Iain Murray Rose, (6 January 1939 – 15 April 2012) was an Australian swimmer, actor, sports commentator and marketing executive. He was a six-time Olympic medalist (four gold, one silver, one bronze), and at one time held the world records in the 400-metre, 800-metre, and 1500-metre freestyle (long course). He made his Olympic debut at the 1956 Summer Olympics as a 17-year-old and won three Olympic medals, all gold. Four years later, as a 21-year-old, he won three Olympic medals (one gold, one silver, one bronze) at the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

Biography

Early life

Iain Murray Rose was born on 6 January 1939 in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

, England to parents Eileen and Ian Rose. As World War II broke out, his family moved to Australia in 1940 when he was a baby. He started swimming as a boy and attended Cranbrook School in Bellevue Hill, Sydney. He swam regularly at Redleaf Pool, an enclosed saltwater swimming pool in the suburb of Double Bay. In 2012, the pool was renamed Murray Rose Pool in his honour.Murray Rose Pool

Municipality of Woollahra Woollahra Municipal Council (or Woollahra Council) is a local government area in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is bounded by Sydney Harbour in the north, Waverley Council in the east, ...

Career

At the age of 17, Rose participated in the 1956 Summer Olympics in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. He won the 400-metre and 1500-metre freestyle races and was a member of the winning team in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay. Winning three gold medals in his home country immediately made him a national hero. He was the youngest Olympian to be awarded three gold medals in one Olympic Games. Afterwards, Rose moved to the United States to accept an athletic scholarship at the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

(USC) where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business/Communications. He continued competing while at USC, and graduated in 1962. At the

in Rome, Italy, Rose again won an Olympic gold medal in the 400m freestyle, as well as a silver in the 1500m freestyle and a bronze in the freestyle relay, bringing his haul to six Olympic medals. In addition to his Olympic medals, he won four gold medals at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia. He eventually set 15 world records, including the world record in the 800-metre freestyle in 1962, which was not broken until

Semyon Belits-Geiman Semyon Viktorovich Belits-Geiman (russian: Семён Викторович Белиц-Гейман; born 16 February 1945) is a former Soviet freestyle swimmer. He set a world record in the 800 m freestyle, and won two Olympic medals. Early li ...

set a new record in 1966. Rose continued to compete as a masters swimmer. During the 1960s, he also pursued an acting career, starring in two Hollywood films and making guest appearances on television shows. In addition, Rose worked as an Australian sports commentator for the Nine Network, plus each of the major US networks, participating in seven consecutive Olympic Games. From 1988 to 1994, Rose was vice-president of California Sports Marketing specialising in marketing, sponsorships and promotions for the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team and special events at the Great Western Forum. He returned to Sydney with his family in 1994 and worked as a Senior Account Director for Sports Marketing and Management – the official marketing agent for the

Australian Olympic Committee Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

, the

Australian Commonwealth Games Association Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) is the Commonwealth Games Association for Australia, and is responsible for representing and promoting the Commonwealth Sport movement in the country, and organises the participation of Australia at the Commonwe ...

and a range of other leading Australian sports organisations. An avenue at Sydney Olympic Park was named for him in 2000. He was one of the eight flag-bearers of the

Olympic Flag The International Olympic Committee (IOC) uses icons, flags and symbols to elevate the Olympic Games. These symbols include those commonly used during Olympic competition—such as the flame, fanfare and theme—as well as those used throughout ...

at the

2000 Summer Olympics opening ceremony The opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on the evening of Friday 15 September 2000 in Stadium Australia, Sydney, during which the Games were formally opened by Governor-General Sir William Deane. As mandated by the Olympi ...

in Sydney. In 2010, Rose led a team on a pilgrimage for Military History Tours to Gallipoli and a 4.5 km swim from Europe to Asia across the Dardanelles. In 2012, Redleaf Pool in Double Bay, Sydney, was officially renamed Murray Rose Pool in his honour. In 2022 Cranbrook School named its new swimming complex on

New South Head Road New South Head Road, is a major road in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, linking the inner-eastern suburb of Rushcutters Bay to the southern reaches of the South Head peninsula. Route New South Head Road runs north-east from Rushcutters Bay t ...

the Murray Rose Aquatic & Fitness Centre.

Work in film and television

In 1958 he appeared on ''

You Bet Your Life ''You Bet Your Life'' is an American comedy quiz series that has aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show deb ...

'' where he was baffled by the world geography questions. On 6 January 1959, Rose appeared as a guest challenger on the TV panel show '' To Tell the Truth''. He made his acting debut in the 1962 Australian live drama '' My Three Angels''. Later he starred in the 1964 surf movie ''

Ride the Wild Surf ''Ride the Wild Surf'' is a 1964 American romantic drama film. It was filmed in 1963 and distributed in 1964. Unlike the beach party movies of the era, this was a departure from the typical Hollywood approach to surfing as it was a drama, not a ...

'' and in ''

Ice Station Zebra ''Ice Station Zebra'' is a 1968 American espionage thriller film directed by John Sturges and starring Rock Hudson, Patrick McGoohan, Ernest Borgnine, and Jim Brown. The screenplay is by Alistair MacLean, Douglas Heyes, Harry Julian Fink, ...

'' in 1968. He also made periodic appearances in television and film including guest spots on '' Dr Kildare'', ''

'', ''

The Patty Duke Show ''The Patty Duke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Sidney Sheldon and William Asher. The series ran on ABC from September 18, 1963, to April 27, 1966. The series was developed as a vehicle for teenage star Patty Duke, who h ...

'', ''Dream Rider'', ''Time Capsule 1932'' and ''Time Capsule 1938''.

Charity

Rose held a number of cause-related Board positions including the Mary MacKillop Foundation and Patron of Rainbow Club Australia, a non-profit charity providing children with special needs the opportunity to explore their abilities through sporting and recreational activities. In 2012, Rainbow Club Australia renamed their annual event, The Murray Rose's Malabar Magic Ocean Swim. The MRMM offers a two swim program of 1 km and 2.4 km

Honours

Rose was appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Order (distinction), honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of Australia, Queen of Aus ...

(AM) in 2000 for services to swimming. He also received the

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...

that year and, in 2001, he was awarded the Centenary Medal.

Books

Murray Rose's father, Ian F Rose, publishe
Faith, Love, and Seaweed
about his son's childhood and diet. In 2013, Murray Rose's memoir ''Life is Worth Swimming'' was posthumously published. Written before his leukaemia diagnosis, ''Life is Worth Swimming'' reflects on Rose's life and experiences as an Olympic swimmer. *

Personal life

Rose married ballerina Jodi Wintz on 20 October 1988. Their son was born in 1990. He was previously married to Bobbie Whitby and he adopted her daughter. Rose was a strict vegetarian in his swimming days – this earned him the nickname "The Seaweed Streak" – but he later added meat to his diet. Rose died of

leukaemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

on 15 April 2012 at the age of 73 in Sydney, New South Wales.

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Murray 1939 births 2012 deaths Australian male freestyle swimmers Olympic swimmers of Australia Olympic bronze medalists in swimming Swimmers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1960 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for Australia Olympic bronze medalists for Australia World record setters in swimming USC Trojans men's swimmers Members of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Centenary Medal Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal University of Southern California alumni Australian male actors English emigrants to Australia Sportspeople from Birmingham, West Midlands Sportspeople from Highland (council area) People educated at Cranbrook School, Sydney Deaths from leukemia Deaths from cancer in New South Wales Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Australia Olympic gold medalists in swimming Olympic silver medalists in swimming Swimmers at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees 20th-century Australian people