Don Murray

Acting

Don Murray

Born 1929-07-31 · Hollywood, California, USA

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.

Acting credits

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes poster
6.2

In a futuristic world that has embraced ape slavery, a chimpanzee named Caesar resurfaces after almost twenty years of hiding from the authorities, and prepares for a revolt against humanity.

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

1972

Endless Love poster
5.7

As their romance unfolds, Jade and David's growing love for one another becomes the scorn of Jade's father. However, when Jade's grades begin to drop, her father forbids the young couple from seeing each other for 30 days. Driven insane with frustration and desire, David attempts to reverse the decision, with catastrophic results.

Endless Love

1981

Peggy Sue Got Married poster
6.1

At her 25th high school reunion, Peggy Sue faints and awakens in 1960—back in her senior year, before her marriage and all her regrets. Given a second chance to relive her youth, she must decide whether to change the choices that shaped her life or embrace the past that made her who she is.

Peggy Sue Got Married

1986

Bus Stop poster
6.1

Cowboys Beauregard Decker and Virgil Blessing attend a rodeo in Phoenix, where Decker falls in love with beautiful cafe singer Cherie. He wants to take Cherie back to his native Montana and marry her, but she dreams of traveling to Hollywood and becoming famous. When she resists his advances, Decker forces Cherie onto the bus back to Montana with him, but, when the bus makes an unscheduled stop due to bad weather, the tables are turned.

Bus Stop

1956

Advise & Consent poster
7.2

Proposed by the President of the United States to fill the post of Secretary of State, Robert Leffingwell appears before a Senate committee, chaired by the idealistic Senator Brig Anderson, which must decide whether he is the right person for the job.

Advise & Consent

1962

Made in Heaven poster
6.5

Deceased drifter Mike arrives in Heaven and quickly falls for newborn soul Annie, soon to start her assignment on Earth. When Annie leaves, Mike follows.

Made in Heaven

1987

Hollywood Uncensored poster
5.4

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Peter Fonda host an examination of the history of decency standards for movies from the early 1920s onwards.

Hollywood Uncensored

1987

Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen poster
5.2

Famous detective Charlie Chan is called out of retirement to help a San Francisco detective solve a mysterious series of murders. With his bumbling grandson as his sidekick, Chan also encounters an old nemesis known as the Dragon Queen who is the prime suspect.

Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen

1981

Twentieth Century Fox: The First 50 Years poster
7.3

The first half century of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation from its beginnings under Hungarian immigrant William Fox to it emergence as a major studio.

Twentieth Century Fox: The First 50 Years

1997

No artwork available
7.0

This entertaining documentary traces Marilyn's film career from her first role to her last, complete with more than 50 of her most acclaimed scenes from more than a dozen of her best films. Highlights of films include clips from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, The Misfits, Monkey Business, Niagara, The Prince and the Showgirl, The Seven Year Itch, and Some Like it Hot more.

Marilyn Monroe: In The Movies

2012

Tab Hunter Confidential poster
7.3

Throughout the 1950s, Tab Hunter reigned as Hollywood’s ultimate male heartthrob. But throughout his years of stardom, Tab had a secret. Tab Hunter was gay, and spent his Hollywood years in a precarious closet that repeatedly threatened to implode and destroy him. Tab Hunter himself shares first hand, for the first time, what it was like to be a studio manufactured movie star during the Golden Age of Hollywood and the consequences of being someone totally different from his studio manufactured image.

Tab Hunter Confidential

2015

No artwork available
9.0

A documentary about the life of actress Marilyn Monroe, commemorating the 25th anniversary of her death. Lee Remick is the host and narrator.

Remembering Marilyn

1988

No artwork available
4.5

Documentary about Hollywood.

Hollywood Legenden

2004

Mr. Headmistress poster
5.5

Tucker recently got out of prison, but is soon sought after by other bad men. So to escape them, he disguises himself as the new Headmistress of an all-girl school.

Mr. Headmistress

1998

Island Prey poster
4.8

Catherine Gaits, married, has an affair with Peter Thornton and has made it very clear that this one time will stay one time. But Thornton is obsessive and doesn't give up. He blackmails her to try to renew their relationship.

Island Prey

2001

The Plainsman poster
5.6

Calamity Jane tries to help Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickock stop an Indian war.

The Plainsman

1966

Marilyn despite herself poster
8.0

Marilyn Malgré Elle is a 2-disc compilation album released in May 2012 by Naïve that features musical performances by Marilyn Monroe, including songs like "I Wanna Be Loved By You" and "Heat Wave". It was released amidst numerous 2012 retrospectives marking what would have been her 86th birthday.

Marilyn despite herself

2012

Thursday's Child poster
5.5

Sam Alden is the 17-year-old high school star player in baseball who seems to have it all. However, his family notices that he is often bothered with fits of coughing. Worried, his parents decide to take him to the hospital, where they are shocked to find out that he has a life-threatening heart disease. Sam has trouble dealing with his illness, but he pretends to still be a joyful teenager to not have his parents worrying even more than they already do. His health is deteriorating, though, and it is eventually revealed that he needs a heart transplant if he wants to survive. This is the beginning of a long journey, which is mentally and physically exhausting. Sam has countless operations, and tests. The search for a donor seems endless to him. Even before the final operation, Sam is forced to deal with several setbacks in his life.

