Don Murray
Date of birth: 1929-07-31
Place of birth: Hollywood, California, USA
Known for: Acting
Also known as: Donald Patrick Murray
Biography
Donald Patrick "Don" Murray (July 31, 1929-February 2, 2024) was an American actor. Murray was born in Hollywood, California. He attended East Rockaway High School (class of 1947) in East Rockaway, New York where he played football and track, was a member of the student government and glee club and joined the Alpha Phi Chapter of the Omega Gamma Delta Fraternity. From high school he went on to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Murray had a long and varied career in films and television, including his role as Sid Fairgate in the long-running prime-time soap opera Knots Landing from 1979 to 1981. He was nominated for an Academy Award as best supporting actor in Bus Stop (1956) in which he co-starred with Marilyn Monroe. He starred as a blackmailed United States senator in Advise & Consent (1961), a film version of a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Allen Drury that was directed by Otto Preminger and cast Murray opposite Henry Fonda and Charles Laughton. He also co-starred with Steve McQueen in the film Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965) and played the ape-hating Governor Breck in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972). In addition to acting, Murray directed a film based on the book The Cross and the Switchblade (1970) starring Pat Boone and Erik Estrada, and he scripted two episodes of Knots Landing ("Hitchhike" parts 1 & 2) in 1980. Murray starred with Otis Young in the ground breaking ABC western television series The Outcasts (1968-69) featuring an interracial bounty hunter team in the post-Civil War West. Murray decided to leave Knots Landing after two years to concentrate on other projects, although 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 up on season two's cliffhanger in which Sid's car careered off a cliff. To make viewers off doubt the character would actually die, Murray was listed in the newly created credit sequence for season three; the character survived the plunge off the cliff (thus temporarily reassuring viewers), but died shortly afterwards in hospital. Although he effectively distanced himself from the series after his exit in 1981, Murray later contributed an interview segment for Knots Landing: Together Again, a non-fiction reunion special made in 2005. Murray was the first husband of actress Hope Lange. They had two children, including actor Christopher Murray.
Movie Credits
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
1972-06-29
In a futuristic world that has embraced ape slavery, a chimpanzee named Caesar resurfaces after almo
The Borgia Stick
1967-02-25
A suburban couple discovers that they are pawns for a powerful crime syndicate. They try to break aw
Bus Stop
1956-08-31
Cowboys Beauregard Decker and Virgil Blessing attend a rodeo in Phoenix, where Decker falls in love
Ghosts Can't Do It
1989-10-17
Elderly Scott kills himself after a heart attack wrecks his body, but then comes back as a ghost and
Besuch bei Don Murray
2000-01-01
Documentary about Don Murray.
Winterset
1959-10-26
Immigrant radical Bartolomeo Romagna is falsely condemned and executed for a payroll robbery. Years
Hollywood Legenden
2004-01-01
Documentary about Hollywood.
The Viking Queen
1967-03-25
Set in ancient Britain, at a time when much of Europe was ruled with harsh tyranny by Rome, a tribe
Daughter of the Mind
1969-12-09
Professor Samuel Hale Constable is a government expert in the field of cybernetics. He and his wheel
Made in Heaven
1987-11-06
Deceased drifter Mike arrives in Heaven and quickly falls for newborn soul Annie, soon to start her
Fred Zinnemann - Der Mann, der 'High Noon' machte
2007-01-01
Documentary about the Austrian director Fred Zinnemann.
Marilyn Monroe: I Want to Be Loved
2010-02-10
Documentary about Marilyn Monroe.
A Hatful of Rain
1957-07-17
A Korean War veteran's morphine addiction wreaks havoc upon his family.
Radioactive Dreams
1986-09-19
After an atomic war Phillip Hammer and Marlowe Chandler have spent 15 years on their own in an bunke
Advise & Consent
1962-06-06
Proposed by the President of the United States to fill the post of Secretary of State, Robert Leffin
Hollywood Uncensored
1987-12-01
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Peter Fonda host an examination of the history of decency standards for mo
License to Kill
1986-12-16
A grieving family whose daughter was killed in a car crash with a drunken driver is outraged and fru
These Thousand Hills
1959-05-07
A cowboy tries for easy money with his partner, then tries ranching with a saloon hostess's money.
