Ben Murphy
Benjamin Edward Murphy (born Benjamin Edward Castleberry Jr., March 6, 1942[1]) is an American actor.[2] He is best known for his role as Kid Curry in the ABC television series Alias Smith and Jones.
Ben Murphy | |
|---|---|
 Murphy in Alias Smith and Jones. | |
| Born | Benjamin Edward Castleberry Jr. March 6, 1942 Jonesboro, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1967–2010 |
| Spouse | Jeanne Davis (1978–81) |
Early life
Murphy was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas to Nadine (née Steele) and Benjamin E. Castleberry. When his mother remarried in 1956, Ben was adopted by his stepfather, Patrick Henry Murphy.[3] Murphy grew up in Clarendon Hills, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.[1]
An alumnus of St. Procopius Academy in Lisle, Illinois, predecessor to today's Benet Academy,[4] he attended eight colleges before deciding to pursue an acting career.[1]
He has a son, Joshua Spriestersbach, from his relationship with Suzanne Bardin.[5]
Career
Murphy appeared in a supporting role in The Name of the Game, a series featuring a rotating leading cast including Tony Franciosa, Gene Barry, and Robert Stack. Murphy played a semi regular role as 'Joseph Sample' assistant to Robert Stack's leading character 'Dan Farrell' in Stack's segments of the show.
From 1971–73, he starred in Alias Smith and Jones with Pete Duel (1971–72) and Roger Davis (1972–73). After Alias Smith and Jones, Murphy joined Lorne Greene in the 1973 ABC crime drama Griff.
In the 1983–84 season, Murphy co-starred with Marshall Colt in the ABC drama series Lottery!. Murphy played Patrick Sean Flaherty, the man who informed lottery winners of their stroke of fortune, and Colt, formerly with James Arness on NBC's short-lived crime drama, McClain's Law, portrayed the Internal Revenue Service agent, Eric Rush, who made sure the winners pay the U.S. government up front.
In 1985, Murphy co-starred as department store heir, Paul Berrenger, on the short-lived drama, Berrenger's. His character was at odds with his former wife, Gloria (Andrea Marcovicci) and his own father, Simon (Sam Wanamaker) due to his romance with executive, Shane Bradley (Yvette Mimieux).
Murphy starred in his own series Gemini Man, in which he played a secret agent who could become invisible for 15 minutes a day through the use of a special wristwatch. The show did not run beyond a single season. Murphy has since appeared in guest-starring parts, including a murder suspect in CBS's Cold Case.
Since the 1980s, when Murphy became a highly ranked tournament tennis player in California, he has continued to travel and compete on the USTA singles and doubles circuit and in celebrity events.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | The Graduate | Shaving Student | Uncredited |
| 1968 | The Virginian | Mike Bradbury | 2 episodes |
| It Takes a Thief | King Pineau | Episode: "A Matter of Royal Larceny" | |
| Yours, Mine, and Ours | Larry | ||
| The Outsider | Patrick Forrester | Episode: "Tell It Like It Is... and You're Dead" | |
| 1968–71 | The Name of the Game | Joseph Sample | 6 episodes |
| 1969 | The Thousand Plane Raid | Lt. Archer | |
| Anatomy of a Crime | Patrick Forrester | TV film | |
| 1970 | Medical Center | Jerry Lambert | Episode: "His Brother's Keeper" |
| The Mod Squad | Bob | Episode: "A Far Away Place So Near" | |
| 1971–73 | Alias Smith and Jones | Jed 'Kid' Curry (Thaddeus Jones) | 50 episodes |
| 1973 | The Letters | Joe Randolph | TV film |
| Runaway! | Les Reever | TV film | |
| Love, American Style | Bart | Segment: "Love and the Postal Meeter" | |
| 1973–74 | Griff | Mike Murdoch | |
| 1974 | Heatwave! | Frank Taylor | |
| This Is the West That Was | Wild Bill Hickok | ||
| 1975 | Sidecar Racers | Jeff Rayburn | |
