returned from Europe to the United States and acting. He starred alongside Mary Martin in the stage version of The Skin of Our Teeth. Upon seeing his performance in the play, director Joshua Logan decided to cast him in 20th Century Fox's film adaptation of Bus Stop, a play by William Inge. Film and television career With Marilyn Monroe in Bus Stop (1956) Murray's role as Beauregard "Beau" Decker in Bus Stop (1956) marked his film debut. He starred alongside Marilyn Monroe, who played Cherie, the object of his desire. His performance as the innocent cowboy who is determined to get Cherie was well received, and he was nominated for a BAFTA for Most Promising Newcomer and for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 1957, Murray starred as reserved, married bookkeeper Charlie Sampson in The Bachelor Party.[4] That same year he starred in one of his most successful roles, that of Johnny Pope in the drama A Hatful of Rain. Despite director Fred Zinnemann's intention to typecast the actor as the comical brother Polo, Murray insisted on playing the lead. Thus he portrayed Johnny Pope, a morphine-addicted Korean War veteran. The film was one of the first to show the effects of drug abuse on the addicted and those around them. Murray starred as a blackmailed United States senator in Advise & Consent (1962), a film version of a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Allen Drury. The movie was directed by Otto Preminger and cast Murray opposite Henry Fonda and Charles Laughton. He also co-starred with Steve McQueen in Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965), and played the ape-hating Governor Breck in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972). In 1976, Murray starred in the film Deadly Hero.[4] In addition to acting, Murray directed a film based on the book The Cross and the Switchblade (1970). He starred with Otis Young in the ABC western television series The Outcasts (1968–1969) featuring an interracial bounty hunter team in the post-Civil War West. In 1979, Murray starred as Sid Fairgate on the prime-time soap opera Knots Landing. He also scripted two episodes of the program in 1980. In 1981, Murray decided to leave the series after two seasons to concentrate on other projects, but some sources say he left over a salary dispute. The character's death was notable at the time, because it was considered rare to kill off a star character. The death came in the second episode of season three, following season two's cliffhanger in which Sid's car careened off a cliff. To make viewers doubt that the character had actually died, Murray was listed in the credit sequence for season three; in fact, season three revealed that Fairgate had survived the plunge off the cliff (thus temporarily reassuring the viewers), but died shortly afterwards in hospital. Although he effectively distanced himself from the series after that, Murray later contributed an interview segment for Knots Landing: Together Again, a reunion special made in 2005. Retrospective In July 2014, a retrospective of Murray's films was held at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco. Personal life In 1956, Murray married Hope Lange, with whom he had co-starred in Bus Stop. They had two children, Christopher and Patricia. They divorced in 1961. In 1962, he married Elizabeth Johnson and they had three children, Colleen, Sean, and Michael. He lived in Goleta, California. Murray died on February 2, 2024, at the age of 94.
Professional Career

