Murray Hamilton (March 24, 1923 – September 1, 1986) was an American stage, screen, and television

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to ...

who appeared in such films as ''

Anatomy of a Murder ''Anatomy of a Murder'' is a 1959 American courtroom drama and crime film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Wendell Mayes was based on the 1958 novel of the same name written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. ...

'', '' The Hustler'', ''

The Graduate ''The Graduate'' is a 1967 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Wi ...

'', '' Jaws'' and ''

The Amityville Horror ''The Amityville Horror'' is a book by American author Jay Anson, published in September 1977. It is also the basis of a series of films released from 1979 onward. The book is based on the claims of paranormal experiences by the Lutz family, ...

''.

Early life

Born in

Washington, North Carolina Washington is a city in Beaufort County, North Carolina, United States, located on the northern bank of the Pamlico River. The population was 9,744 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Beaufort County. It is commonly known as "Original W ...

, Hamilton displayed an early interest in performing during his days at Washington High School just before America's entry into World War II. Bad hearing kept him from enlisting, so he moved to New York City as a 19-year-old to find a career on stage.

Career

In an early role, he performed on stage with

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and r ...

in the classic wartime story '' Mister Roberts'' as a replacement for

David Wayne David Wayne (born Wayne James McMeekan, January 30, 1914 – February 9, 1995) was an American stage and screen actor with a career spanning over 50 years. Early life and career Wayne was born in Traverse City, Michigan, the son of Helen M ...

, playing Ensign Pulver. In 1960, he was onstage again with Fonda in '' Critic's Choice'';

Howard Taubman Hyman Howard Taubman (July 4, 1907 – January 8, 1996) was an American music critic, theater critic, and author. Biography Born in Manhattan, Taubman attended DeWitt Clinton High School and then won a four-year scholarship to Cornell University, ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' called him "properly obnoxious as the director". Hamilton was teamed once more with Fonda in 1968 for the drama film '' The Boston Strangler''. His best known performance is as Larry Vaughn, the obdurate mayor of Amity, in the

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spi ...

thriller '' Jaws'' (1975). Hamilton reprised the role in the sequel, ''

Jaws 2 ''Jaws 2'' is a 1978 American thriller film directed by Jeannot Szwarc and co-written by Carl Gottlieb. It is the sequel to Steven Spielberg's '' Jaws'' (1975), and the second installment in the ''Jaws'' franchise. The film stars Roy Scheider ...

'' in 1978. He was approached to reprise his role in '' Jaws: The Revenge'', but died in 1986 aged 63 . Other notable big-screen appearances include the critically acclaimed 1959 film ''

'' with James Stewart, in which he played the bartender Al Pacquette, who gives testimony in the murder of Barney Quill. He also worked with Stewart in '' The Spirit of St. Louis'' (1957) and ''

The FBI Story ''The FBI Story'' is a 1959 American drama film starring James Stewart, and produced and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The screenplay by Richard L. Breen and John Twist is based on a book by Don Whitehead. Plot John Michael ("Chip") Hardesty (James S ...

'' (1959). The actor made dozens of TV guest appearances. In 1955, Hamilton guest-starred on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

legal drama A legal drama is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in which a system of justice play ...

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

'', based on case files of the Legal Aid Society of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Hamilton appeared in the '' Perry Mason'' episode "The Case of the Deadly Double" (air date March 1, 1958) as the shadowy boyfriend of a woman with a

split personality Dissociative identity disorder (DID), better known as multiple personality disorder or multiple personality syndrome, is a mental disorder characterized by the presence of at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states. The di ...

who is the sister of Perry Mason's client. In 1957 he was a primary star on ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'', playing a conniving cowboy who sets up Chester for a murder rap as “Jake Buley” in the episode “Chester’s Murder” (S2E27). In 1959, he appeared in a few episodes of the crime drama '' The Untouchables'', as well as co-starring in the second episode of Rod Serling's television series ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television program, television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dysto ...

'', " One for the Angels", playing Mr. Death opposite

Ed Wynn Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian. He was noted for his ''Perfect Fool'' comedy character, his pioneering radio show of the 1930s, and his later career as a d ...

