Malcolm Murray (actor)

Malcolm Alan Murray (born 24 July 1964) is a New Zealand stage and television actor, best known for his role as Dr Alan Dubrovsky in the television soap opera Shortland Street between 1999 and 2001. In 2005 he won the Actor of the Year award at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards in Wellington for his portrayal of Dimitri Tsafendas in the Antony Sher play I.D.

Malcolm Alan Murray
Born(1964-07-24)24 July 1964
Oamaru, New Zealand
Occupationactor

Biography

Born in Oamaru, Malcolm grew up on his family's North Otago farm, where he worked as a farmer after leaving secondary school.[1] Subsequently he worked as a Ministry of Agriculture farm consultant[1] before studying journalism at Aoraki Polytechnic, from where he graduated in 1991.[2] He then worked as a rural reporter for The Press newspaper in Christchurch until the end of 1993,[2] before studying drama at Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School, graduating in 1995.[3] He played Bottom in the graduating class's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.[4]

His first production after graduating was the critically acclaimed Knot A Problem—a solo show that he wrote while at drama school loosely based on his own life—at BATS Theatre in Wellington as part of the 1996 New Zealand Fringe Festival.[1][5][6] Later that year he played a Scottish doctor in The Vampyre Dances at Circa Theatre in Wellington.[7] He then appeared as Brian Fraser in Market Forces, Roger Hall's sequel to Glide Time and Gliding On, at Centrepoint Theatre in Palmerston North at the end of 1996.[8][9]

In 1997, Murray returned to Centrepoint, playing a variety of characters in Travels with My Aunt, adapted by Giles Havergal from the novel of the same name by Graham Greene.[9] He then followed that up with the role of a Russian tourist, Konstantin, in the premiere of David Geary's comedy The Farm, at the same theatre,[10] before appearing in Hamlet, also at Centrepoint.[11]

Murray reprised his monologue, Knot A Problem, at Circa in Wellington in early 1998.[1] That March he appeared in Sing Whale as part of the International Festival of the Arts in Wellington, before taking Knot A Problem to various venues including Repertory House in Invercargill in April[12] and Centrepoint, Palmerston North, in October 1998.[13] During the year he also appeared in The Herbal Bed and The Farm at Dunedin's Fortune Theatre.[14][15] He finished the year taking on the role of Swannee in Centrepoint's Christmas production of Shop 'Til You Drop.[16]

In 1999, Murray landed the role of Dr Alan Dubrovsky in the New Zealand prime-time soap opera Shortland Street.[2] In November 2000 it was announced that Murray's character was one of five being axed by the show's executive producer, Tony Holden, early in 2001.[17]

After leaving Shortland Street, Murray appeared as the barman in the mixed media play Death of a Theatre Manager, as part of the 2001 TV2 International LAUGH! Festival.[18][19] He then made his debut at Christchurch's Court Theatre in June 2001 playing a doctor in the Pulitzer Prize-winning one-act play W;t by Margaret Edson, alongside Helen Moulder,[20][21] before appearing in the role of New Zealand Battle of Britain fighter ace Brian Carbury in The Face Maker, also at the Court.[14][22] Later in 2001, he appeared as Peter in Roger Hall's play A Way of Life with the New Zealand Actors Company, touring various venues in the North Island including Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua, Auckland, Napier, Gisborne, New Plymouth and Wellington.[23][24][25][26][27]

2002 saw Murray again appearing in The Face Maker, this time at the Circa in Wellington.[28] In 2003 he played Pushy in Strata[29] and the following year appeared in the New Zealand premiere of Gagarin Way by Scottish playwright Gregory Burke, both at BATS in Wellington.[30] Also in 2004 he was back in Dunedin, acting in The Pied Piper at the Fortune and Don't Tell at the University of Otago,[31] before returning to BATS to play Rudolf Hess in David Edgar's Albert Speer.[32]

He took on the role of the title character Antonio in Centrepoint's 2005 production of The Merchant of Venice.[33] Later that year he played Dimitri Tsafendas in Antony Sher's 2003 play I.D. at BATS,[34] and subsequently won Actor of the Year for the role at the 2005 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards.[35]

In 2006 Murray appeared as Alex in the premiere season of Ken Duncum's play Picture Perfect.[36] At the 2006 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards he was awarded an accolade for outstanding performance for his role in Martin Crimp's The Country at Circa[37] and also received a nomination for Actor of the Year for the same role.[38]

Murray returned for the 10th anniversary production of The Farm at Centrepoint in 2007, but this time took on the role of farmer Jim Greene.[15] He then took the role of the Earl of Kent in the 2007 Fortune Theatre production of King Lear, which also played at Te Whaea Theatre in Wellington.[37] In 2007 he appeared in an episode of the New Zealand television drama The Hothouse.[39]