Film Feature films With Marilyn Monroe in Bus Stop (1956) With Eva Marie Saint in A Hatful of Rain (1957) Year Title Role 1956 Bus Stop Beauregard "Bo" Decker 1957 The Bachelor Party Charlie Samson A Hatful of Rain Johnny Pope 1958 From Hell to Texas Tod Lohman 1959 These Thousand Hills Albert Gallatin "Lat" Evans Shake Hands with the Devil Kerry O'Shea 1960 One Foot in Hell Dan Keats 1961 The Hoodlum Priest Father Charles Dismas Clark 1962 Advise & Consent Senator Brigham Anderson Escape from East Berlin Kurt Schröder 1964 One Man's Way Norman Vincent Peale 1965 Baby the Rain Must Fall "Slim" 1966 Kid Rodelo "Kid" Rodelo The Plainsman Bill "Wild Bill" Hickok 1967 Sweet Love, Bitter David Hillary The Viking Queen Justinian 1969 Childish Things Tom Harris 1971 Happy Birthday, Wanda June Herb Shuttle 1972 Call Me by My Rightful Name Doug Justin Morgan Had a Horse Justin Morgan Conquest of the Planet of the Apes Governor Breck 1973 Cotter Cotter 1975 Deadly Hero Lacy 1981 Endless Love Hugh Butterfield 1983 I Am the Cheese David Farmer 1985 Radioactive Dreams Dash Hammer 1986 Peggy Sue Got Married Jack Kelcher Scorpion Gifford Leese 1987 Made in Heaven Ben Chandler 1990 Ghosts Can't Do It Winston 2000 Internet Love Unknown 2001 Island Prey Parker Gaits Elvis Is Alive Unknown 2021 Promise Zacharias Television films Year Title Role 1959 Winterset Mio 1967 The Borgia Stick Tom Harrison 1969 Daughter of the Mind Dr. Alex Lauder 1970 The Intruders Sam Garrison 1973 The Girl on the Late, Late Show William Martin 1974 The Sex Symbol Senator Grant O'Neal 1975 A Girl Named Sooner Sheriff Phil Rotteman 1978 Rainbow Frank Gumm 1979 Crisis in Mid-Air Adam Travis 1980 If Things Were Different Robert Langford The Boy Who Drank Too Much Ken Saunders Police Story: Confessions of a Lady Cop Sergeant Jack Leland Fugitive Family Peter Ritchie 1981 Return of the Rebels Sonny Morgan 1983 Thursday's Child Parker Alden Branagan and Mapes Dan Branagan Quarterback Princess Ralph Maida 1984 License to Kill Tom Fiske A Touch of Scandal Benjamin Gilvey 1986 Something in Common Theo Fontana 1987 Stillwatch Sam Kingsley The Stepford Children Steven Harding Mistress Wyn 1996 Hearts Adrift Lloyd Raines 1998 Mr. Headmistress Reporter Television Year Title Role Notes 1950 Studio One Biondello Episode: "The Taming of the Shrew" Kraft Television Theatre George Episode: "January Thaw" 1952 Booth Episode: "Mr. Lazarus" Lux Video Theatre Jimmy Episode: "Welcome Home, Lefty" 1955 Producers' Showcase Henry Antrobus Episode: "The Skin of Our Teeth" The Philco Television Playhouse Alex Nordman Episode: "A Man Is Ten Feet Tall" The Jane Wyman Show Ken Episode: "One Last September" 1956 The United States Steel Hour Don Episode: "Moment of Courage" 1957 Playhouse 90 Bob Munson Episode: "For I Have Loved Strangers" 1959 The DuPont Show of the Month Billy Budd Episode: "Billy Budd" 1960 Playhouse 90 Randy Bragg Episode: "Alas, Babylon" 1968–1969 The Outcasts Earl Corey 26 episodes 1972 Disneyland Justin Morgan 2 episodes 1973 Police Story Jack Bonner Episode: "The Big Walk" Orson Welles Great Mysteries Jack Stanley Episode: "The Power of Fear" Love Story Neil Kaplan Episode: "The Roller Coaster Stops Here" 1974 Amy Prentiss Connor Episode: "The Desperate World of Jane Doe" 1975 Police Story Sergeant Stiles Episode: "Headhunter" 1977 How the West Was Won Anderson 3 episodes 1979–1981 Knots Landing Sid Fairgate 34 episodes 1986 T.J. Hooker Senator Stuart Grayle Episode: "Blood Sport" 1987 Matlock Albert Gordon Episode: "The Billionaire" Hotel Sam Burton Episode: "Controlling Interests" 1989 ABC Afterschool Special Jack Karpinsky Episode: "My Dad Can't Be Crazy... Can He?" 1989–1990 Brand New Life Roger Gibbons 6 episodes 1991 Sons and Daughters Bing Hammersmith 6 episodes 1993 ABC Afterschool Special Frank Morrow Episode: "Montan Crossroads" Murder, She Wrote Wally Hampton Episode: "Bloodlines" 1995 Wings Dad Episode: "Burnin' Down the House: Part 2" 1996 The Single Guy Chip Bremley Episode: "Distance" 1998 The Wonderful World of Disney Reporter Episode: "Mr. Headmistress" 1999 Soldier of Fortune, Inc. John James / Colonel Quentin Shepherd Episode: "White Dragon" 2017 Twin Peaks Bushnell Mullins 8 episodes Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref. 1956 Academy Awards Best Supporting Actor Bus Stop Nominated 1956 British Academy Film Awards Most Promising Newcomer to Film Nominated 1994 Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Performer in a Children's Special ABC Afterschool Special (for "Montana Crossroads") Nominated 2009 TV Land Awards Anniversary Award Knots Landing Nominated
02/2

