Sidney Murray Matheson (1 July 1912 – 25 April 1985) was a U.S.-based Australian actor. He appeared on stage and in films and television programs until 1983.

Murray Matheson
Matheson in One Step Beyond (1960)
Born
Sidney Murray Matheson

(1912-07-01)1 July 1912
Casterton, Victoria, Australia
Died25 April 1985(1985-04-25) (aged 72)
Occupation(s)Actor: stage, film, television
Years active1945–1983

Biography

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Matheson was born in Casterton, Australia in 1912 where he grew up on a 3,000-acre sheep station.[1] When he was 12, he saw a production of Sally by a touring company, and that experience sparked his desire to be an actor.[2]

His first principal stage performance was in the musical Roberta at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Australia in 1934. His London debut was at the Palladium in Band Waggon (1939).[3][1]

He made his New York debut as Captain Worthy in The Relapse, as part of the Theatre Guild (1950).[4] Matheson performed in dozens of plays, including some major tours, until 1982.[1]

Matheson's first film appearance was as Joe Lawson in The Way to the Stars, a.k.a. Johnny in the Clouds (1945).[5] He played the clown in the classic The Twilight Zone episode "Five Characters in Search of an Exit".[6] He made guest appearances in two 1964 episodes of CBS's Perry Mason: once as murder victim B.K. Doran in "The Case of the Accosted Accountant", and once as murderer Howard Hopkins in "The Case of the Wooden Nickels".[7]

Some of his best-known film and television roles include:

In 1960 Matheson appeared as Alexander on the TV western Laramie on the episode titled "Duel at Parkinson Town."[8] In 1960–61, he was cast as Geoffrey Carey in "The Archer's Ring" and as the High Priest in "The Perils of Penrose", respectively, on the ABC series, Adventures in Paradise, starring Gardner McKay.[9] In 1961, he played the lead guest-starring role in the episode "A Rope for Charlie Munday" on another ABC adventure series, The Islanders, co-starring William Reynolds.[10] In 1969, he guest starred in Bewitched season 5 episode 28, " Samantha's Good News".[11] In 1970, he appeared in an episode of the ABC crime drama The Silent Force, and in 1978 he appeared in the "Murder! Murder!" episode of the NBC crime drama The Eddie Capra Mysteries.[12] In 1982 he made an appearance on The Facts of Life S4 E11.[13]

