Matinee Classics - George Murphy Biography & Filmography

George Murphy ACTOR

PHOTOS

GEORGE MURPHY BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

George Murphy was born on July 4th, 1902 in New Haven, Connecticut with the middle name Lloyd, born to parents, Michael Charles Murphy and Nora Long. After graduating from Peddie High School he enrolled at Yale, but soon decided to change career goals and dropped out to pursue a career in dancing.

To support himself he also found work as a miner and night club dancer while pursuing other avenues in entertainment. When he did finally break into the entertainment industry he became very well known for his dancing and was seen I such productions as, "Broadway Melody of 1938", "Broadway Melody of 1940" and "For Me and My Gal".

When the silent era came to an end and talkie films came about, he began to pursue that side of entertainment. Murphy was seen on such features as, "The Eddie Cantor Show" (1930), "Kid Millions" (1934), "After the Dance" (1935) and "You're a Sweetheart" (1937).

As his career progressed he mainly focused on films appearing in more features such as, "The Mayor of 44th Street" (1942), "For Me and My Girl" (1942), "Show Business" (1944), "Having Wonderful Crime" (1945) and "The Arnelo Affair (1947).

His most recent appearances prior to retiring were in the films, "Walk East on Beacon!" (1952) and on the television series, "MGM Parade" (1955) and "New Comedy Showcase" (1960).

Along with his career as an actor, he became the President of the Screen Actors Guild in 1945 and then in 1952, Murphy retired from the industry and found work as a television producer and also pursued a career in politics where he became a California Senator in 1964 similar to another actor turned politician named Ronald Reagan.

Murphy married twice throughout his lifetime. His first wife was Juliette Henkel who he wed in 1926 and they had two children together, Dennis and Melissa, and remained married until she passed away in 1973. He then wed Betty Blandi in 1982 and they were married for ten years before he passed away at the age of eighty nine on May 3rd, 1992 in Palm Beach, Florida after suffering from leukemia.