Murray Hamilton
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| Murray Hamilton | |
| Born | March 24, 1923 Washington, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Died | September 1, 1986 (aged 63) Washington, North Carolina |
Murray Hamilton (March 24, 1923 – September 1, 1986) was an American stage, screen, and television actor.
Born in Washington in Beaufort County in eastern North Carolina, Hamilton displayed an early interest in performing during his days at Washington High School just before the outbreak of 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.
[edit] Notable roles
In an early role, he performed on stage with Henry Fonda in Mister Roberts. In 1960, he was seen onstage again with Fonda in Critic's Choice. Once more, in 1968, he appeared with Fonda in The Boston Strangler.
In the 1959-1960 season, he co-starred with William Demarest, Jeanne Bal, and Stubby Kaye in the NBC sitcom Love and Marriage. He played 36-year-old attorney Steve Baker, who lives in an apartment with his wife, played by Bal, two daughters, and father-in-law, portrayed by the then 67-year-old Demarest. Wife Pat Baker works with her father, William Harris, played by Demarest, in a failing music publishing company.
Hamilton appeared frequently in guest roles in television series, but he is perhaps most remembered for his role as the obdurate Amity Island Mayor Larry Vaughn in the Steven Spielberg shark-thriller Jaws and its sequel Jaws 2. He was signed on to reprise the role of Mayor Vaughn in a cameo in Jaws: The Revenge, but died before filming began.
His other memorable film appearances include the critically acclaimed 1959 film Anatomy of a Murder with James Stewart, in which he played the obstructive bartender Alphonse in Thunder Bay, Michigan. He gave testimony in the murder of Barney Quill. He appeared with Stewart in The FBI Story (1959) and The Spirit of St. Louis (1957).
That same year, Hamilton made a memorable appearance on Rod Serling's television series The Twilight Zone, starring in the episode, "One for the Angels", playing Death.
Hamilton appeared in a Perry Mason TV series episode "The Case of the Deadly Double" (air date March 1, 1958) as the shadowy boyfriend of a woman with a split personality whose brother was Mason's client on trial. He also played the role of Big Daddy Hollingsworth, Blanche Deveraux's father, in a first season episode of The Golden Girls.
Hamilton appeared in The Hustler (1961), playing Findley, a wealthy billiards player fevered by gambling, and in The Graduate (1967) as Mr. Robinson, husband of Anne Bancroft's Mrs. Robinson. In 1975, Hamilton starred again with Paul Newman in The Drowning Pool. For many years both before and during his film career, Hamilton was a prominent dramatic actor, earning a Tony Award nomination for his role in the 1965 production of Absence of a Cello. His death was caused by cancer. He is interred at Oakdale Cemetery in Washington, North Carolina.