Matheson's ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean.[14]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1945 The Way to the Stars Joe Lawson
1945 Journey Together Lancaster Crew
1946 School for Secrets Wing Commander Allen
1948 The Secret Tunnel Mr. Henderson
1949 The Fool and the Princess Graham Ballard
1952 Hurricane Smith Dr. Whitmore
1952 Plymouth Adventure Christopher Martin Uncredited
1952 Botany Bay Reverend Mortimer Thynne
1953 Jamaica Run Inspector Mole
1953 Flight to Tangier Franz Kovac
1953 King of the Khyber Rifles Major Ian MacAllister
1954 The Bamboo Prison Comrade Clayton
1955 Love is a Many-Splendored Thing Dr. John Keith
1958 Alfred Hitchcock Presents James St. George Bernard Bowlby Season 3 Episode 37: "The Canary Sedan"
1958 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Oliver Teleton Season 4 Episode 10: "Tea Time"
1958 Peter Gunn Phillip Lasdowne Season 1 Episode 17: "Missing Night Watchman"
1960 Laramie Alexander Season 2 Episode 12: "Duel at Parkinson Town"
1960 One Step Beyond Bentley Season 2 Episode 32: "Delia"
1961 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Cyril Hardeen Season 6 Episode 20: "The Throwback"
1961 Thriller Thomas Edward Griffith Season 1 Episode 17: "The Poisoner"
1961 Thriller Andrew Lawrence Season 2 Episode 8: "Letter to a Lover"
1961 The Twilight Zone Clown Season 3 Episode 14: "Five Characters in Search of an Exit"
1961 The Islanders Charlie Munday Episode: "A Rope for Charlie Munday"
1962 The Notorious Landlady Neighbour Uncredited
1963 Wall of Noise Jack Matlock
1963 The Fugitive Earl Morehead Season 1 Episode 9: "Ticket to Alaska"
1964 Perry Mason B.K. Doran Season 7 Episode 14: "The Case of the Accosted Accountant"
1964 Perry Mason Howard Hopkins Season 8 Episode 12: "The Case of the Wooden Nickels"
1964 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Charles Justin Season 2 Episode 19: "Murder Case"
1964 Signpost to Murder Dr. Graham
1965 Get Smart Devonshire Season 1 Episode 22: "Smart The Assassin"
1965 My Favourite Martian Filbert Season 3 Episode 12: "Avenue C Mob"
1965 The Man from U.N.C.L.E The Maharajah Season 1 Episode 17: "The Yellow Scarf Affair"
1966 Assault on a Queen Captain
1967 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Benjamin Ovington Movie
1967 F.B.I Henry Dodd Season 2 Episode 24: "Flight Plan"
1967 The Invaders Dr. Reynard Season 1 Episode 11: "The Ivy Curtain"
1967 Girl from UNCLE Dr. Merek Season 1 Episode 28: "The High and the Deadly Affair"
1968 Star! Bankruptcy Judge Uncredited
1968 In Enemy Country Uncredited
1969 Explosion Owner of Jaguar Movie
1969 Bewitched John Van Millwood Season 5 Episode 28: "Samantha's Good News"
1970 F.B.I Murray Elders Season 5 Episode 19: "The Diamond Millstone"
1970 The Silent Force Valentine Estes Season 1 Episode 2: "The Hero"
1970 It Takes a Thief Harry Fulham Season 3 Episode 21: "The Suzie Simone Caper"
1970 McCloud Grantley Season 1 Episode 4: "The Stage is All the World"
1971 McCloud George Lincoln Season 2 Episode 4: "The Disposal Man"
1971 Marcus Welby MD Dr. Stoddard Season 3 Episode 14: "Cross Match"
1971 Mannix Snowy Bartlett Season 6 Episode 14: "Light and Shadow"
1972 A Fan's Notes Clarke Institute Doctor
1972 Banyon Charles Troy Season 1 Episode 14: "Just Once"
1972-1974 Banacek Felix Mulholland 16 episodes
1972 Hec Ramsey Lionel Harlock Season 1 Episode 2: "Hangman's Wages"
1973 Marcus Welby MD Edward Liddell Season 4 Episode 16: "A Necessary End"
1973 Hawaii Five-0 Talbot Season 6 Episode 8: "Why Wait Till Uncle Kevin Dies?"
1973 Here's Lucy Professor Dietrich Season 5 Episode 19: "Lucy and The Professor"
1973 Circle of Fear Mathews Season 2 Episode 9: "The Phantom of Herald Square"
1973 McMillan and Wife Angus McPhee Season 2 Episode 7: "Two Dollars on Trouble to Win"
1973 Ghost Story Mathews Season 1 Episode 22: "The Phantom of Herald Square"
1973 Night Gallery Dr. Strang Season 3 Episode 14: "The Doll of Death"
1974 The Magician (American TV Series) Walter Moran Season 1 Episode 18: "The Illusion of the Fatal Arrow"
1974 Kolchak:The Night Stalker Mr. Lane-Mariot Season 1 Episode 11: "Horror in The Heights"
1975 Marcus Welby MD Lucky Season 6 Episode 24: "Loser in a Dead Heat"
1975 Hawaii Five-0 Lord Danby Season 8 Episode 4: "Termination with Extreme Prejudice"
1975 The Manhunter Major Markley Season 1 Episode 18: "The Seventh Man"
1975 S.W.A.T Cyrus Porter Season 1 Episode 8: "The Bravo Enigma"
1975 S.W.A.T Armand Season 2 Episode 14: "Murder by Fire"
1975 McMillan and Wife Aaron Hildreth Season 4 Episode 5: "Night Train to L.A"
1976 The Tony Randall Show Judge Burnside Season 1 Episode 9: "Case: Mario Strikes Again"
1976 Phyllis Charles Plunkett Season 1 Episode 21: "Leo's Suicide"
1977 Family Sandor Pratt Season 2 Episode 11: "An Eye to The Future"
1977 Sugar Time DeForest Season 1 Episode 2: "Witty, Urbane And Erudite"
1977 Tail Gunner Joe Publisher TV movie
1978 Charlie's Angels Leland Swinnerton Season 2 Episode 22: "Mother Goose is Running for His Life"
1978 Rabbit Test Dr. Mario Lowell 1978 Movie
1978 Battlestar Galactica Specter (Voice) Season 1 Episode 9: "The Young Lords" (uncredited)
1979 Battlestar Galactica Statesman Geller Season 1 Episode 17: "Greetings from Earth"
1979 Vegas Phillip Grayson Season 1 Episode 12: "Ghost Of The Ripper"
1979 Hart to Hart Martin Hyde-Jones Season 1 Episode 5: "Death in the Slow Lane"
1979 Mary and Joseph: A Story of Faith Zacharias TV movie
1980 Angel on My Shoulder The Stranger TV movie
1981 Three's Company Roger Season 6 Episode 7: "Two Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"
1981 The Million Dollar Face Sir Douglas Devereux TV movie
1982 The Facts of Life Professor Henry Clayton Season 4 Episode 11: "September Song"
1982 The Great Detective Season 4 Episode 4: "Star of Bengal"
1982 Tucker's Witch Nathan Bly Season 1 Episode 2: "Big Mouth"
1983 Twilight Zone: The Movie Mr. Agee (segment "Kick the Can")
1983 Newhart Carl Season 2 Episode 3: "Animal Attractions"

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c "Actor Murray Matheson Dies at Age 73". Los Angeles Times. 26 April 1985.
  2. ^ Kleiner, Dick (16 June 1973). "Banacek's Felix Once Sheepman". The Ogden Standard. Utah, Ogden. p. 23. Retrieved 11 July 2017 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "Production of Band Waggon | Theatricalia".
  4. ^ "Murray Matheson – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
  5. ^ "Murray Matheson | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos". AllMovie.
  6. ^ "The Twilight Zone : Five Characters in Search of an Exit (1961) - Lamont Johnson | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie" – via www.allmovie.com.
  7. ^ "Murray Matheson | TV, Documentary and Other Appearances". AllMovie.
  8. ^ "Laramie" Duel at Parkison Town (TV Episode 1960) - IMDb, retrieved 27 November 2022
  9. ^ "Murray Matheson". www.aveleyman.com.
  10. ^ "The Islanders" A Rope for Charlie Munday (TV Episode 1961) - IMDb, retrieved 27 November 2022
  11. ^ "Bewitched : Samantha's Good News (1969) - Richard Michaels, William Asher | Cast and Crew | AllMovie" – via www.allmovie.com.
  12. ^ "The Eddie Capra Mysteries". TVGuide.com.
  13. ^ "The Facts of Life : September Song (1982) - Asaad Kelada | Cast and Crew | AllMovie" – via www.allmovie.com.
  14. ^ "Murray Matheson was born July 1, 1912". Today In Nerd History. 1 July 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2022.

Sources

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