George Murphy
George Murphy was an American dancer and stage, screen, and television actor, as well as a United States Senator. Murphy was a song-and-dance leading man in many big-budget Hollywood musicals from 1930 to 1952. He was the president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1944 to 1946, and was awarded an honorary Oscar in 1951. Murphy served from 1965 to 1971 as U.S. Senator from California, the first notable U.S. actor to be elected to statewide office in California, predating Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is the only United States Senator represented by a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In movies, Murphy was known as a song-and-dance man and appeared in many big-budget musicals such as Broadway Melody of 1938, Broadway Melody of 1940 and For Me and My Gal. He made his movie debut shortly after talking pictures had replaced silent movies in 1930, and his career continued until he retired as an actor in 1952, at the age of 50. During World War II, he organized entertainment for American troops.
In 1951, he was awarded an honorary Academy Award. He was never nominated for an Oscar in any competitive category.
He was the president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1944 to 1946. He was also a vice president of Desilu Productions and of the Technicolor Corporation. He was director of entertainment for presidential inaugurations in 1953, 1957 and 1961.
Known for
Cole Porter in Hollywood: Begin the Beguine
The Women Men Marry
Bill Raeburn
No Questions Asked
Police Insp. Matt Duggan
Frank Capra's American Dream
Self (archive footage)
Broadway Rhythm
Johnny Demming
A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob
Claudius "Coffee Cup" Cup
Walk East on Beacon
Inspector James 'Jim' Belden
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
Self
The Thin Man
Broadway Melody of 1940
King Shaw
Letter of Introduction
Barry Paige
Little Miss Broadway
Roger Wendling
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
The Navy Comes Through
Lt. Thomas L. 'Tom' Sands
Public Deb No. 1
Alan Blake
Show-Business at War
Self
It's a Big Country
Mr. Patrick Callaghan
Broadway Melody of 1938
Sonny Ledford
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
Self
Twenty Years After
(archive footage)
Rhumba Rhythm at the Hollywood La Conga
Himself (uncredited)
Rise and Shine
Jimmy McGonagle
Hold That Co-ed
Rusty Stevens
Bataan
Lt. Steve Bentley
MGM Parade
Host
That's Dancing!
From 'Broadway Rhythm' (archive footage)
Tenth Avenue Angel
Steve Abbutt
Talk About a Stranger
Robert Fontaine Sr.
Kid Millions
Jerry Lane
Little Nellie Kelly
Jerry Kelly
Risky Business
Dan Clifford
That's Entertainment!
(archive footage) (uncredited)
Border Incident
Jack Bearnes
Show Business
George Doane
Battleground
'Pop' Stazak
That's Entertainment! III
(archive footage)
Tom, Dick and Harry
Tom
They Died with Their Boots On
Cavalryman (uncredited)
Top of the Town
Ted Lane
The Powers Girl
Jerry Hendricks
This Is the Army
Jerry Jones
For Me and My Gal
Jimmy K. Metcalf
Cynthia
Larry Bishop
The Hoaxters
Narrator (voice)
Big City
Patrick O'Donnell
Having Wonderful Crime
Jake Justus
Ringside Maisie
Francis X. 'Skeets' / 'Skeeter' Maguire
Up Goes Maisie
Joseph Morton
Violets in Spring
Charlie Hall
Woman Trap
Keat Shevlin
Step Lively
Gordon Miller
Hollywood Hobbies
Self (uncredited)
The Public Menace
Edward Joseph "Red" Foster
The Mayor of 44th Street
Joe Jonathan
London by Night
Michael Denis
Jealousy
Larry O'Roarke
You're a Sweetheart
Hal Adams
The Arnelo Affair
Theodore 'Ted' Parkson
After the Dance
Jerry Davis
Two Girls on Broadway
Eddie Kerns
I'll Love You Always
Carl Brent