Don Murray

Donald Patrick Don Murray July 31 1929February 2 2024 was an American actor Murray was born in Hollywood California He attended East Rockaway High School class of 1947 in East Rockaway New York where he played football and track was a member of the student government and glee club and joined the Alpha Phi Chapter of the Omega Gamma Delta Fraternity From high school he went on to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts Murray had a long and varied career in films and television including his role as Sid Fairgate in the longrunning primetime soap opera Knots Landing from 1979 to 1981 He was nominated for an Academy Award as best supporting actor in Bus Stop 1956 in which he costarred with Marilyn Monroe He starred as a blackmailed United States senator in Advise Consent 1961 a film version of a Pulitzer Prizewinning novel by Allen Drury that was directed by Otto Preminger and cast Murray opposite Henry Fonda and Charles Laughton He also costarred with Steve McQueen in the film Baby the Rain Must Fall 1965 and played the apehating Governor Breck in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes 1972 In addition to acting Murray directed a film based on the book The Cross and the Switchblade 1970 starring Pat Boone and Erik Estrada and he scripted two episodes of Knots Landing Hitchhike parts 1 2 in 1980 Murray starred with Otis Young in the ground breaking ABC western television series The Outcasts 196869 featuring an interracial bounty hunter team in the postCivil War West Murray decided to leave Knots Landing after two years to concentrate on other projects although some sources say he left over a salary dispute The characters death was notable at the time because it was considered rare to kill off a star character The death came in the second episode of season three following up on season twos cliffhanger in which Sids car careered off a cliff To make viewers off doubt the character would actually die Murray was listed in the newly created credit sequence for season three the character survived the plunge off the cliff thus temporarily reassuring viewers but died shortly afterwards in hospital Although he effectively distanced himself from the series after his exit in 1981 Murray later contributed an interview segment for Knots Landing Together Again a nonfiction reunion special made in 2005 Murray was the first husband of actress Hope Lange They had two children including actor Christopher Murray