Brian Murphy (actor)

For the American actor and comedian, see Brian K. Murphy.

Brian Murphy
Born	Brian Trevor John Murphy (1932-09-25) 25 September 1932 Ventnor, Isle of Wight, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1960–present
Known for	Man About the House as George Roper (TV series) (1973–1976) George and Mildred (TV series) as George Roper Last of the Summer Wine as Alvin Smedley (TV series) (2003–2010)
Spouses	Carol Gibson ​ ​ (m. 1957, divorced)​ Linda Regan ​ (m. 1995)​
Children	2

Brian Trevor John Murphy (born 25 September 1932) is an English actor and comedian. He is best known as the henpecked husband George Roper in the popular sitcom Man About the House and its spin-off series George and Mildred. He also played Alvin Smedley in Last of the Summer Wine. Other notable roles include Stan the shopkeeper in the 1990s children's series Wizadora, and Maurice in the comedy drama series The Booze Cruise.

Biography

Early life

Murphy was born on 25 September 1932 in Ventnor, Isle of Wight. He was the son of grocer's assistant Gerald Murphy and his wife Mabel, both of whom later became restaurateurs. His two brothers Ken and Eric died during active service in the Second World War. He was called up to do his national service at RAF Northwood, where he met future The Good Life actor Richard Briers. Upon leaving the RAF the two aspiring actors both performed in productions by the Dramatic Society at the Borough Polytechnic Institute (now London South Bank University).

Early career

Murphy was a member of the Theatre Workshop (alongside future TV co-star Yootha Joyce), and a jobbing actor in the 1960s and early 1970s, combining his theatre work with guest appearances in television shows such as The Avengers, Z-Cars, Callan and Dixon of Dock Green, before being cast in the role which would make him a household name.

Man About the House and George and Mildred

Murphy first came to prominence in the ITV television sitcom Man About the House, playing George Roper, whose wife, Mildred, played by Yootha Joyce, was a domineering social climber – a sharp contrast to the character of George, a lazy landlord whose desire was for an easy and quiet life. The pairing was an instant hit. A contributing factor to the actors' immediate chemistry was that they had been friends for many years. Aside from their Theatre Workshop years, Murphy also featured opposite Joyce in Sparrows Can't Sing (1963).

When Man About The House ended in 1976, a spin-off was created for Murphy and Joyce, titled George and Mildred. This ran for five series until 1979. In 1978 he released the single "Jogging" (b/w "The Great Gnome Robbery"), recorded in the persona of George, on the Pye label. Murphy later said, "Out of the blue I was requested to record "Jogging" in the manner of George, and naturally could not refuse. I had been told I had an excellent singing voice and in fact did some training, but sadly I lacked confidence and missed opportunities – one of my biggest regrets." Murphy reprised his role in feature films of both sitcoms. Joyce died in 1980, and the planned final series of George and Mildred was cancelled.

After George and Mildred

In 1981, another television sitcom was created specifically for Murphy with him in the title role in The Incredible Mr. Tanner (the series would feature regular Man About The House and George and Mildred co-star Roy Kinnear), but the show failed to gain popularity. He moved to the BBC in 1982 for the driving school TV sitcom L for Lester, but this was also a ratings failure and was cancelled after just six episodes.

Murphy was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1998.

Last of the Summer Wine and others

He continued to appear regularly on television, most notably as "Alvin Smedley" in Last of the Summer Wine from 2003 to 2010, which was promoted by a cast return to the Rose Theatre site, and also with roles in On Your Way, Riley (1985) as Arthur Lucan, Lame Ducks (as a private investigator); The Bill (as a drunken tramp dressed as an elf at Christmas); comedy series Pond Life, an animation series, as Len Pond, the father of protagonist Dolly Pond (Sarah Ann Kennedy), One Foot in the Grave starring Richard Wilson (playing a character called Mr Foskett); Brookside; and as a shopkeeper called Stan in the pre-school children's TV series Wizadora.

In 2010 he appeared in an episode of Hustle called "The Thieving Mistake". He has more recently made appearances in comedy shows The Catherine Tate Show, This is Jinsy and Benidorm. Murphy can also be seen in all three episodes of the ITV comedy The Booze Cruise, playing Maurice. He also appeared as Frank Dobson in The Cafe from 2011 and 2013, and also in the Channel 4 comedy Man Down as music teacher Frank Field-Williams in the 2013 Christmas special.

