Timothy Patrick Murphy (November 3, 1959 – December 6, 1988) was an American actor, perhaps best known for his role as Mickey Trotter on the popular

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

prime time

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

'' from 1982–83.

Career

Murphy started his acting career as an adolescent in several television commercials and from there he went on to act in the 1978 miniseries ''

Centennial {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at ...

''. Other than his role in ''Dallas'', he spent more than a year playing a young conman on the CBS daytime soap drama ''

Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show fo ...

'', and also had a regular role on the short-lived 1984 ABC prime-time drama ''

Glitter Glitter is an assortment of small, reflective particles that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles reflect light at different angles, causing the surface to sparkle or shimmer. Glitter is similar to confetti, sparkle ...

''. In addition to this, he appeared in episodes of the television shows ''

Quincy, M.E. ''Quincy, M.E.'' (also called ''Quincy'') is an American mystery medical drama television series from Universal Studios that aired on NBC from October 3, 1976, to May 11, 1983. Jack Klugman starred in the title role as a Los Angeles County med ...

'', ''

CHiPs ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The seri ...

'', ''

Teachers Only ''Teachers Only'' is an American sitcom on NBC that centered on the faculty of a Los Angeles high school who spent a lot of time in the teacher's lounge, where the students were not allowed. Following a short first season, the show was completely ...

'', ''

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

'', ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pa ...

'' and '' Hunter''. He appeared in the 1981 film '' The Bushido Blade''. One of Murphy's most substantial roles was in the 1984 feature film ''

Sam's Son ''Sam's Son'' is a 1984 American semi-autobiographical coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Michael Landon loosely based on his early life and is also the only feature film made by him. The film stars Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson, Timoth ...

'', the film biography of the early life of actor Michael Landon, in which he played the character of Gene Orowitz (the young Landon). In 1984 he won the

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

for Best Young Actor (Guest) in a TV Series for his work on ''The Love Boat''.

Personal life and death

Murphy was gay and had a romantic relationship with actor Mark Patton during the 1980s. Murphy died of AIDS on December 6, 1988 in Sherman Oaks, California, aged 29, and was buried at the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. His younger brother, actor Patrick Sean Murphy (born January 29, 1965), was killed in the North Tower of

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

during the

attacks of September 11, 2001 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated Suicide attack, suicide List of terrorist incidents, terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, ...

. He was 36 years old.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Timothy Patrick AIDS-related deaths in California American male child actors American male film actors American male television actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Male actors from Hartford, Connecticut 1959 births 1988 deaths 20th-century American male actors American gay actors LGBT people from California 20th-century American LGBT people