Michael Murphy Discography

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The talented character actor Michael Murphy was born on May 5, 1938 in Los Angeles, California to Bearl Branton Murphy, a salesman, and Georgia Arlyn Murphy (nee Money), a teacher. After a hitch in the Marine Corps, Murphy attended the University of Arizona, Tuscon, and then went to U.C.L.A. to get his teaching credential. From 1962 to 1964, he taught high school English and drama in Los Angeles.

Murphy`s most notable appearance was as Woody Allen`s best friend Yale, the self-tortured adulterer, in Allen`s masterpiece "Manhattan" (1979). The two had acted together earlier in Martin Ritt`s "The Front" (1976) and had become good friends. Surpisingly, despite the excellent performance Murphy gave in the film, Allen hasn`t used him again.

Murphy`s career as a first-rate supporting player has continued for four decades, with major parts in Paul Mazursky`s "An Unmarried Woman" (1978), which he calls "the first of the whining yuppies," Peter Weir`s "The Year of Living Dangerously" (1983), and Oliver Stone`s "Salvador" (1985). He also has worked with such significant directors as Elia Kazan in "The Arrangement" (1969), Tim Burton in "Batman Returns" (1992), and Paul Thomas Anderson in "Magnolia" (1999). Murphy recently co-starred in John Sayles` "Silver City" (2004), as a U.S. Senator who is the father of a gubernatorial candidate played by Oscar-winner Chris Cooper, standing-in for the pre-presidential George W. Bush.

Murphy is perhaps best known for his long collaboration with director Robert Altman that stretches back to the beginning of his career.

"I was right out of the University of Arizona," Murphy reminisced during a 2004 interview, "and a friend said, `Go to Bob. He`s using young guys for this Army thing.`" Altman was directing the World War II television series "Combat," and Altman cast him in the show without an audition.

"Bob took me under his wing. He told me, `You`re never going to be a movie star. But you`ll do some interesting things.` Bob was maybe 35 years old when we met. He`d never play it safe. He has amazing fortitude and guts."

In addition to "Combat" and the Altman-directed TV movie "Nightmare in Chicago" (1964), Murphy has appeared in seven theatrical movies directed by Altman between 1968 and 1996: "Countdown" (1968), "That Cold Day in the Park" (1969), "M*A*S*H" (1970), "Brewster McCloud" (1970), "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" (1971), "Nashville" (1975), and "Kansas City" (1996). Murphy has also appeared in Altman`s TV adaptation of Herman Wouk`s play "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" (1988) and in two cable-TV mini-series for him: "Tanner `88" and "Tanner on Tanner" (2004).

About Altman, Murphy says, "I adore the guy. If you`re getting married or divorced, or someone dies, you want to talk to him about it. He`s so strong, he sees the big picture. An extraordinary man."

Murphy played the title role of Michigan Congressman Jack Tanner in Altman`s ground-breaking HBO series "Tanner `88" (1988), which was scripted by Gary Trudeau of "Doonesbury" fame. The fictional Tanner ran for president in the Democratic Party primaries of 1988, alongside George H.W. Bush (who Murphy himself "plays" in "Silver City"), Michael Dukakis, Al Gore, and Pat Robertson, with some "guest appearances" by Ronald Reagan along the way. The "candidate" Tanner actually interacted on-camera with candidates Gary Hart, Bob Dole, and Jesse Jackson, and with the journalists Linda Ellerbee and Chris Matthe