Don Murray was born on July 31 1929 in Hollywood. He grew up in East Rockaway, New York and attended East Rockaway High School. When he was 19 he attended the American Academy of the Dramatic Arts while working as an usher at CBS for $17 a week. During the Korean War he was a conscientious objector due to his religious beliefs and he spent three years working in German and Italian refugee camps as part of the Brethren Volunteer Service.
Don Murray made his television debut in 1950 in an episode of Studio One. The same year he made his film debut in the short subject "Preface to a Life." In the Fifties he appeared in the television shows Robert Montgomery Presents, Lux Video Theatre, Danger, Kraft Television Theatre, Producers' Showcase, The Philco Television Playhouse, Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre, Justice, Appointment with Danger, The United States Steel Hour, The DuPont Show of the Month, and Playhouse 90. He appeared in the movies Bus Stop (1956), The Bachelor Party (1957), A Hatful of Rain (1957), From Hell to Texas (1958), These Thousand Hills (1959), Shake Hands with the Devil (1959), and One Foot in Hell. He appeared on Broadway in The Rose Tattoo, The Skin of Our Teeth, and The Hot Corner.
In the Sixties Don Murray was one of the leads on the short-lived Western television series The Outcasts. He appeared in the movies The Hoodlum Priest (1961), Advise & Consent (1962), One Man's Way (1964), Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965), Kid Rodelo (1966), The Plainsman (1966), Sweet Love, Bitter (1967), The Viking Queen (1967), and Childish Things (1969).
In the Seventies Mr. Murray appeared in the movies Happy Birthday, Wanda June (1971), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), Call Me By My Rightful Name (1972), Cotter (1973), and Deadly Hero (1975). He appeared on the TV shows The Wonderful World of Disney, Love Story, Amy Prentiss, Police Story, and How the West Was Won. Starting in 1979 he played the regular role of Sid Fairgate on the nighttime soap opera Knots Landing. He appeared on Broadway in Smith; Same Time, Next Year; The Norman Conquests: Table Manners; The Norman Conquests: Round and Round the Garden; and The Norman Conquests: Living Together.
In the early Eighties Don Murray continued to appear as Sid Fairgate on Knots Landing. He starred on the short-lived television show Brand New Life. He guest starred on the shows T. J. Hooker, Hotel, and Matlock. He appeared in the movies in Endless Love (1981), I Am the Cheese (1983), Radioactive Dreams (1984), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Scorpion (1986), Made in Heaven (1987), and Ghosts Can't Do It (1989).
In the Nineties he starred on the short-lived series Sons and Daughters. He guest starred on the shows Murder, She Wrote; ABC Afternoon Specials; Wings; The Single Guy; The Wonderful World of Disney; and Soldier of Fortune, Inc. He appeared in the movie Internet Love (1998). In the Naughts he appeared in the movies Island Prey (2001) and Elvis is Alive (2001). In the Teens he was a regular on the TV series Twin Peaks: The Return. In the 2020s he appeared in the movie Promise (2021).
Don Murray also directed the movies The Cross and the Switchblade (1970), Damien's Island (1976), Elvis is Alive (2001), and Breathe! (2008). He wrote the story for the Playhouse 90 episode "For I Have Loved Strangers and the two-part Knots Landing episode "Hitchhike." He wrote the feature films The Hoodlum Priest (1961), Childish Things (1969), The Cross and the Switchblade (1970), and Call Me By My Rightful Name (1972).
Don Murray was an extremely talented actor. He was impressive as the loud-mouthed, awkward cowboy Beauregard Decker in Bus Stop, and his nomination for an Academy Award was well-deserved. He gave another impressive performance as Brigham Anderson in Advise and Consent, the United States Senator who admits to a homosexual affair. In A Hatful of Rain, he played Johnny Pope, a Korean War veteran addicted to morphine. His performances on television were no less impressive. On Knots Landing he played Sid Fairgate, who was honest and hard-working, but also afflicted with the worst possible luck. In the Wonderful World of Disney episode "Justin Morgan Had a Horse," he played historical figure Justin Morgan, the horse breeder who developed the Morgan horse breed. He also did a good job as horse owner Wally Hampton in the Murder, She Wrote episode "Bloodlines." Don Murray was very versatile, and throughout his career he played everything from upstanding citizens to ne'er-do-wells. He very good at playing complicated characters. Few actors could boast of the talent that Don Murray had.
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