Brian Murphy (actor)

For the American actor and comedian, see Brian K. Murphy.

Brian Trevor John Murphy (25 September 1932 – 2 February 2025) was an English comic actor. He was best known as the henpecked husband George Roper in the popular sitcom Man About the House and its spin-off series George and Mildred. He also played Alvin Smedley in Last of the Summer Wine. Other notable roles included Stan the shopkeeper in the 1990s children's series Wizadora, and Maurice in the comedy drama series The Booze Cruise.

Brian Murphy
Born	Brian Trevor John Murphy (1932-09-25)25 September 1932 Ventnor, Isle of Wight, England
Died	2 February 2025(2025-02-02) (aged 92) Kent, England
Occupation	Comic actor
Years active	1960–2025
Known for	George Roper in the television series Man About the House and George and Mildred Alvin Smedley in the television series Last of the Summer Wine
Spouses	Carol Gibson ​ ​ (m. 1957, divorced)​ Linda Regan ​ (m. 1995)​
Children	2

Early life

Murphy was born in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight, on 25 September 1932.^[1] He was the son of grocer's assistant Gerald Murphy and his wife Mabel, both of whom later became restaurateurs.^[2] His two brothers Ken and Eric died during active service in the Second World War.^[3] He was called up to do his national service at RAF Northwood, where he met future The Good Life actor Richard Briers. Upon leaving the RAF the two aspiring actors both performed in productions by the Dramatic Society at the Borough Polytechnic Institute (now London South Bank University).

Career

Early career

Murphy was a member of the Theatre Workshop (alongside future TV co-star Yootha Joyce), and a jobbing actor in the 1960s and early 1970s, combining his theatre work with guest appearances in television shows such as The Avengers, Z-Cars, Callan and Dixon of Dock Green. He also starred in Littlewood's film Sparrows Can't Sing (1963) alongside his Theatre Workshop peers including Joyce, Barbara Windsor, Stephen Lewis, Bob Grant and Roy Kinnear. Other film roles at this time included San Ferry Ann (1965; also starring Windsor), The Activist (1969), The Devils (1971) and The Boy Friend (1971).

By the early 1970s, Murphy was considering giving up acting in order to become an insurance salesman, however he was cast in an episode of the sitcom Alcock and Gander (1972) which was written by Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke. The pair were impressed by Murphy's performance and offered him a role in their then-forthcoming sitcom Man About the House which would make him a household name.

Man About the House and George and Mildred

Murphy first came to prominence in the ITV television sitcom Man About the House,^[4] playing George Roper, whose wife, Mildred, played by Yootha Joyce, was a domineering social climber – a sharp contrast to the character of George, a lazy landlord whose desire was for an easy and quiet life. The pairing was an instant hit.^[5] A contributing factor to the actors' immediate chemistry was that they had been friends for many years.

When Man About The House ended in 1976, a spin-off was created for Murphy and Joyce, titled George and Mildred. Like its predecessor, George and Mildred was also a massive success and ran for five series until 1979. In 1978 Murphy released the single "Jogging" (b/w "The Great Gnome Robbery"), recorded in the persona of George, on the Pye label. He later said, "Out of the blue I was requested to record 'Jogging' in the manner of George, and naturally could not refuse. I had been told I had an excellent singing voice and in fact did some training, but sadly I lacked confidence and missed opportunities – one of my biggest regrets."^[6] Murphy reprised his role in feature films of both sitcoms. Joyce died in 1980, and the planned sixth and final series of George and Mildred was cancelled.

After George and Mildred

In 1981, another television sitcom, The Incredible Mr. Tanner, was created specifically for Murphy with him in the title role and featuring regular Man About The House and George and Mildred co-star Roy Kinnear, but the show only lasted for one series. Murphy also starred in the Eric Sykes films The Plank (1979) and It's Your Move (1982). Murphy moved to the BBC in 1982 for the driving school sitcom L for Lester alongside Amanda Barrie but the series was cancelled after just one series. He then had a main role in the BBC sitcom Lame Ducks (1984–1985) as a private investigator, and gave an acclaimed performance as Arthur Lucan in the television play On Your Way, Riley (1985).

Roles in the 1990s included a shopkeeper called Stan in the pre-school children's TV series Wizadora, One Foot in the Grave,^[7] Brookside, The Bill (as a drunken tramp dressed as an elf at Christmas), and animated series Pond Life.