. Also, Hamilton portrayed Calhoun, on (S4E9) of Gunsmoke, which aired in April, 1959. His character is swindled in a land deal along with other members of a wagon train & his wife tries to leave Calhoun with the swindler. In the 1959-60 television season, Hamilton also co-starred with

William Demarest Carl William Demarest (February 27, 1892 – December 27, 1983) was an American character actor, known especially for his roles in screwball comedies by Preston Sturges and for playing Uncle Charley in the sitcom '' My Three Sons'' Demarest, ...

, Jeanne Bal, and Stubby Kaye in the NBC

sitcom A sitcom, a Portmanteau, portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troup ...

'' Love and Marriage''. He played attorney Steve Baker, who resides in an apartment with his wife (played by Bal), two daughters and a father-in-law (portrayed by Demarest). He soon appeared as a guest star on another sitcom, ''

The Real McCoys ''The Real McCoys'' is an American situation comedy starring Walter Brennan, Richard Crenna, and Kathleen Nolan. Co-produced by Danny Thomas's Marterto Productions in association with Walter Brennan and Irving Pincus's Westgate Company ...

'', starring Walter Brennan, on ABC. In 1961, he appeared in another

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

series, ''

'Way Out ''Way Out'' is a 1961 American horror, fantasy, and science fiction television anthology series hosted by writer Roald Dahl. The macabre black-and-white 25-minute shows were introduced by Dahl, his face projected in a disconcerting hall of mir ...

'', hosted by

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has b ...

, with fellow guest stars

Doris Roberts Doris May Roberts ( Green; November 4, 1925 – April 17, 2016) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades of television and film. She received five Emmy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild award during her acting career, which bega ...

and Martin Huston. He guest-starred in an episode of the James Stewart legal drama '' Hawkins'' in 1973. In 1986, he played Curtis "Big Daddy" Hollingsworth,

Blanche Devereaux Blanche Devereaux is a character from the sitcom television series ''The Golden Girls'', and its spin-off ''The Golden Palace''. Blanche was portrayed by Rue McClanahan for 8 years and 204 episodes across the two series. The character ...

's father, in a first-season episode of ''

The Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur, Betty W ...

''. Hamilton complained in a newspaper article about being typecast, stating "After I was first cast as a heavy on ''The Untouchables'', I couldn't ever persuade them roducersthat I could also do something else." While comic roles were rare for Hamilton during his Hollywood career, he had one opposite

Andy Griffith Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his characte ...

in the 1958 military comedy '' No Time for Sergeants'', as well as an appearance in Steven Spielberg's raucous comedy ''

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January– August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar E ...

'', released in 1979. He also appeared in a comedic guest spot on ''

Mama's Family ''Mama's Family'' is an American sitcom television series starring Vicki Lawrence as Mama (Thelma Harper). The series is a spin-off of a recurring series of comedy sketches called "The Family" featured on ''The Carol Burnett Show'' (1967–78) a ...

'' in the second-season episode, "Mama Cries Uncle", as Uncle Roy. He was more often cast in dramatic works, such as the stark science-fiction drama ''

Seconds The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds eac ...

'' (1966), which starred

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular movie stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades. A prominent heartthrob in the Golde ...

. In two of his most distinctive performances, Hamilton appeared with

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

in '' The Hustler'' (1961), playing Findley, a wealthy billiards player who gambles for high stakes, and with

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is ...

in ''

'' (1967) as Mr. Robinson, husband of the

seductress Seduction has multiple meanings. Platonically, it can mean "to persuade to disobedience or disloyalty", or "to lead astray, usually by persuasion or false promises". Strategies of seduction include conversation and sexual scripts, paralingual ...

Mrs. Robinson. In 1975, Hamilton appeared again with Newman in ''

The Drowning Pool ''The Drowning Pool'' is a 1950 mystery novel by American writer Ross Macdonald, his second book in the series revolving around the cases of private detective Lew Archer. Plot summary Archer is hired by a woman to investigate a libellous lett ...