Thursday's Child

1983

Shake Hands with the Devil poster
6.5

In 1921 Dublin, the IRA battles the "Black & Tans," special British forces given to harsh measures. Irish-American medical student Kerry O'Shea hopes to stay aloof, but saving a wounded friend gets him outlawed, and inexorably drawn into the rebel organization by his former professor Sean Lenihan, who has "shaken hands with the devil" and begun to think of fighting as an end in itself. Complications arise when Kerry falls for a beautiful English hostage, and the British offer a peace treaty that is not enough to satisfy Lenihan.

Shake Hands with the Devil

1959

The Viking Queen poster
4.8

Set in ancient Britain, at a time when much of Europe was ruled with harsh tyranny by Rome, a tribe of Britons led by Selina, set out to defy the invaders and discard their yoke of bondage. The Roman commander, Justinian, is sent to quell the uprising, punishing the dissenters with brute force but when he becomes emotionally attached to Selina, he is torn between his duty to Rome and his love for the Viking Queen.

The Viking Queen

1967

These Thousand Hills poster
6.5

A cowboy tries for easy money with his partner, then tries ranching with a saloon hostess's money.

These Thousand Hills

1959

The Intruders poster
5.0

The James and Younger outlaw gangs ride into town, and it is up to the local marshal, who has lost both his nerve and his gun skills, to stop them.

The Intruders

1970

Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker poster
8.0

This documentary, hosted by actor Burgess Meredith, explores the life and career of movie director Otto Preminger, whose body of work includes such memorable films as Anatomy of a Murder, Exodus, Laura, Forever Amber, Advise and Consent, In Harm's Way, The Moon Is Blue, The Man with the Golden Arm, and many other movies made from the '30s through the '70s. Interviews with actors Frank Sinatra, Vincent Price, James Stewart, Michael Caine, and others who worked with the flamboyant and sometimes control-obsessed director add information and insight to the story.

Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker

1991

From Hell to Texas poster
6.0

The naive cowboy Tod Lohman accidentally kills the son of the powerful land baron Hunter Boyd. Tod runs for his life, pursued by the dead man's vengeful brothers. Tod shelters on the ranch of Amos Bradley and he falls in love with his daughter Juanita. However, Tod is concerned that he'll eventually have to leave when his pursuers catch up with him.

From Hell to Texas

1958

Behind the camera

The Cross and the Switchblade poster
5.8

David Wilkerson's first five years in New York City, where he ministered to disillusioned youth, encouraging them to turn away from the drugs and gang violence they were involved with.

The Cross and the Switchblade

1970

The Cross and the Switchblade poster
5.8

David Wilkerson's first five years in New York City, where he ministered to disillusioned youth, encouraging them to turn away from the drugs and gang violence they were involved with.

The Cross and the Switchblade

1970

Breathe poster
NR

A group of divers set out on a journey to film and explore the beauty of the ocean. However, during their latest dive, their oxygen runs low, risking their lives as they encounter sharks and other marine wildlife.

Breathe

2008

Breathe poster
NR

A group of divers set out on a journey to film and explore the beauty of the ocean. However, during their latest dive, their oxygen runs low, risking their lives as they encounter sharks and other marine wildlife.

Breathe

2008

The Hoodlum Priest poster
5.9

Venturing into some of the roughest slums of St. Louis, Jesuit priest Rev. Charles Dismas Clark dedicates himself to helping young ex-convicts who are struggling to rejoin a society that fears and rejects them. An especially wrenching case for the Reverend is Billy Lee Jackson, a troubled thief whose personal demons constantly tempt him back to a life of crime — and may ultimately make him pay the highest price for a few desperate decisions.

The Hoodlum Priest

1961

The Hoodlum Priest poster
5.9

Venturing into some of the roughest slums of St. Louis, Jesuit priest Rev. Charles Dismas Clark dedicates himself to helping young ex-convicts who are struggling to rejoin a society that fears and rejects them. An especially wrenching case for the Reverend is Billy Lee Jackson, a troubled thief whose personal demons constantly tempt him back to a life of crime — and may ultimately make him pay the highest price for a few desperate decisions.

The Hoodlum Priest

1961

Childish Things poster
3.0

An alcoholic former serviceman goes to work collecting debts for gangsters and committing various other crimes, then has a religious conversion and helps other alcoholics.

Childish Things

1969

Childish Things poster
3.0

An alcoholic former serviceman goes to work collecting debts for gangsters and committing various other crimes, then has a religious conversion and helps other alcoholics.

Childish Things

1969

Damien's Island poster
7.0

A missionary tries to help lepers in a Hawaiian island.

Damien's Island

1976