Dennis Murphy (August 27, 1932 – October 6, 2005) was a screenwriter and author, known for his 1958 best selling book ''The Sergeant'', for which he wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film of the same name.(11 October 2005)
Dennis Murphy -- screenwriter, author of 'The Sergeant'
''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

'' Murphy was born and raised in

Salinas, California Salinas (; Spanish for "Salt Marsh or Salt Flats") is a city in California and the county seat of Monterey County. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is the most populous city in Monterey County. Salinas is an urban area lo ...

. At age 25, his novel ''The Sergeant'' was published, and became an international best seller. Family friend

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...

(Murphy's grandfather delivered Steinbeck), who wrote several letters to Murphy, was also highly complimentary of it.Dempsey, David (16 March 1958)
Personal Discovery (book review)
''

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 ...

'' In 1959, he was looked up by an itinerant

Hunter S. Thompson Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author who founded the gonzo journalism movement. He rose to prominence with the publication of '' Hell's Angels'' (1967), a book for which he s ...

, who appreciated his work. They became friends, and Thompson lived on the Murphy estate for a time. Murphy wrote the screenplay for the movie version of the novel, and he worked in Southern California as a screenwriter for over 30 years. He moved to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

in 1994, where he died at his home from cancer in October 2005. His older brother,

Michael Murphy Michael, Mick, or Mike Murphy may refer to: Artists and entertainers * Michael Murphy (actor) (born 1938), American actor * Mike Murphy (musician) (1946–2006), American drummer for the Bee Gees and Chicago * Michael Bryan Murphy, lead singer o ...

, is co-founder of the

Esalen Institute The Esalen Institute, commonly called Esalen, is a non-profit American retreat center and intentional community in Big Sur, California, which focuses on humanistic alternative education. The institute played a key role in the Human Potential ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Dennis American male screenwriters 1932 births 2005 deaths People from Salinas, California 20th-century American novelists American male novelists Deaths from cancer in California 20th-century American male writers Novelists from California Screenwriters from California 20th-century American screenwriters