Murray Hamilton (March 24, 1923 – September 1, 1986) was an American stage, screen, and television character actor who appeared in such films as '' Anatomy of a Murder'', '' The Hustler'', '' The Graduate'', ''

Jaws Jaws or Jaw may refer to: Anatomy * Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth ** Mandible, the lower jaw Arts, entertainment, and media * Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker'' * ...

'' and '' The Amityville Horror''.

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 ...

, 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 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 Universit ...

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. Sp ...

thriller ''

'' (1975). Hamilton reprised the role in the sequel, '' Jaws 2'' 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 '' Anatomy of a Murder'' 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 The ''Spirit of St. Louis'' (formally the Ryan NYP, registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that was flown by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first solo nonstop transatlanti ...

'' (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 ( J ...

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

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. 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 who is the sister of Perry Mason's client. In 1957 he was a primary star on '' Gunsmoke'', 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 Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ...

's television series '' The Twilight Zone'', " One for the Angels", playing Mr. Death opposite Ed Wynn. 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, Jeanne Bal, and Stubby Kaye in the NBC

sitcom A sitcom, a 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 troupe may use ...

Love and Marriage "Love and Marriage" is a 1955 song with lyrics by Sammy Cahn and music by Jimmy Van Heusen. It is published by Barton Music Corporation (ASCAP). Frank Sinatra versions "Love and Marriage" was introduced by Frank Sinatra in the 1955 televis ...

''. 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 Compan ...

'', 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 imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

series, '' 'Way Out'', hosted by Roald Dahl, with fellow guest stars Doris Roberts 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 charac ...

's father, in a first-season episode of '' The Golden Girls''. 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 in the 1958 military comedy '' No Time for Sergeants'', as well as an appearance in Steven Spielberg's raucous comedy '' 1941'', released in 1979. He also appeared in a comedic guest spot on '' Mama's Family '' 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 each ...

'' (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 Gold ...

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

in '' The Graduate'' (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''. He also worked with Robert Redford in a pair of films, '' The Way We Were'' (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 c ...

nomination for his role in the 1965 production of ''Absence of a Cello''. ''New York Times'' theater critic Brooks Atkinson 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), We ...

novel '' From Here to Eternity'': "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 b ...

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, mali ...

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'' as Soldier (uncredited) * 1951 ''

Bright Victory ''Bright Victory'' is a 1951 American drama romance war film directed by Mark Robson and starring Arthur Kennedy and Peggy Dow. Plot During World War II, American sergeant Larry Nevins is blinded by a German sniper while fighting in North Af ...

'' 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 f ...

'' as Al Webster * 1956 '' Toward the Unknown'' as Major Bromo Lee * 1956 '' The Girl He Left Behind'' as Sergeant Clyde * 1957 ''

'' 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'' as Charlie Snow * 1958 '' No Time for Sergeants'' as Irving S. Blanchard * 1958 '' Perry Mason'' as Johnny Hale * 1958 '' Houseboat'' as Captain Alan Wilson * 1959 '' Anatomy of a Murder'' 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, wh ...

'' 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 '' The Graduate'' 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 ''The Failing of Raymond'' is a 1971 American made-for-television psychological thriller film starring Jane Wyman (in her television film debut), Dean Stockwell, Dana Andrews, Paul Henreid and Murray Hamilton. It aired as the ''ABC Movie of the ...

'' (TV movie) as Sergeant Manzak * 1972 '' Deadly Harvest'' (TV movie) as Sheriff Bill Jessup * 1973 ''

Incident on a Dark Street ''Incident on a Dark Street'' is a 1973 TV movie broadcast on ''NBC Saturday Night at the Movies''. It premiered on NBC on January 13, 1973. Plot Two law school grads take on their first big cases as prosecutors for the federal government as U.S. ...

'' (TV movie) as Edmund Schilling * 1973 ''Murdock's Gang'' (TV movie) as Harold Talbot * 1973 '' The Way We Were'' as Brooks Carpenter * 1974 ''After the Fall'' (TV movie) as Mickey * 1975 ''

'' as Mayor Larry Vaughn * 1975 '' The Drowning Pool'' as Kilbourne * 1977 ''

Murder at the World Series ''Murder at the World Series'' is a 1977 American TV movie starring Lynda Day George, Murray Hamilton, and Karen Valentine and directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. Plot A psychopath, once rejected for membership of the Houston Astros, plans revenge ...

'' (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 ...

'' as General Landers (uncredited) * 1977 ''Killer on Board'' (TV movie) as Dr. Folger * 1978 ''

Casey's Shadow ''Casey's Shadow'' is a 1978 sports drama Metrocolor film directed by Martin Ritt and starring Walter Matthau. The film was based on an article in ''The New Yorker'' by John McPhee ("Ruidoso", published April 29, 1974). Much of the exterior shoot ...

'' as Tom Patterson * 1978 '' Jaws 2'' 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 '' The Amityville Horror'' as Father Ryan * 1979 '' 1941'' 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 ''B.J. and the Bear'' is an American action comedy television series which aired on NBC from February 10, 1979, to May 9, 1981. Created by Glen A. Larson and Christopher Crowe, the series stars Greg Evigan. The series was produced when the CB ...

'' as Captain Rutherford T. Grant * 1982 ''

Mazes and Monsters ''Mazes and Monsters'' (also known as ''Rona Jaffe's Mazes and Monsters'') is a 1982 American made-for-television film directed by Steven Hilliard Stern about a group of college students and their interest in a fictitious role-playing game (RP ...

'' (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 '' Mama's Family'' as Uncle Roy Harper * 1985 ''

Too Scared to Scream ''Too Scared to Scream'' (also known as ''The Doorman'') is a 1984 American independent slasher film directed by Tony Lo Bianco. It stars Mike Connors, who also produces, Anne Archer and Ian McShane. The film was originally filmed in 1981 and int ...

'' as Jack * 1986 '' The Last Days of Patton'' (TV movie) as General Hobart "Hap" Gay * 1986 ''

Blacke's Magic ''Blacke's Magic'' is an American crime drama television series that aired for 13 episodes on NBC, from January 5 to May 7, 1986. Reruns later aired during the fall of 1988, to fill scheduling gaps caused by the 1988 Writers Guild of America stri ...

'' as Ben McGuire * 1986 '' The Golden Girls'' 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