Stars & Players · Biography

Mary Murphy

1931–2011 · Actress

Biography

Mary Murphy (January 26, 1931 – May 4, 2011) was an American film actress of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. She was born in Washington, D.C., before moving to Los Angeles. Shortly out of high school she was signed to appear in films for Paramount Pictures in the late 1940s.

Murphy first gained attention in 1953, when she played a good-hearted girl who tries to reform Marlon Brando in The Wild One. The following year, she appeared opposite Tony Curtis in Beachhead, and the year after that as Fredric March's daughter in the thriller The Desperate Hours, which also starred Humphrey Bogart. She co-starred with actor-director Ray Milland in his Western A Man Alone, and appeared in dozens of television series including Perry Mason, I Spy and Ironside. She was long absent from the big screen before acting in 1972 with Steve McQueen in the Sam Peckinpah film Junior Bonner. She had retired from acting by the 1980s.

Murphy died from heart disease complications on May 4, 2011; she was 80 years old.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Mary Murphy (actress), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Notable Noir Roles

The Mad Magician

1954Dir. John Brahm · Karen Lee

Don Gallico is an inventor of stage magic effects who aspires to become a star in his own right. Just before his first performance his act is shut down by capricious manager Ross Ormond who wants Gall…

The Desperate Hours

1955Dir. William Wyler · Cynthia 'Cindy' Hilliard

Escaped convicts terrorize a suburban family they're holding hostage.

The Intimate Stranger

1956Dir. Joseph Losey · Evelyn Stewart

Film producer Reggie Wilson is worried he may have a dual personality. Fleeing Hollywood, he finds himself in England and married to the studio boss's daughter after which he quickly rises through the…

Live Fast, Die Young

1958Dir. Paul Henreid · Kim Winters / Narrator

A teenager finds her wayward sister running with thieves in San Francisco.

Full Noir Filmography

4 films · 1954–1958