Murray Hamilton
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- March 24, 1923
- Died
- September 1, 1986 (aged 63)
- Birthplace
- Washington, North Carolina, USA
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Murray Hamilton (March 24, 1923 – September 1, 1986) was an American actor. He is best known for his role as Mayor Larry Vaughn in the 1975 film "Jaws" and its sequels, "Jaws 2" and "Jaws: The Revenge". Hamilton also starred in several other well-known films such as "The Graduate", "The Hustler" and "The Amityville Horror". He had a long career in both film and TV and appeared in over 70 films and TV series. Early life Hamilton was born in Washington, North Carolina. He displayed an early interest in performing during his days at Washington High School just before America's entry into World War II. Bad hearing kept him from enlisting, so he moved to New York City as a 19-year-old to find a career on stage. Career In an early role, he performed on stage with Henry Fonda in the wartime story Mister Roberts as a replacement for David Wayne, playing Ensign Pulver. In 1960, he was onstage again with Fonda in Critic's Choice; Howard Taubman of The New York Times called him "properly obnoxious as the director". Hamilton was teamed once more with Fonda in 1968 for the drama film The Boston Strangler. Hamilton's best-known performance is as Larry Vaughn, the mayor of Amity, in the Steven Spielberg thriller Jaws (1975). Hamilton reprised the role in the sequel, Jaws 2 in 1978. He had agreed to reprise the role again in Jaws: The Revenge, but died in 1986, before production began. He was just 63 years old. Hamilton complained in a newspaper article about being typecast, stating "After I was first cast as a heavy on The Untouchables, I couldn't ever persuade them [producers] that I could also do something else." While comic roles were rare for Hamilton during his Hollywood career, he had one opposite Andy Griffith in the 1958 military comedy No Time for Sergeants, as well as an appearance in Steven Spielberg's raucous comedy 1941, released in 1979. He also appeared in a comedic guest spot on Mama's Family in the second-season episode "Mama Cries Uncle" as Uncle Roy. He was more often cast in dramatic works, such as the science-fiction drama Seconds (1966), which starred Rock Hudson. In his most high-profile performances, Hamilton appeared with Paul Newman in The Hustler (1961), playing Findley, a wealthy billiards player who gambles for high stakes, and with Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate (1967) as Mr. Robinson, husband of the seductress Mrs. Robinson. In 1975, Hamilton appeared again with Newman in The Drowning Pool. He also worked with Robert Redford in a pair of films, The Way We Were (1973) and Brubaker (1980). In early 1982 he appeared as a judge presiding over an impromptu court case on an episode of Bret Maverick. Death Hamilton died of lung cancer at age 63, and is interred at Oakdale Cemetery in his native Washington, North Carolina. He and his wife, Terri DeMarco Hamilton (of The DeMarco Sisters), had a son, David. CLR
Known For
Filmography
Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story
Movie · as Self
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
The Last Days of Patton
Movie · as Gen. Hobart "Hap" Gay
Whoops Apocalypse
Movie · as Jack 'Kill the Commies' Preston (Former US President)
Blacke's Magic
TV · 1 ep
The Golden Girls
TV · as Big Daddy · 1 ep
Hail to the Chief
TV · as Senator Sam Cotton · 7 eps
Too Scared to Scream
Movie · as Jack Oberman
Cover Up
TV · 1 ep
Murder, She Wrote
TV · as Bud Michaels · 1 ep
Summer Girl
Movie · as Jack Reardon
Mama's Family
TV · 1 ep
Mazes and Monsters
Movie · as Lt. John Martini
Hysterical
Movie · as The Mayor
Matt Houston
TV · 1 ep
All the Way Home
Movie · as Joel Lynch
Bret Maverick
TV · 1 ep
Brubaker
Movie · as Deach
Swan Song
Movie · as Jack McCauley
1941
Movie · as Claude Crumn
The Amityville Horror
Movie · as Father Ryan
Donovan's Kid
Movie · as Henry Carpenter
A Last Cry for Help
Movie · as Ralph Muir
B. J. and the Bear
TV · as Rutherford T. Grant · 15 eps
Jaws 2
Movie · as Mayor Larry Vaughn
Casey's Shadow
Movie · as Tom Patterson