Murphy was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1998.^[2]

Last of the Summer Wine and others

Murphy continued to appear regularly on television, most notably as Alvin Smedley in Last of the Summer Wine from 2003 until the show's end in 2010.^[5] Alvin became one of the show's main trio of characters alongside Peter Sallis and Frank Thornton, and latterly with Russ Abbot and Burt Kwouk.

Murphy also starred in all three episodes of the ITV comedy The Booze Cruise, playing Maurice and appeared as Neville in four episodes of The Catherine Tate Show between 2005 and 2006. In 2010, Murphy appeared in an episode of Hustle and featured in the Christmas episode of Benidorm as Noreen's (Elsie Kelly) new boyfriend, Clive. Murphy continued to make guest appearances in comedy shows such as White Van Man, This Is Jinsy and Plebs. He also appeared as Jack Dobson in The Cafe from 2011 to 2013, and also in the Channel 4 comedy Man Down as music teacher Frank Field-Williams in the 2013 Christmas special.

In 2023, Murphy wrote the introduction to the autobiography of his Oh, What a Lovely War! co-star Larry Dann.^[8] He continued to work until the end of his life, and was set to appear in a film with his wife that would have begun shooting in June 2025.^[9]

Personal life and death

Murphy married Carol Gibson in 1957; they had two children, Trevor and Kevin, and divorced in the 1980s.^[3] In 1995, Murphy married Hi-de-Hi! actress Linda Regan;^[10] they lived in Kent.^[3]

Murphy died on 2 February 2025 following a short battle with cancer. He was 92.^[3][9][11]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1963	Sparrows Can't Sing	Jack
1964	Love and Maud Carver	Guardsman
1965	San Ferry Ann	British Tourist at Garage
1969	The Activist	Member of Steering Committee
1971	The Devils	Adam
	The Boy Friend	Peter
1972	The Ragman's Daughter	Tony's Father
1974	Man About the House	George Roper
1976	I'm Not Feeling Myself Tonight	Caretaker
1979	The Plank	Truck Driver
1980	George and Mildred	George Roper
1981	Black Jack	Archibald
1982	It's Your Move	Chauffeur
1997	Day Release
2000	The Mumbo Jumbo	Mr. Tipple
2003	The Booze Cruise	Maurice Stringer
2005	Room 36	George Roberts
2005	The Booze Cruise II: The Treasure Hunt	Maurice Stringer
2006	The Booze Cruise III: The Scattering
2011	Grave Tales	Arthur
	The Estate	Geoff
2012	Blitz and Bananas	Clarence Spratt
	Run For Your Wife	Allotment Man	Cameo

