Michael Murphy is an American film, television, stage, and voiceover actor. He often plays unethical or morally ambiguous characters in positions of authority, including executives, politicians, law enforcement agents, lawyers, judges, military commanders, academics, doctors, and clerics. He is also known for his frequent collaborations with director Robert Altman, having appeared in twelve film and television productions directed by Altman between 1963 and 2004, including the titular role in the HBO cable miniseries Tanner '88.
Murphy was born in Los Angeles, California, USA, to Georgia Arlyn (née Money), a teacher, and Bearl Branton Murphy, a salesman. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Murphy attended the University of Arizona in Tucson, and then went to U.C.L.A. to get his teaching credentials. From 1962 to 1964, he taught high school English and drama in Los Angeles before pursuing a career in acting. In 1988, Michael Murphy married actress Wendy Crewson, his co-star of his short-lived television show Hard Copy. They have two children: a daughter, Maggie Murphy, born in 1989, and a son, John ("Jack") Branton Murphy, born in 1992.