Damnation Alley
Movie · as Gen. Landers
Killer on Board
Movie · as Dr. Ned Folger
Murder at the World Series
Movie · as Harvey Murkison
Alice
TV · 1 ep
Rich Man, Poor Man
TV · as Sid Gossett · 12 eps
Jaws
Movie · as Vaughn
The Drowning Pool
Movie · as J.Hugh Kilbourne
Ellery Queen
TV · 1 ep
After the Fall
Movie · as Mickey
The Way We Were
Movie · as Brooks Carpenter
Incident on a Dark Street
Movie · as Edmund Schilling
Murdock's Gang
Movie · as Harold Talbot
Hawkins
TV · as Frank Guilfoyle · 1 ep
Kojak
TV · as Harry Harmon · 1 ep
Police Story
TV · 2 eps
Needles and Pins
TV · 1 ep
Barnaby Jones
TV · as Clete Belford · 1 ep
Deadly Harvest
Movie · as Sheriff Bill Jessup
The Streets of San Francisco
TV · 1 ep
The Failing of Raymond
Movie · as Sgt. Manzak
The Harness
Movie · as Roy Kern
Cannon
Movie · as Virgil Holley
A Tattered Web
Movie · as Sgt. Joe Marcus
Cannon
TV · 3 eps
McMillan & Wife
TV · 1 ep
Vanished
TV · as Nick McCann · 2 eps
Night Gallery
TV · 1 ep
McCloud
TV · as Donald Yates, Adrian Becker · 1 ep
If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium
Movie · as Fred Ferguson
Medical Center
TV · as Robert Jennings · 1 ep
The Boston Strangler
Movie · as Det. Frank McAfee
No Way to Treat a Lady
Movie · as Inspector Haines
The Brotherhood
Movie · as Jim Egan
Danger Has Two Faces
Movie · as Colonel Jack Forbes
Sergeant Ryker
Movie · as Capt. Appleton
The Graduate
Movie · as Mr. Robinson
A Bell for Adano
Movie · as Sgt. Leonard Borth
Judd, for the Defense
TV · 1 ep
The Invaders
TV · as Lewis Dunhill · 1 ep
Seconds
Movie · as Charlie Evans
An American Dream
Movie · as Arthur Kabot
Mission: Impossible
TV · 1 ep
The Man Who Never Was
TV · as Jack Forbes · 18 eps
Inherit the Wind
Movie · as E.K. Hornbeck
The F.B.I.
TV · as Mike Kessler, Emory Hale, Richard Mills, Doug McElroy · 1 ep
Run for Your Life
TV · as Dr. Raphael · 1 ep
13 Frightened Girls
Movie · as Wally Sanders
The Cardinal
Movie · as Lafe
Papa's Delicate Condition
Movie · as Mr. Harvey
Kraft Suspense Theatre
TV · as Capt. Appleton · 2 eps
The Fugitive
TV · as Mel Starling, Joe Steelman · 1 ep
The Farmer's Daughter
Movie · as Nordick
The Eleventh Hour
TV · 1 ep
The Hustler
Movie · as Findley
Target: The Corruptors!
TV · 2 eps
Dr. Kildare
TV · as Dr. Haldore Mattern, Lt. Dan Hargrave · 2 eps
The Defenders
TV · as Miles Morgan, D.A. Sid Morgan, District Attorney, Bryan Phelps, Tark Bennett · 1 ep
The DuPont Show of the Week
TV · as Bob Fay · 1 ep
Tall Story
Movie · as Coach Sandy Hardy
Escape to Sonoita
Movie · as Marsh
Route 66
TV · 2 eps
The FBI Story
Movie · as Sam Crandall
Anatomy of a Murder
Movie · as Alphonse Paquette
The Twilight Zone
TV · as Mr. Death · 1 ep
Men Into Space
TV · 1 ep
Love and Marriage
TV · as Steve Baker · 26 eps
Houseboat
Movie · as Alan Wilson
Darby's Rangers
Movie · as Sims Delancey
No Time for Sergeants
Movie · as Irving S. Blanchard
Too Much, Too Soon
Movie · as Charlie Snow
Naked City
TV · as D.A. Thomas Stevenson, Matt Orman · 1 ep
The Spirit of St. Louis
Movie · as Bud Gurney
Jeanne Eagels
Movie · as Chick O'Hara
Perry Mason
TV · as John Davis 'Johnny' Hale · 1 ep
Have Gun, Will Travel
TV · 1 ep
The Real McCoys
TV · 1 ep
Toward the Unknown
Movie · as Maj. Bromo Lee
The Girl He Left Behind
Movie · as Sgt. Clyde
The Big Slide
Movie · as Chick Tolliver
Wire Service
TV · as Ed Holley, Frank Lunt · 1 ep
Gunsmoke
TV · as Jake Buley, Webb Cutter, Calhoun · 1 ep
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
TV · as Marsh · 1 ep
The Millionaire
TV · as Chris Daniels · 1 ep
Inner Sanctum
TV · 3 eps
The Wonderful World of Disney
TV · as Henry Carpenter · 1 ep
Letter to Loretta
TV · as Mike Finn · 1 ep
Bright Victory
Movie · as Pete Hamilton
The Whistle at Eaton Falls
Movie · as Al Webster
Hallmark Hall of Fame
TV · as E.K. Hornbeck, Sgt. Leonard Borth · 1 ep
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TV · 1 ep
Lux Video Theatre
TV · 1 ep
Suspense
TV · as Snow Pearson · 1 ep
Studio One
TV · as Joe Bristol · 1 ep
The Philco Television Playhouse
TV · 3 eps
Something for the Boys
Movie · as Soldier (uncredited)
Song of the Open Road
Movie · as Crop Corps Kid (uncredited)
Reckless Age
Movie · as Member of Soldier Quartet