''. He also worked with

Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award from four nominations, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, the Ceci ...

in a pair of films, ''

The Way We Were ''The Way We Were'' is a 1973 American romantic drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. Arthur Laurents wrote both the novel and screenplay based on his college days at Cornell University and hi ...

'' (1973) and '' Brubaker'' (1980). In early 1982 he appeared as a judge presiding over an impromptu court case on an episode of '' Bret Maverick''. For many years both before and during his film career, Hamilton was a prominent dramatic stage actor, earning a

Tony Award 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 ...

nomination for his role in the 1965 production of ''Absence of a Cello''. ''New York Times'' theater critic

Brooks Atkinson Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theatre critic. He worked for ''The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of his ...

praised his work in the play ''Stockade'', which was based on a part of the

James Jones James Jones may refer to: Sports Association football *James Jones (footballer, born 1873) (1873–1955), British Olympic footballer * James Jones (footballer, born 1996), Scottish footballer for Wrexham *James Jones (footballer, born 1997), Wel ...

novel ''

From Here to Eternity ''From Here to Eternity'' is a 1953 American drama romance war film directed by Fred Zinnemann, and written by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1951 novel of the same name by James Jones. The picture deals with the tribulations of three U.S. ...

'': "Murray Hamilton is an ideal Prewitt. Modest in manner, pleasant of voice, he has a steel-like spirit that brings Prewitt honestly to life." When the actor was suffering from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

and found film roles harder to come by, his old co-star George C. Scott helped out by getting him a part in the made-for-television movie '' The Last Days of Patton'' (1986).

Death

Hamilton died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

at age 63, and is interred at Oakdale Cemetery in his native Washington, North Carolina. He and his wife, Terri DeMarco Hamilton (of The DeMarco Sisters fame), had a son, David.

Filmography

* 1944 '' Song of the Open Road'' as Crop Corps Kid (uncredited) * 1944 ''Reckless Age'' as Member of Soldier Quartet * 1944 ''

Something for the Boys ''Something for the Boys'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and a book by Herbert Fields and Dorothy Fields. Produced by Mike Todd, the show opened on Broadway in 1943 and starred Ethel Merman in her fifth Cole Porter musical. ...

'' as Soldier (uncredited) * 1951 '' Bright Victory'' as Pete Hamilton * 1951 ''

The Whistle at Eaton Falls ''The Whistle at Eaton Falls'' (also known by the alternative title ''Richer Than the Earth'') is a 1951 American social drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Lloyd Bridges and Dorothy Gish. Plot A newly promoted plant supervisor fin ...

'' as Al Webster * 1956 '' Toward the Unknown'' as Major Bromo Lee * 1956 '' The Girl He Left Behind'' as Sergeant Clyde * 1957 '' The Spirit of St. Louis'' as Bud Gurney * 1957 '' Jeanne Eagels'' as Chick O'Hara * 1958 ''

Darby's Rangers ''Darby's Rangers'' (released in the UK as ''The Young Invaders'') is a 1958 war film directed by William Wellman and starring James Garner as William Orlando Darby, who organizes and leads the first units of United States Army Rangers during Wor ...

'' as Private / Sergeant Sims Delancey * 1958 ''

Too Much, Too Soon ''Too Much, Too Soon'' is a 1958 biographical film about Diana Barrymore produced by Warner Bros. It was directed by Art Napoleon and produced by Henry Blanke from a screenplay by Art Napoleon and Jo Napoleon, based on the autobiography by D ...

'' as Charlie Snow * 1958 '' No Time for Sergeants'' as Irving S. Blanchard * 1958 '' Perry Mason'' as Johnny Hale * 1958 ''

Houseboat A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a home. Most houseboats are not motorized as they are usually moored or kept stationary at a fixed point, and often tethered to land to provide utilities. H ...