In 2023, Murphy wrote the introduction to the autobiography of his Oh, What a Lovely War! co-star Larry Dann.

Personal life

Murphy is married to Hi-de-Hi! actress Linda Regan. Regan is his second wife and the couple married in 1995; they live in Kent. Murphy has two adult children, Trevor and Kevin, from his previous marriage to Carol Gibson.

His grandson is the playwright Martin Murphy, whose play Manor was performed at the Tristan Bates Theatre in Covent Garden in 2010.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1963	Sparrows Can't Sing	Jack
1964	Love and Maud Carver	Guardsman
1965	San Ferry Ann	British Tourist at Garage
1969	The Activist	Member of Steering Committee
1971	The Devils	Adam
1971	The Boy Friend	Peter
1972	The Ragman's Daughter	Tony's Father
1974	Man About the House	George Roper
1976	I'm Not Feeling Myself Tonight	Caretaker
1979	The Plank	Truck Driver
1980	George and Mildred	George Roper
1981	Black Jack	Archibald
1982	It's Your Move	Chauffeur
1997	Day Release
2000	The Mumbo Jumbo	Mr. Tipple
2003	The Booze Cruise	Maurice Stringer
2005	Room 36	George Roberts
2005	The Booze Cruise II: The Treasure Hunt	Maurice Stringer
2006	The Booze Cruise III: The Scattering	Maurice Stringer
2011	Grave Tales	Arthur
2011	The Estate	Geoff
2012	Blitz and Bananas	Clarence Spratt
2012	Run For Your Wife	Allotment Man	Cameo