2024

Death

February 2, 2024

Death date

Unknown
Cause of death

Unknown
Death location

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Obituary

Don Murray, a Star in Films That Took on Social Issues, Dies at 94 An Oscar-nominated role opposite Marilyn Monroe in “Bus Stop” led to a long career in film, and TV and onstage, in productions that grappled with race, drugs, homosexuality, and more. Don Murray was with Marilyn Monroe in the 1956 film “Bus Stop,” which earned him his first and only Academy Award nomination. By Robert D. McFadden Published Feb. 2, 2024 Don Murray, the boy-next-door actor who made his film debut as Marilyn Monroe’s infatuated cowboy in “Bus Stop” in 1956 and played a priest, a drug addict, a gay senator, and myriad other roles in movies, on television and onstage over six decades, died on Friday at his home near Santa Barbara, Calif. He was 94. His son Christopher confirmed the death. In the postwar 1950s, when being sensitive, responsible, and a “nice guy” were important attributes in a young man, Mr. Murray was a churchgoing pacifist who became a conscientious objector during the Korean War. He fulfilled his service obligation by working for two and a half years in German and Italian refugee camps for $10 a month, assisting orphans, the injured, and the displaced. Back from Europe in 1954, he settled on an acting career focused on socially responsible themes. He appeared in a television drama about lawyers serving poor clients, and he had a part in the 1955 Broadway production of “The Skin of Our Teeth,” Thornton Wilder’s comedic vote of confidence in mankind’s narrow ability to survive, which starred Helen Hayes and Mary Martin. Mr. Murray, was in the 1955 Broadway production of Thornton Wilder’s “The Skin of Our Teeth” with George Abbott, Mary Martin, and Helen Hayes. The director Joshua Logan saw that production and cast Mr. Murray in “Bus Stop,” his adaptation of William Inge’s play about a singer who is pursued by a cowpoke from a Phoenix clip joint to a snowbound Arizona bus stop, where a spark of dignity and character flame into a moving and humbling love. The film established Marilyn Monroe as a legitimate actress and Mr. Murray as an up-and-coming star. “With a wondrous new actor named Don Murray playing the stupid, stubborn poke and with the clutter of broncos, blondes and busters beautifully tangled, Mr. Logan has a booming comedy going before he gets to the romance,” Bosley Crowther wrote in a review for The New York Times. “And the fact that she fitfully but firmly summons the will and strength to humble him — to make him say ‘please,’ which is the point of the whole thing — attests to her new acting skill.” Mr. Murray’s performance in “Bus Stop” earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. He won many other honors for a body of work that included more than 35 Hollywood films, some 25 television movies, and scores of other credits for starring in television and stage productions, as well as for writing, directing or producing for movies and television. But he was never again nominated for an Academy Award. In “A Hatful of Rain” (1957), Mr. Murray plays a tormented drug addict hiding his secret from his wife, played by Eva Marie Saint. Mr. Murray starred with James Cagney in “Shake Hands With the Devil” (1959), a film about the 1921 Irish rebellion. His best-known early films also included “A Hatful of Rain” (1957), the story of a tormented drug addict hiding his secret from his wife, played by Eva Marie Saint; “Shake Hands With the Devil” (1959), a tale of the 1921 Irish rebellion, which also starred James Cagney; and “The Hoodlum Priest” (1961), in which Mr. Murray, who co-wrote the screenplay, portrayed a Jesuit who counsels former convicts. “Don has become identified with what might be called social significance and ‘appeal to reason’ film dramas,” Cue magazine noted in 1961. “He won’t play in a drama that glamorizes evil or glorifies violence. ‘I’m no nut on that,’ he says, ‘my pictures don’t have to carry a message — but they do have to say something.’” Mr. Murray played a memorable role in “Advise and Consent” (1962), Otto Preminger’s hugely successful film of Allen Drury’s Pulitzer Prize-winning political novel set in the halls of the Capitol. It starred Henry Fonda, Charles Laughton and Walter Pidgeon; Mr. Murray portrayed a married United States senator with a gay encounter in his past, who is blackmailed for his vote in a Senate confirmation fight over a nominee for secretary of state. Mr. Murray was in the 1962 film “Advise and Consent.” He portrayed a married United States senator who is blackmailed because of a gay encounter in his past. Mr. Murray’s Hollywood roles dwindled in the late 1960s, and he turned increasingly to television. His most notable role was in “The Outcasts,” an ABC series in which he and Otis Young starred as a team of post-Civil War bounty hunters — Mr. Young as a former slave and Union soldier, and Mr. Murray as a former slave owner and Confederate officer. One of the first television shows with Black and white co-stars, “The Outcasts” ran for 26 weeks in the 1968-69 season. Broadcast after the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy were slain, it was widely criticized at the time for its depictions of racial tensions and violence. But in later years, seen in reruns and on home video, it was hailed as a forgotten classic. Mr. Murray co-wrote and directed “The Cross and the Switchblade” (1970), a film that starred Pat Boone as a street minister who brings two city street gangs to Christ — a character based on the work of an actual New York preacher. “Is it convincing?” Howard Thompson asked in a review for The Times. “And how hard does it hit? Answers: convincing and hard enough. I liked it.”

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