Endless Love
1981-07-17
As their romance unfolds, Jade and David's growing love for one another becomes the scorn of Jade's
Happy Birthday, Wanda June
1971-12-09
A hunter back from years in the Amazon finds his wife and life changed.
The Girl on the Late, Late Show
1974-04-01
A television producer decides to find out the whereabouts of a former movie actress whose career has
Deadly Hero
1975-12-14
Officer Lacy is an 18-year veteran of the New York Police Department who finds himself demoted from
From Hell to Texas
1958-04-29
The naive cowboy Tod Lohman accidentally kills the son of the powerful land baron Hunter Boyd. Tod r
The Hoodlum Priest
1961-03-26
Venturing into some of the roughest slums of St. Louis, Jesuit priest Rev. Charles Dismas Clark dedi
Baby the Rain Must Fall
1965-01-12
Henry Thomas tries to overcome the horrors of his childhood and start a new life with his wife and k
Kid Rodelo
1966-01-01
An embittered ex-convict cowboy sets out to find the hidden gold his partner told him about.
I Am The Cheese
1983-11-11
Adapted from the Robert Cormier novel. This film follows the life of a young boy whose happy, if som
Quarterback Princess
1983-12-03
The Maida family has moved to Oregon, and daughter Tami wants to play quarterback for the high schoo
Shurtleff on Acting
1994-07-14
A feature length documentary on legendary acting guru, casting agent and author, Michael Shurtleff.
Justin Morgan Had a Horse
1972-02-06
This is the story of the foundation sire of the Morgan Horse Breed.
One Foot in Hell
1960-09-11
Mitch Barrett becomes embittered because his wife is allowed to die when he can't pay for the medici
Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen
1981-02-13
Famous detective Charlie Chan is called out of retirement to help a San Francisco detective solve a
The Sex Symbol
1974-09-17
A thinly-disguised version of the life of Marilyn Monroe, detailing her ups and downs in life and ho
Scorpion
1986-12-01
A top counter-intelligence agent thwarts a hijacking and is assigned to protect one of the terrorist
The Bachelor Party
1957-04-09
Five office friends meet up for a night on the town to celebrate the forthcoming marriage of one of
Island Prey
2001-01-01
Catherine Gaits, married, has an affair with Peter Thornton and has made it very clear that this one
Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend
1986-04-19
Her story is well-known — the lonely child who yearned for affection and approval which she finally
Hearts Adrift
1996-08-07
Max and her mom are going to visit a friend, where she meets his son. Rich playboys don't interest M
The Plainsman
1966-08-01
Calamity Jane tries to help Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickock stop an Indian war.
Escape from East Berlin
1962-10-22
East Berlin, shortly after the construction of the Berlin Wall. Kurt Schröder and his family dig a t
The Intruders
1970-11-10
The James and Younger outlaw gangs ride into town, and it is up to the local marshal, who has lost b
A Man Is Ten Feet Tall
1955-10-02
Axel, secretly AWOL from the army, joins a black waterfront worker in his fight against bigotry. Te
Rainbow
1978-11-06
The early life and struggles of Judy Garland (portrayed by Andrea McArdle), and of the film star's t
Crisis in Mid-Air
1979-02-13
The life of a stressed-out air controller falls apart as he battles a court case involving a mid-air
One Man's Way
1964-02-26
Reverend Norman Vincent Peale fights to bring his message to the nation.
Shake Hands with the Devil
1959-06-24
In 1921 Dublin, the IRA battles the "Black & Tans," special British forces given to harsh measures.
Marilyn, divine et fragile
1996-12-31
Promise
2021-04-06
A retired contract scout for the union, compelled to move on from his tragic past, embarks on a dead
Hollywood's Hidden Secrets
1987-01-01
Documentary on the various mysteries in Hollywood.
