George Murphy

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George Murphy

George Lloyd Murphy (born July 4, 1902 in New Haven , Connecticut , † May 3, 1992 in Palm Beach , Florida ) was an American film and stage actor and politician of the Republican Party . He represented the state of California in the US Senate from 1965 to 1971 .

biography

Early life

George Murphy, son of Irish Catholic immigrants, graduated from Yale University and worked to earn a living, first as a toolmaker for Ford , later in mining and as a real estate agent, and finally as a dancer in various discos .

His father was the American track and field trainer Mike Murphy .

actor

In the mid-1920s Murphy moved to New York , where he appeared on Broadway from 1927 . It was here that he met his first wife Juliette Henkel, whom he married in 1926. With her he had two children, son Dennis and daughter Melissa.

After his departure from the theater stage, Murphy moved with his family to Hollywood in 1935 , where he could be seen in films from 1934. By the end of the 1950s, Murphy was able to be engaged for around 50 feature films, and during the Second World War increasingly in perseverance films to strengthen the morale of the US troops. From 1944 to 1946 Murphy assumed the presidency of the Screen Actors Guild ; he was also vice president of the Desilu film production company from 1958 to 1961 .

Although his work was mostly limited to relatively unknown films, he received an honorary Oscar in 1951 for his services in the film industry .

Political career

In the late 1950s, Murphy began to be more politically active. He became a Republican party member and was three times, in 1952, 1956 and 1960, entertainment chief in the televised broadcast of the inauguration of US Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy .

In the early 1960s Murphy took over the party leadership of the Republicans of the US state of California and was elected US Senator in 1964 . He defeated the incumbent Senator Pierre Salinger against the general trend of the 1964 elections . He remained in the Senate for a six-year term before resigning in January 1971. Murphy was thus the first actor to pursue a political career, and was considered a role model for his party colleagues Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger . Reagan himself always referred to Murphy as his " John the Baptist ".

During his tenure, Murphy developed esophageal cancer , which is why his larynx had to be removed by surgery . This was one reason why he did not run for a second term again. As a result of the operation, he found it difficult to speak for the rest of his life; he could only communicate with his surroundings in a low tone.

Next life

George Murphy retired into private life, which he shared with his second wife Betty Blandi. He left California and moved to Palm Beach, where he died of leukemia two months before his 90th birthday .

Candy desk

In 1968, Murphy began the candy desk tradition by allowing his Senate colleagues to help themselves to the candy stored in his boardroom table.

Filmography (selection)

Awards

George Lloyd Murphy is dedicated to a star on the Walk of Fame .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Robert Traynor: You Can't Lick a Team That Won't Be Licked. In: hearinghealthmatters.org. December 9, 2015, accessed August 17, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME Murphy, George
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Murphy, George Lloyd
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American actor and politician
DATE OF BIRTH 4th July 1902
PLACE OF BIRTH New Haven , Connecticut
DATE OF DEATH May 3, 1992
Place of death Palm Beach , Florida