| Marcus Welby, M.D. | Alan Peterson (1 | Episode: "Four Plus Hot" | |
| 1976 | Code Name-Minus One | Sam Casey | TV film |
| Gemini Man | Sam Casey | 11 episodes | |
| Bridger | Kit Carson | ||
| 1979 | $weepstake$ | Episode: "Cowboy, Linda and Angie, Mark" | |
| 1979, 1983 | Fantasy Island | Billy Blake | 2 episodes - 1979 and 1983 |
| 1979–80 | The Chisholms | Will Chisholm | |
| 1979–84 | The Love Boat | Gregory King | 5 episodes |
| 1980 | Secret War of Jackie's Girls | Buck | TV film |
| 1981 | Riding with Death | Sam Casey | TV film |
| 1982 | Trapper John, M.D. | Ned Travers | Episode: "Medicine Man" |
| Time Walker | Prof. Douglas McCadden | ||
| 1983 | Uncommon Valor | Jim Merritt | TV film |
| The Winds of War | Warren Henry | 7 episodes | |
| Matt Houston | Terry Noble | Episode: "The Beverly Hills Social Club" | |
| The Cradle Will Fall | Dr. Richard Carroll | ||
| 1983–84 | Lottery![2] | Patrick Sean Flaherty | 17 episodes |
| 1984 | Finder of Lost Loves | David Carson | Episode: "Losing Touch" |
| Hotel | Robbie Joe Carson | Episode: "Fantasies" | |
| 1985 | Berrenger's | Paul Berrenger | 11 episodes |
| Gidget's Summer Reunion | Ron Levering | TV film | |
| Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Alan Chamberlin | Episode: "A Lovely Little Affair" | |
| Murder, She Wrote | Scott Lodge | Episode: "Reflections of the Mind" | |
| 1986 | Stark: Mirror Image | Steve Graves | TV film |
| 1988 | Dirty Dozen: The Series (FOX) | Major Danko | 6 episodes |
| 1989 | The Twilight Zone | Jack Haines | Episode: "Love Is Blind" |
| 1990 | Shades of L.A. | Chuck Yellin | Episode: "Shades of L.A." |
| 1991 | Life Goes On | Jordan Parnell | Episode: "Proms and Prams" |
| In the Heat of the Night | Tom Dalton | Episode: "The More Things Change" | |
| 1992 | FBI: The Untold Stories | Agt. Jack Simpson | Episode: "Colonel Penn" |
| 1993–95 | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman | Ethan Cooper | 3 episodes |
| 1995 | High Sierra Search and Rescue | Roger Harmon | Episode: "Past, Present" |
| 1996 | Silk Stalkings | Senator Grant Hemmings | Episode: "Family Values" |
| Baywatch Nights | Robert Houston | Episode: "Epilogue" | |
| 1997–2004 | JAG | Lt. Col. John Farrow Captain Neilsen |
3 episodes Episode: "Ghosts of Christmas Past" |
| 1998 | Air America | Cornelius Stratton | Episode: "Hostage Situation" |
| 1999 | E! Mysteries and Scandals | Himself | Episode: "Peter Duel" |
| Pacific Blue | Chief Frank Swerdlow | Episode: "Swimming in the Dead Pool" | |
| Seven Days | Col. Seth Mattinger | Episode: "HAARP Attack" | |
| 2000 | Hanging Up | Richard | (scenes deleted) |
| 2001 | To Protect and Serve | Officer Friendly | |
| The District | Congressman Phillip Hallett | Episode: "Lost and Found" | |
| 2003 | The Drew Carey Show | Reverend Henderson | Episode: "Two Girls for Every Boy" |
| Navy NCIS | Capt. Veitch | Episode: "Sub Rosa" | |
| 2004 | Judging Amy | Brad Vickers | Episode: "My Little Runaway" |
| 2005 | Freezerburn | General Dwight Rourke | |
| 2006 | Cold Case | Travis Whitman - 2006 | Episode: "Debut" |
| The Uniform Motion of Folly | Vincent | ||
| 2007 | McBride Semper Fi | General Dwight Rourke | TV film |
| 2010 | The Genesis Code | Professor Campbell |
References
- "Ask the Star — Your Questions Answered". The Windsor Star. March 7, 1973. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
- O'Connor, John J. (September 9, 1983). "TV WEEKEND; 'LOTTERY!' SERIES, TENNIS AND BOXING". The New York Times.
- "Ben Murphy Biography (1942-)". FilmReference.
- "More Notable Alumni...". The Alumni Herald. Benet Academy (9): 11–14. November 2007.
- Kolker, Robert (July 26, 2022). "Why Was Joshua Held for More Than Two Years for Someone Else's Crimes?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
