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 reg ...
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
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
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 ''Ham ...
'', 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 c ...
, 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 g ...
''. His stage directing credits include Broadway revivals of '' Hay Fever'' (1985), '' Arsenic and Old Lace'' (1986), '' Blithe Spirit'' (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 Theatre ...
for outstanding body of work.
His film credits include '' Bob Roberts'' and '' City Hall''. On television he has appeared in ''Kojak
''Kojak'' is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ''Cannon'' series, ...
'', '' Another World'', ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent
''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' is an American police procedural Drama (film and television), drama television series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and Executive producer#Motion pictures and television, p ...
'' and '' 30 Rock''. 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 r ...
. 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 adaptat ...
'', a role he reprised in the video game '' Treasure Planet: Battle at Procyon''. He played a role in the 2009 film, ''My Dog Tulip
''My Dog Tulip'' is a 2009 American independent animated feature film based on the 1956 memoir of the same name by J. R. Ackerley, BBC editor, novelist and memoirist. The film tells the story of Ackerley's fifteen-year relationship with his Alsati ...
''.
Death
Murray died of natural causes on August 20, 2018.[
]
Additional Broadway acting credits
Source: Playbill Vault[
*'']Sleuth
Sleuth may refer to:
* Detective
*Sleuth, collective noun for a group of bears
Computing
* The Sleuth Kit, a collection of forensic analysis software
*SLEUTH assembler language for the UNIVAC 1107
Entertainment and media
*Cloo
Cloo (stylized ...
'' (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 ...
'' (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 Standard ...
'' (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 lit ...
'' (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 Vio ...
'' (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 dir ...
'' (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 a ...
'' (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 List of Maverick ...
'' (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 ...
'' (1977)
*''The Man of Destiny
''The Man of Destiny'' is an 1897 play by George Bernard Shaw, set in Italy during the early career of Napoleon. It was published as a part of ''Plays Pleasant'', which also included '' Arms and the Man'', '' Candida'' and '' You Never Can Tell. ...
'' (1978)
*'' The Killer'' (1979)
*''Medea
In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...
'' (1985)
*'' The Tempest'' (1985)
*'' The Imaginary Invalid'' (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 ...
'' (1985)
*'' An Enemy of the People'' (1985)
*'' Arms and the Man'' (1985)
*''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 dir ...
'' (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 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. The awards were established in 19 ...
– ''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 i ...
– ''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead''
* 1978 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. The awards were established in 1955, with a ...
– ''Da''
* 1992 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. The awards were established in 1955, with a ...
– ''A Small Family Business''
* 1997 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 i ...
– ''The Little Foxes''
* 2000 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. The awards were established in 19 ...
– ''Uncle Vanya''
* 2002 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. The awards were established in 19 ...
– ''The Crucible''
* 2002 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 i ...
– ''The Crucible''
* 2002 Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production
The Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in a Feature Production (or Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production) is an Annie Awards, Annie Award awarded annually to the best Anima ...
– ''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 adaptat ...
''
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