George Murphy
Born: 1902-07-04 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Died: 1992-05-03
Known For: Acting
Biography
George Murphy was an American dancer and stage, screen, and television actor, as well as a United States Senator. Murphy was a song-and-dance leading man in many big-budget Hollywood musicals from 1930 to 1952. He was the president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1944 to 1946, and was awarded an honorary Oscar in 1951. Murphy served from 1965 to 1971 as U.S. Senator from California, the first notable U.S. actor to be elected to statewide office in California, predating Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is the only United States Senator represented by a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In movies, Murphy was known as a song-and-dance man and appeared in many big-budget musicals such as Broadway Melody of 1938, Broadway Melody of 1940 and For Me and My Gal. He made his movie debut shortly after talking pictures had replaced silent movies in 1930, and his career continued until he retired as an actor in 1952, at the age of 50. During World War II, he organized entertainment for American troops. In 1951, he was awarded an honorary Academy Award. He was never nominated for an Oscar in any competitive category. He was the president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1944 to 1946. He was also a vice president of Desilu Productions and of the Technicolor Corporation. He was director of entertainment for presidential inaugurations in 1953, 1957 and 1961.
Filmography
1997
- Frank Capra's American Dream as Self (archive footage)
1994
- That's Entertainment! III as (archive footage)
1985
- That's Dancing! as From 'Broadway Rhythm' (archive footage)
1974
- That's Entertainment! as (archive footage) (uncredited)
1957
1955
1952
- Walk East on Beacon as Inspector James 'Jim' Belden
- Talk About a Stranger as Robert Fontaine Sr.
- The Hoaxters as Narrator (voice)
1951
- It's a Big Country as Mr. Patrick Callaghan
- No Questions Asked as Police Insp. Matt Duggan
1949
- Battleground as 'Pop' Stazak
- Border Incident as Jack Bearnes
1948
- Big City as Patrick O'Donnell
- Tenth Avenue Angel as Steve Abbutt
1947
- Cynthia as Larry Bishop
- The Arnelo Affair as Theodore 'Ted' Parkson
1946
- Up Goes Maisie as Joseph Morton
1945
- Having Wonderful Crime as Jake Justus
1944
- Broadway Rhythm as Johnny Demming
- Show Business as George Doane
- Step Lively as Gordon Miller
- Twenty Years After as (archive footage)
1943
- Bataan as Lt. Steve Bentley
- This Is the Army as Jerry Jones
- Show-Business at War as Self
- The Powers Girl as Jerry Hendricks
1942
- The Navy Comes Through as Lt. Thomas L. 'Tom' Sands
- For Me and My Gal as Jimmy K. Metcalf
- The Mayor of 44th Street as Joe Jonathan
1941
- Ringside Maisie as Francis X. 'Skeets' / 'Skeeter' Maguire
- They Died with Their Boots On as Cavalryman (uncredited)
- Rise and Shine as Jimmy McGonagle
- A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob as Claudius "Coffee Cup" Cup
- Tom, Dick and Harry as Tom
1940
- Broadway Melody of 1940 as King Shaw
- A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound as Self
- Public Deb No. 1 as Alan Blake
- Little Nellie Kelly as Jerry Kelly
- Two Girls on Broadway as Eddie Kerns
1939
- Risky Business as Dan Clifford
- Rhumba Rhythm at the Hollywood La Conga as Himself (uncredited)
- Hollywood Hobbies as Self (uncredited)
1938
- Letter of Introduction as Barry Paige
- Little Miss Broadway as Roger Wendling
- Hold That Co-ed as Rusty Stevens
1937
- Broadway Melody of 1938 as Sonny Ledford
- The Women Men Marry as Bill Raeburn
- Top of the Town as Ted Lane
- London by Night as Michael Denis
- You're a Sweetheart as Hal Adams
1936
- Woman Trap as Keat Shevlin
- Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1) as Self
- Violets in Spring as Charlie Hall
1935
- The Public Menace as Edward Joseph "Red" Foster
- I'll Love You Always as Carl Brent
- After the Dance as Jerry Davis
1934
- Kid Millions as Jerry Lane
- Jealousy as Larry O'Roarke