Don Murray, who received an Oscar nomination for his performance opposite Marilyn Monroe in the 1956 film Bus Stop, has died. Murray passed away in his home near Santa Barbara on Friday, Feb. 2, his son confirmed to The New York Times. He was 94. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Born on July 31, 1929, and raised on the outskirts of New York City, Murray attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before breaking onto the Broadway stage when he was cast in the original 1951 Broadway production of Tennessee Williams’ Tony Award-winning The Rose Tattoo, according to The Hollywood Reporter. After working in German and Italian refugee camps in the Brethren Volunteer Service during the Korean War, Murray returned to the U.S. in 1955, resuming his Broadway career. It was that same year that director Joshua Logan sought Murray, who was fresh off a starring role in a 1955 Broadway revival of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, to portray Bo Decker in Bus Stop.
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An adaptation of William Inge’s playof the same name, Bus Stop centered around Murray’s character, a naive Montana man who falls in love with beautiful cafe singer Cherie, portrayed by Monroe. Murray portrayal of Decker landed him a best supporting actor nomination at the 29th annual Academy Awards in 1957. The award ultimately went to Anthony Quinn, who played the painter Paul Gauguin in Lust for Life.
Following his role in Bus Stop, Murray went on to star in the Delbert Mann-directed The Bachelor Party and the Fred Zinnemann-directed movie A Hatful of Rain in 1957. In 1958, he appeared in the CinemaScope-shot Westerns From Hell to Texas and These Thousand Hills. In the late ’60s, he had a leading role in ABC’s one-season Western drama The Outcasts. He also appeared in a leading role in the CBS Dallas spinoff soap opera Knots Landing, and starred in eight episodes of the 2017 Twin Peaks revival at Showtime.
His other credits include the Western film Promise, The Plainsman, Peggy Sue Got Married, the NBC comedy A Brand New Life, the CBS ensemble dramedy Sons and Daughters, among many others.
Murray was married to actress Hope Lange, who had co-starred with Murray and Monroe in Bus Stop, from 1956 until 1961. He later married actress Elizabeth Johnson. The actor had five children – Christopher (an actor); Sean (a composer); Patricia; Mick; and Colleen.