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1960	Probation Officer	Max Fletcher	Episode: "#2.1"
1961	The Avengers	Haslam	Episode: "The Springers"
	The Interrogator	Corporal Doggart	TV film
1962	Z-Cars	Wallace Brackett	2 episodes
1963	ITV Television Playhouse	Man with Alsatian	Episode: "The Wedding Dress"
	The Plane Makers	Sorbo	Episode: "Costigan's Rocket"
1964	Six	Mr. Gowing	Episode: "The Diary of a Nobody: The Domestic Jottings of a City Clerk"
1965	Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life	Various	24 episodes
	A World of Comedy	Motorist	2 episodes
	Blackmail	Talbut	Episode: "Cobb"
1966	Hope and Keen		Episode: "S.S. Bounty"
	Drama 61-67	Nick	Episode: "Drama '66: A Hero of Modern Industry"
	Blackmail	Fletcher	Episode: "Vacant Possession"
1967	The White Rabbit	Perkins	Episode: "The Beginning"
	Baker's Half-Dozen	Various	5 episodes
1968	Love Story	Party guest	Episode: "S for Sugar, A for Apple, M for Missing"
	Resurrection	Kriltsov	2 episodes
1969	Sez Les	Various	12 episodes
1970	The Misfit	The drunk	Episode: "On Protest"
	ITV Playhouse	Driver	Episode: "A Sound from the Sea"
1972	The Moonstone	Septimus Luker	3 episodes
	Callan	Reeves	Episode: "None of Your Business"
	Alcock and Gander	Pluthero	Episode: "Soho Is Too Small"
	Dixon of Dock Green	Percy Sinclair	Episode: "Ada"
1973	The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club	Detective	Episode: "Mr. Oliver"
1973–1976	Man About the House	George Roper	All 39 episodes
1974	South Riding	Mr Hubbard	Episode: "In Sickness and in Health"
1976–1979	George and Mildred	George Roper	All 38 episodes
1981	The Incredible Mr Tanner	Ernest Tanner	All 6 episodes
	Theatre Box	Hubert Dibble	Episode: "Reasons to Be Cheerful"
1982	L for Lester	Lester Small	All 6 episodes
1984–1985	Lame Ducks	Ansell	11 episodes
1985	On Your Way, Riley	Arthur Lucan / Old Mother Riley	TV film
1986	Reasons to Be Cheerful	King	Episode: "Charlie Chuckles"
	Cinderella: The Shoe Must Go On	Amnesia	TV film
1987	All in Good Faith	Greg Sproat	Episode: "The Patience of Job"
1992	Boon	Buster	Episode: "Shot in the Dark"
1993–1997	Wizadora	Stan	Recurring series 1-4, Main series 5-7
1994	One Foot in the Grave	Mr. Foskett	Episode: "The Man Who Blew Away"
1995	Brookside	George Manners	5 episodes
	Next of Kin	Salesman	Episode: "Expansion"
	Paul Merton's Life of Comedy	Grandad's friend	2 episodes
1996	Delta Wave	Mr. Seffel	Episode: "Dodgy Jammers: Part 2"
	Mike and Angelo	Mervyn K. Mertz	Episode: "An Actor's Life for Me"
1996–2000	Pond Life	Len Pond	11 episodes
1997	The Famous Five	Mr. Wooh	Episode: "Five Are Together Again"
	Western Lights: Laugh Until You Die	Ricky Chapple	TV film
	Paul Merton in Galton and Simpson's...	Father	Episode: "Visiting Day"
	Paul Merton in Galton and Simpson's...	Uncle Arthur	Episode: "Being of Sound Mind"
1998	Jonathan Creek	Ken Speed	Episode: "Mother Redcap"
1999	Mrs Merton and Malcolm	Mr Capstick	All 6 episodes
	Hilltop Hospital	Dr. Atticus	Voice; Episode: "Gracey Greyshell's Last Day"
	Casualty	Walter Burnley	Episode: "To Have and to Hold"
	The Bill	Danny the Elf	Episode: "When the Snow Lay Round About"
2000	Sunburn	Sid Dawson	Episode: #2.2
2001	Comedy Lab		Voice; Episode: "Knife & Wife"
2003–2010	Last of the Summer Wine	Alvin Smedley	73 episodes
2004	Monkey Trousers	Various	TV film
2005–2006	The Catherine Tate Show	Neville	5 episodes
2010	The Slammer	Alan	Episode: #1.12
	Hustle	Larry	Episode: "The Thieving Mistake"
	Paul O'Grady Live	Alvin	Episode: #1.6
	Benidorm	Clive Mitchell	Episode: "Christmas Special"
2011	White Van Man	Albert	Episode: "Beginnings and Ends"
	This Is Jinsy	Melty Harris	Episode: "Kelpman"
2011–2013	The Cafe	Jack Dobson	9 episodes
2013	Plebs	Victor	Episode: "Bananae"
	Man Down	Mr Frank Field-Williams	Episode: "Christmas Special"
2014	It's an Unknown World	George Timemile	Unknown episodes
	Holby City	Charlie Evans	Episode: "The Art of Losing"
2016	Casualty	Frank Haines	Episode: "Hopelessly Addicted"
2018	Claude	Mr. Lovelybuns	Voice; Episode: "Gone Sock"
2019	Holby City	Buster Kitchener	Episode: "The Wrong Horse"
2020–2021	Mighty 6	Old Man L.	Voice; 2 episodes
2022	30 Years Of Laughs: Last Of The Summer Wine	Himself	Documentary
2023	Man About The House: 50 Years Of Laughter	Himself	Documentary

Theatre and radio

• Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Christopher Bond), Theatre Royal Stratford East, Title role (Sweeney Todd), 1973
• On Your Way, Riley (Alan Plater), The Queen's Theatre, Arthur Lucan (Old Mother Riley), February–March 1983
• When We Are Married (J. B. Priestley), Whitehall Theatre, Herbert Soppitt, 1986
• Roll on Friday (Roger Hall), Watford Palace Theatre, Jim, October 1989

From October 1987 to July 1991, Murphy played Ernest Bond in BBC Radio 4's drama series Citizens.

Murphy also played Robert Collins in an episode of the audio series of Doctor Who by Big Finish Productions in an episode entitled "The Home Guard" in November 2019.^[12]

Murphy appeared for three episodes - along with his wife, Linda Regan - playing the role of Mayor, Lord Palmer, in podcast sitcom Barmy Dale.^[13]