Brian Murray (

né A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...

Bell; 10 September 193720 August 2018) was a South African actor and theatre director who was inducted into the

American Theater Hall of Fame The American Theater Hall of Fame in New York City was founded in 1972. Earl Blackwell was the first head of the organization's Executive Committee. In an announcement in 1972, he said that the new ''Theater Hall of Fame'' would be located in the ...

in 2004.

Biography

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

Career

Murray made his Broadway debut in the play '' All in Good Time'' in 1965. "Brian Murray Credits and Awards"
Playbill Vault, retrieved August 23, 2018 In 1967, he starred as Rosencrantz in the Broadway production of ''

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead ''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead'' is an absurdist, existential tragicomedy by Tom Stoppard, first staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1966. The play expands upon the exploits of two minor characters from Shakespeare's ''Haml ...

'', earning the first of three

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

, Best Featured Actor In A Play nominations for his performance. "Murray Awards"
ibdb.com, retrieved August 23, 2018 Murray directed the 1973 Broadway revival of ''

The Waltz of the Toreadors ''The Waltz of the Toreadors'' (''La Valse des toréadors'') is a 1951 play by Jean Anouilh. Plot This bitter farce is set in 1910 France and focuses on General Léon Saint-Pé and his infatuation with Ghislaine, a woman with whom he danced at a ...

''. His stage directing credits include Broadway revivals of ''

Hay Fever Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. Signs and symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red ...

'' (1985), '' Arsenic and Old Lace'' (1986), ''

Blithe Spirit Blithe Spirit may refer to: * ''Blithe Spirit'' (play), a 1941 comic play written by Noël Coward * ''Blithe Spirit'' (1945 film), a British comedy film based on the play * ''Blithe Spirit'' (2020 film), a British-American comedy film based on th ...

'' (1987), and ''The Show Off'' (1992). In 1998, he received the

Lucille Lortel Award The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres ...

for outstanding body of work. His film credits include '' Bob Roberts'' and ''

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

''. On television he has appeared in ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American Action film, action Crime film, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Tak ...

'', '' Another World'', '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' and ''

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', ta ...

''. In the 1970s and 1980s, he performed in a number of radio plays for

Yuri Rasovsky Yuri Rasovsky (July 29, 1944 – January 18, 2012) was an American writer and producer working in radio drama in the United States. He founded and operated The National Radio Theater of Chicago from 1973 to 1986 and later formed the Hollywood ...

's award-winning

National Radio Theater The National Radio Theater was a non-profit independent producer of radio plays created in Chicago by Yuri Rasovsky and Michelle M. Faith. The company produced a radio drama anthology series called ''The National Radio Theater of Chicago'', which ...

. In 2002, he provided the voice of John Silver in the Disney animated ''

Treasure Planet ''Treasure Planet'' is a 2002 American animated science fiction action-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The 43rd Disney animated feature film, it is a science fiction adaptati ...

'', a role he reprised in the video game '' Treasure Planet: Battle at Procyon''. He played a role in the 2009 film, '' My Dog Tulip''.

Death

Murray died of natural causes on August 20, 2018.

Additional Broadway acting credits

Source: Playbill Vault *'' Sleuth'' (1973) *'' Da'' (1978) *''The Arcata Promise'' (1982) *''

Noises Off ''Noises Off'' is a 1982 play by the English playwright Michael Frayn. Frayn conceived the idea in 1970 while watching from the wings a performance of ''The Two of Us'', a farce that he had written for Lynn Redgrave. He said, "It was funnier f ...

'' (1983) *''

A Small Family Business ''A Small Family Business'' is a play by Alan Ayckbourn about the eponymous business and dealing with the Thatcherism of the time. It premiered at the Olivier stage of the Royal National Theatre on 20 May 1987, where it won the Evening Standar ...

'' (1992) *''

The Little Foxes ''The Little Foxes'' is a 1939 play by Lillian Hellman, considered a classic of 20th century drama. Its title comes from Chapter 2, Verse 15 of the Song of Solomon in the King James version of the Bible, which reads, "Take us the foxes, the litt ...

'' (1997) *''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins V ...

'' (1998) *''

Uncle Vanya ''Uncle Vanya'' ( rus, Дя́дя Ва́ня, r=Dyádya Ványa, p=ˈdʲædʲə ˈvanʲə) is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1898, and was first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre under the dire ...

'' (2000) *''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as an ...

'' (2002) *''

The Rivals ''The Rivals'' is a comedy of manners by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in five acts which was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre on 17 January 1775. The story has been updated frequently, including a 1935 musical and a 1958 episode of th ...

'' (2004)

Filmography

Source: Rotten Tomatoes"Brian Murray Film Credits"
rottentomatoes.com, retrieved August 23, 2018 Source: Behind the voice actors

Film

Television

Videogames

Radio drama

*''

A Tale of Two Cities ''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the ...

'' (1977) *'' The Man of Destiny'' (1978) *'' The Killer'' (1979) *''

Medea In Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the ...

'' (1985) *'' The Tempest'' (1985) *''

The Imaginary Invalid ''The Imaginary Invalid'', ''The Hypochondriac'', or ''The Would-Be Invalid'' (French title ''Le Malade imaginaire'', ) is a three- act '' comédie-ballet'' by the French playwright Molière with dance sequences and musical interludes (H.495, H.4 ...

'' (1985) *''

The Lady of the Camellias ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1985) *''

An Enemy of the People ''An Enemy of the People'' (original Norwegian title: ''En folkefiende''), an 1882 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, followed his previous play, '' Ghosts'', which criticized the hypocrisy of his society's moral code. That response inc ...

'' (1985) *''

Arms and the Man ''Arms and the Man'' is a comedy by George Bernard Shaw, whose title comes from the opening words of Virgil's ''Aeneid'', in Latin: ''Arma virumque cano'' ("Of arms and the man I sing"). The play was first produced on 21 April 1894 at the Aven ...

'' (1985) *''

'' (1985)

Awards and nominations

Sources: Playbill Vault; IBDB ;Awards * 1984

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

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 The Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actors for quality supporting roles in a Broadway play. Honors ...

– ''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

– ''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

– ''The Crucible'' * 2002 Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production – ''

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Brian 1937 births 2018 deaths 20th-century South African male actors 21st-century South African male actors Drama Desk Award winners People from Johannesburg South African expatriates in the United States South African male film actors South African male stage actors South African theatre directors White South African people