The Boy Who Drank Too Much
1980-02-06
A high school athlete is well on the road to becoming an alcoholic like his ex-hockey pro father unt
Childish Things
1969-07-01
An alcoholic former serviceman goes to work collecting debts for gangsters and committing various ot
The Stepford Children
1987-03-15
Steven and Laura Harding, along with their kids David and Mary, have moved to the quiet community of
Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man
1999-03-04
In the 1942 film "This Gun For Hire," he was only a supporting actor. But his portrayal of a cold, r
Internet Love
1998-07-03
Starting out as e-mail pen pals, Daniel and Laura soon fall in love. Only problem is that she lives
Police Story: Confessions of a Lady Cop
1980-04-28
14 year police veteran, Evelyn Carter looks to make it to retirement while experiencing the highs an
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood
1960-01-10
A look at the past, present and future of Hollywood as seen through the eyes of the movie columnist.
My Dad Can't Be Crazy... Can He?
1989-09-14
Teenage boy is unable to deal with his schizophrenic father.
Peggy Sue Got Married
1986-10-10
At her 25th high school reunion, Peggy Sue faints and awakens in 1960—back in her senior year, befor
Riots & Revolutions: Confronting the Times
2008-11-04
Documentary on the parallels between United States racial politics and the narrative of 'Conquest fo
Tab Hunter Confidential
2015-03-15
Throughout the 1950s, Tab Hunter reigned as Hollywood’s ultimate male heartthrob. But throughout his
A Girl Named Sooner
1975-06-18
A young girl in the hills of Indiana, who had been abandoned by her family and raised by a bootleggi
Thursday's Child
1983-02-01
Sam Alden is the 17-year-old high school star player in baseball who seems to have it all. However,
Sweet Love, Bitter
1967-01-30
A loose fictitious of Charlie Parker's last years and a portrait of the jazz scene in 1960's New Yor
A Touch of Scandal
1984-11-27
Katherine Gilvey is a comely councilwoman, whose campaign for Attorney General is being managed by h
Stillwatch
1987-02-10
Television journalist, Patricia Traymore, moves to Washington to do an in-depth interview with vice
Marilyn Monroe: The Mortal Goddess
1994-10-17
An account of the life and career of Marilyn Monroe, one of Hollywood's most famous and glamorous mo
Return of the Rebels
1981-10-17
An aging motorcycle gang assembles for a 25-year reunion to help out former member Mary Beth, a wido
Marilyn
1963-04-18
This 1963 documentary, released less than a year after Marilyn Monroe's death, showcases the star in
Fugitive Family
1980-10-01
To the world Brian Roberts looks like a successful businessman, with a lovely wife and two children
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
1991-10-28
This documentary, hosted by actor Burgess Meredith, explores the life and career of movie director O
Cotter
1973-01-01
A rodeo rider is killed because Cotter is too drunk to distract the raging bull.
If Things Were Different
1980-01-16
A woman tries to cope with her husband's emotional instability while also juggling a career as a loc
Something in Common
1986-11-02
A young man and a nice woman in her forties fall in love. His mother goes berserk when he tells her
Twentieth Century Fox: The First 50 Years
1997-01-21
The first half century of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation from its beginnings under Hungarian
Do Not Pick Up Hitchhikers
2017-12-05
Documentary about Twin Peaks: The Return.
T.J. Hooker: Blood Sport
1986-05-21
Hooker and his team become the protection detail of a Senator, and an old friend of Hooker's, after
Gold of Rio Bravo: Sheriff Kelly's Story
2025-01-16
1874, East Texas. Sheriff Vernon Kelly and former General Ivan Turchin restore justice in small Amer
Mr. Headmistress
1998-03-15
Tucker recently got out of prison, but is soon sought after by other bad men. So to escape them, he
Mistress
1987-10-04
A woman who's been having an affair with a married man who's been taking care of her. When he dies s
Montana Crossroads
1993-12-09
A woman tries to convince her father to enter a retirement home, at the same time her daughter is wa