In 2008 he appeared as Ben Hecht in Ron Hutchinson's Moonlight and Magnolias and a horse in the Polly Teale/Shared Experience version of Jane Eyre, both at the Fortune,[40] as well as in Peter Hawes' The Gods of Warm Beer at Centrepoint.[41]

References
  1. Anderson, Veronica (23 January 1998). "Knots tie together tale of farmer". The Dominion. p. 14.
  2. "Former reporter digs deep in new role". The Press. 3 August 1999. p. 1.
  3. "Royal Shakespeare Company star to play Lear". Scoop Independent News. 14 June 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  4. Atkinson, Laurie (29 November 1995). "Graduates give light to Dream's dark side". Evening Post. p. 30.
  5. Houlahan, Mike (2 March 1996). "Chivalry in a knot on the Fringe". Evening Post. p. 24.
  6. Coleman, Ewen (20 March 1996). "Baggage no bundle of joy". Evening Post. p. 14.
  7. Atkinson, Laurie (9 August 1996). "Vampyres dancing to a laboured tune". Evening Post. p. 18.
  8. "Hall's gliding characters come crashing down". Manawatu Evening Standard. 25 October 1996. p. 21.
  9. "Take a trip around the world with Aunt Augusta". Manawatu Evening Standard. 16 April 1997. p. 10.
  10. "Geary's new hit comedy on show". Manawatu Evening Standard. 21 May 1997. p. 6.
  11. "The Bard's back with start of Hamlet season". Manawatu Evening Standard. 30 July 1997. p. 15.
  12. "Knot a Problem to be staged". Southland Times. 7 April 1998. p. 14.
  13. Matthews, Lee (9 October 1998). "Intricate web of the heart". Manawatu Evening Standard. p. 7.
  14. "Street to stage". The Press. 6 June 2001.
  15. Mays, Richard (1 June 2007). "It's a 'farm' favourite". Manawatu Standard. p. 2.
  16. Myers, Jo (9 November 1998). "Farce 'rollicking fun'". Manawatu Evening Standard. p. 2.
  17. "Slaughter on the Street". Evening Post. 23 November 2000. p. 1.
  18. McCarroll, Jo (1 April 2001). "Television". Sunday Star Times. p. 7.
  19. Budd, Susan (4 May 2001). "Death of a Theatre Manager at the TV2 Laugh! Festival". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  20. Dunbar, Anna (30 May 2001). "A life reassessed with W;t [sic]". The Press. p. 27.
  21. Dunbar, Anna (2 June 2001). "Shortland St's Mr Nice Guy has his day at court". The Press.
  22. Smythe, John (3 August 2001). "McIndoe play lively but script needs more work". National Business Review. p. 33.
  23. Irvine, Denise (29 September 2001). "The promised land". Waikato Times. p. 18.
  24. Winder, Virginia (6 October 2001). "Overnight success takes time". Daily News. p. 19.
  25. McCarroll, Jo (7 October 2001). "Hardly sporting". Sunday Star Times.
  26. Watkin, Tim (19 October 2001). "A Way of Life at the Sky City Theatre". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  27. Daly-Peoples, John (26 October 2001). "Farming epoch play marks milestone in drama". National Business Review. p. 34.
  28. Smythe, John (1 March 2002). "Festival introduces a tasty selection of world plays". National Business Review. p. 51.
  29. Bourke, Mary Anne (5 October 2003). "Theatre review: finding the edge". Sunday Star Times.
  30. Cardy, Tom (16 April 2004). "Weighty stuff of comedies". Dominion Post. p. 11.
  31. Mason, Steve (6 August 2004). "Tragic tale in new play". Southland Times.
  32. Smythe, John (8 October 2004). "Turning a blind eye to evil". National Business Review. p. 50.
  33. Smythe, John (17 June 2005). "Absolutism v absolution in The Merchant of Venice". National Business Review. p. 53.
  34. Smythe, John (14 October 2005). "Theatre: Possessed, yet clearly sane". National Business Review. p. 57.
  35. "Hard work pays off for playwright". Dominion Post. 6 December 2005. p. 7.
  36. McLean, Robyn (8 September 2006). "Technology explores dilemma of death". Dominion Post. p. 9.
  37. "Royal Shakespeare Company star to play Lear". Scoop Independent News. 14 June 2007.
  38. "Ripper of a play leads theatre award nominations". Dominion Post. 22 November 2006.
  39. Malcolm Murray at IMDb
  40. "Upcoming plays". The Bacchanals. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  41. Ford, Joan (19 June 2008). "Well-won standing ovation". Feilding Herald.
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