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1960	Probation Officer	Max Fletcher	Episode: "#2.1"
1961	The Avengers	Haslam	Episode: "The Springers"
1961	The Interrogator	Corporal Doggart	TV film
1962	Z Cars	Wallace Brackett	2 episodes
1963	ITV Television Playhouse	Man with Alsatian	Episode: "The Wedding Dress"
1963	The Plane Makers	Sorbo	Episode: "Costigan's Rocket"
1964	Six	Mr. Gowing	Episode: "The Diary of a Nobody: The Domestic Jottings of a City Clerk"
1965	Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life	Various	24 episodes
1965	A World of Comedy	Motorist	2 episodes
1965	Blackmail	Talbut	Episode: "Cobb"
1966	Hope and Keen		Episode: "S.S. Bounty"
1966	Drama 61-67	Nick	Episode: "Drama '66: A Hero of Modern Industry"
1966	Blackmail	Fletcher	Episode: "Vacant Possession"
1967	The White Rabbit	Perkins	Episode: "The Beginning"
1967	Baker's Half-Dozen	Various	5 episodes
1968	Love Story	Party guest	Episode: "S for Sugar, A for Apple, M for Missing"
1968	Resurrection	Kriltsov	2 episodes
1969	Sez Les	Various	12 episodes
1970	The Misfit	The drunk	Episode: "On Protest"
1970	ITV Playhouse	Driver	Episode: "A Sound from the Sea"
1972	The Moonstone	Septimus Luker	3 episodes
1972	Callan	Reeves	Episode: "None of Your Business"
1972	Alcock and Gander	Pluthero	Episode: "Soho Is Too Small"
1972	Dixon of Dock Green	Percy Sinclair	Episode: "Ada"
1973	The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club	Detective	Episode: "Mr. Oliver"
1973–1976	Man About the House	George Roper	All 39 episodes
1974	South Riding	Mr Hubbard	Episode: "In Sickness and in Health"
1976–1979	George and Mildred	George Roper	All 38 episodes
1981	The Incredible Mr Tanner	Ernest Tanner	All 6 episodes
1981	Theatre Box	Hubert Dibble	Episode: "Reasons to Be Cheerful"
1982	L for Lester	Lester Small	All 6 episodes
1984–1985	Lame Ducks	Ansell	11 episodes
1985	On Your Way Riley	Arthur Lucan / Old Mother Riley	TV film
1986	Reasons to Be Cheerful	King	Episode: "Charlie Chuckles"
1986	Cinderella: The Shoe Must Go On	Amnesia	TV film
1987	All in Good Faith	Greg Sproat	Episode: "The Patience of Job"
1992	Boon	Buster	Episode: "Shot in the Dark"
1993–1997	Wizadora	Stan	Recurring series 1-4, Main series 5-7
1994	One Foot in the Grave	Mr. Foskett	Episode: "The Man Who Blew Away"
1995	Brookside	George Manners	5 episodes
1995	Next of Kin	Salesman	Episode: "Expansion"
1995	Paul Merton's Life of Comedy	Grandad's friend	2 episodes
1996	Delta Wave	Mr. Seffel	Episode: "Dodgy Jammers: Part 2"
1996	Mike and Angelo	Mervyn K. Mertz	Episode: "An Actor's Life for Me"
1996–2000	Pond Life	Len Pond	11 episodes
1997	The Famous Five	Mr. Wooh	Episode: "Five Are Together Again"
1997	Western Lights: Laugh Until You Die	Ricky Chapple	TV film
1997	Paul Merton in Galton and Simpson's...	Father	Episode: "Visiting Day"
1997	Paul Merton in Galton and Simpson's...	Uncle Arthur	Episode: "Being of Sound Mind"
1998	Jonathan Creek	Ken Speed	Episode: "Mother Redcap"
1999	Mrs Merton and Malcolm	Mr Capstick	All 6 episodes
1999	Hilltop Hospital	Dr. Atticus	Voice; Episode: "Gracey Greyshell's Last Day"
1999	Casualty	Walter Burnley	Episode: "To Have and to Hold"
1999	The Bill	Danny the Elf	Episode: "When the Snow Lay Round About"
2000	Sunburn	Sid Dawson	Episode: #2.2
2001	Comedy Lab		Voice; Episode: "Knife & Wife"
2003–2010	Last of the Summer Wine	Alvin Smedley	73 episodes
2004	Monkey Trousers	Various	TV film
2005–2006	The Catherine Tate Show	Neville	5 episodes
2010	The Slammer	Alan	Episode: #1.12
2010	Hustle	Larry	Episode: "The Thieving Mistake"
2010	Paul O'Grady Live	Alvin	Episode: #1.6
2010	Benidorm	Clive Mitchell	Episode: "Christmas Special"
2011	White Van Man	Albert	Episode: "Beginnings and Ends"
2011	This is Jinsy	Melty Harris	Episode: "Kelpman"
2011–2013	The Cafe	Jack Dobson	9 episodes
2013	Plebs	Victor	Episode: "Bananae"
2013	Man Down	Mr Frank Field-Williams	Episode: "Christmas Special"
2014	It's an Unknown World	George Timemile	Unknown episodes
2014	Holby City	Charlie Evans	Episode: "The Art of Losing"
2016	Casualty	Frank Haines	Episode: "Hopelessly Addicted"
2018	Claude	Mr. Lovelybuns	Voice; Episode: "Gone Sock"
2019	Holby City	Buster Kitchener	Episode: "The Wrong Horse"
2020–2021	Mighty 6	Old Man L.	Voice; 2 episodes
2022	30 Years Of Laughs: Last Of The Summer Wine	Himself	; 1 episode

Theatre and radio

• Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Christopher Bond), Theatre Royal Stratford East, Title role (Sweeney Todd), 1973
• On Your Way, Riley (Alan Plater), The Queen's Theatre, Arthur Lucan (Old Mother Riley), February–March 1983
• When We Are Married (J.B. Priestley), Whitehall Theatre, Herbert Soppitt, 1986
• Roll on Friday (Roger Hall), Watford Palace Theatre, Jim, October 1989

From October 1987 to July 1991, Murphy played Ernest Bond in BBC Radio 4's drama series Citizens.

Murphy also played Robert Collins in an episode of the audio series of Doctor Who by Big Finish Productions in an episode entitled "The Home Guard" in November 2019. Brian returned to radio/podcast alongside his wife Linda Regan playing the role of the Mayor of Barmy Dale, Lord Palmer. Barmy Dale encompassed some of the great British Sitcom actors including Jeffrey Holland, Judy Buxton, Mike Fenton Stevens and Karl Howman.

External links

• Brian Murphy at IMDb
• Brian Murphy at British Comedy Guide
• Brian Murphy role reviews
• Brian Murphy at Rotten Tomatoes