'' as Captain Alan Wilson * 1959 ''

'' as Alphonse Paquette * 1959 ''

'' as Sam Crandall * 1960 '' Tall Story'' as Coach Sandy Hardy * 1960 ''Escape to Sonoita'' as Marsh * 1961 '' The Hustler'' as Findley * 1962 '' The Farmer's Daughter'' (TV movie) as Nordick * 1963 '' Papa's Delicate Condition'' as Mr. Harvey * 1963 ''

13 Frightened Girls ''13 Frightened Girls'' (also known as ''The Candy Web'') is a 1963 Pathécolor Cold War spy film directed and produced by William Castle. Kathy Dunn stars as a teenage sleuth who finds herself embroiled in international espionage. Castle, who ...

'' as Wally Sanders * 1963 '' The Cardinal'' as Lafe * 1965 '' Inherit the Wind'' (TV movie) as E.K. Hornbeck * 1966 ''

'' as Charlie * 1966 '' An American Dream'' as Arthur Kabot * 1966 '' The Fugitive'' as Joe Steelman * 1967 ''A Bell for Adano'' (TV movie) as Sergeant Leonard Borth * 1967 ''

'' as Mr. Robinson * 1968 '' Sergeant Ryker'' as Captain Appleton * 1968 '' No Way to Treat a Lady'' as Inspector Haines * 1968 '' The Boston Strangler'' as Detective Frank McAfee * 1968 '' The Brotherhood'' as Jim Egan * 1969 '' If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium'' as Fred Ferguson * 1971 ''Vanished'' (TV movie) as Nick McCann * 1971 ''Cannon'' (TV movie) as Virgil Holley * 1971 ''A Tattered Web'' (TV movie) as Sergeant Joe Marcus * 1971 ''The Police'' (TV movie) as Chief of Police * 1971 ''The Harness'' (TV movie) as Roy Kern * 1971 '' The Failing of Raymond'' (TV movie) as Sergeant Manzak * 1972 '' Deadly Harvest'' (TV movie) as Sheriff Bill Jessup * 1973 '' Incident on a Dark Street'' (TV movie) as Edmund Schilling * 1973 ''Murdock's Gang'' (TV movie) as Harold Talbot * 1973 ''

'' as Brooks Carpenter * 1974 ''After the Fall'' (TV movie) as Mickey * 1975 '' Jaws'' as Mayor Larry Vaughn * 1975 ''

'' as Kilbourne * 1977 '' Murder at the World Series'' (TV movie) as Harvey Murkison * 1977 ''

Damnation Alley ''Damnation Alley'' is a 1969 science fiction novel by American writer Roger Zelazny, based on a novella published in 1967. A film adaptation of the novel was released in 1977. Plot introduction The story opens in a post-apocalyptic Southern C ...

'' as General Landers (uncredited) * 1977 ''Killer on Board'' (TV movie) as Dr. Folger * 1978 '' Casey's Shadow'' as Tom Patterson * 1978 ''

'' as Mayor Larry Vaughn * 1979 ''Donovan's Kid'' (TV movie) as Henry Carpenter * 1979 ''A Last Cry for Help'' (TV movie) as Ralph Muir * 1979 ''

'' as Father Ryan * 1979 ''

'' as Claude Crumn * 1980 ''Swan Song'' (TV movie) as Jack McCauley * 1980 '' Brubaker'' as John Deach * 1981 ''All the Way Home'' (TV movie) as Joel Lynch * 1981 '' B. J. and the Bear'' as Captain Rutherford T. Grant * 1982 '' Mazes and Monsters'' (TV movie) as Lieutenant Martini * 1983 '' Hysterical'' as The Mayor * 1983 ''Summer Girl'' (TV movie) as Jack Reardon * 1984 ''Boys in Blue'' (TV movie) as Captain Sid Bender * 1984 ''

'' as Uncle Roy Harper * 1985 '' Too Scared to Scream'' as Jack * 1986 '' The Last Days of Patton'' (TV movie) as General Hobart "Hap" Gay * 1986 '' Blacke's Magic'' as Ben McGuire * 1986 ''

'' as Curtis "Big Daddy" Hollingsworth * 1986 '' Whoops Apocalypse'' as Jack "Kill The Commies" Preston

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Murray 1923 births 1986 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Deaths from cancer in North Carolina Deaths from lung cancer Male actors from North Carolina People from Washington, North Carolina