Brian Murray (actor)

Not to be confused with Brian Doyle-Murray.

Brian Murray (né Bell; 10 September 1937 – 20 August 2018)^[1] was a South African actor and theatre director who was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2004.

Brian Murray
Murray in 2007
Born	Brian Bell (1937-09-10)10 September 1937 Johannesburg, South Africa
Died	20 August 2018(2018-08-20) (aged 80) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actor, theatre director
Years active	1958–2018

Biography

Murray was born Brian Bell in Johannesburg, the son of Mary Dickson (née Murray) and Alfred Bell, a professional golfer.^[2]

Career

Murray made his Broadway debut in the play All in Good Time in 1965. ^[3] In 1967, he starred as Rosencrantz in the Broadway production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, earning the first of three Tony Awards, Best Featured Actor In A Play nominations for his performance. ^{[3] [4]}

Murray directed the 1973 Broadway revival of The Waltz of the Toreadors.^[5] His stage directing credits include Broadway revivals of Hay Fever (1985), Arsenic and Old Lace (1986), Blithe Spirit (1987), and The Show Off (1992).^[3]

In 1998, he received the Lucille Lortel Award for outstanding body of work.^[6]

His film credits include Bob Roberts and City Hall.^[7] On television he has appeared in Kojak, Another World, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and 30 Rock.^[8] In the 1970s and 1980s, he performed in a number of radio plays for Yuri Rasovsky's award-winning National Radio Theater.^[9] In 2002, he provided the voice of John Silver in the Disney animated Treasure Planet, a role he reprised in the video game Treasure Planet: Battle at Procyon. He played a role in the 2009 film, My Dog Tulip.^[10]

Death

Murray died of natural causes on August 20, 2018, at age 80.^[9]

Additional Broadway acting credits

Source: Playbill Vault^[3]

• Sleuth (1973)
• Da (1978)
• The Arcata Promise (1982)
• Noises Off (1983)
• A Small Family Business (1992)
• The Little Foxes (1997)
• Twelfth Night (1998)
• Uncle Vanya (2000)
• The Crucible (2002)
• The Rivals (2004)

Filmography

Source: Rotten Tomatoes^[11]

Source: Behind the voice actors^[12]

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1960	The Angry Silence[13]	Gladys
	The League of Gentlemen[14]	Private "Chunky" Grogan
1992	Bob Roberts	Terry Manchester
1996	City Hall	Corporation Counsel
2002	Treasure Planet[12]	Long John Silver	Voice
2009	My Dog Tulip[12][15]	Captain Pugh, Mr Blandish
2011	Dream House	Dr. Medlin
	In the Family	Paul Hawks
2018	A Bread Factory	Sir Walter	Posthumous release; final film role

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1959–1966	ITV Play of the Week	John Clegg, PC Bernard Wall	Episodes: "Sugar in the Morning" & "Blue as His Eyes, the Tin Helmet He Wore"
1959	Saturday Playhouse	Stevens	Episode: "The Larford Lad"
	Emergency – Ward 10	Joe Masters	3 Episodes
1960	No Hiding Place	Chopper Green	Episode: "The Long Day"
1963	The Plane Makers	Tom Barnsley	Episode: "Point of Contact"
1964	Drama 61-67	Cpl. Parker, David Potter	Episodes: "Drama '64: Across the Border" & "Studio '64: The Happy Moorings"
1976	Kojak	Caesar Ogilvy	Episode: "A Summer Madness"
1978–1979	Another World	Dr. Dan Shearer #2	Unknown episodes
1990	Great Performances	Claudius	Episode: "Hamlet"
2004	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Richard Sullivan	Episode: "The Saint"
2007	30 Rock	Jack's Dad	Episode: "The Fighting Irish"
	American Experience	Gouverneur Morris	Episode: "Alexander Hamilton"
2011	The Good Wife	Judge Mowbray	Episode: "The Death Zone"

Videogames

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	Treasure Planet	Long John Silver	Voice
	Treasure Planet: Battle at Procyon[12]	John Silver / Robot Silver

Radio drama

• A Tale of Two Cities (1977)
• The Man of Destiny (1978)
• The Killer (1979)
• Medea (1985)
• The Tempest (1985)
• The Imaginary Invalid (1985)
• The Lady of the Camellias (1985)
• An Enemy of the People (1985)
• Arms and the Man (1985)
• Uncle Vanya (1985)

Awards and nominations

Sources: Playbill Vault;^[3] IBDB^[4]

Awards

• 1984 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Work – Noises Off
• 1997 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play – The Little Foxes

Nominations

• 1968 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play – Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
• 1978 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play – Da
• 1992 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play – A Small Family Business
• 1997 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play – The Little Foxes
• 2000 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play – Uncle Vanya
• 2002 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play – The Crucible
• 2002 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play – The Crucible
• 2002 Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production – Treasure Planet