Murray Hamilton
| Murray Hamilton | |
|---|---|
Murray Hamilton in trailer for The Drowning Pool (1975)
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| Born |
March 24, 1923 Washington, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | September 1, 1986 (aged 63) Washington, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1944–1986 |
| Spouse(s) | Terri DeMarco (1953-86; his death; 1 child) |
Murray Hamilton (March 24, 1923 – September 1, 1986) was an American stage, screen, and television character actor who appeared in such films as Anatomy of a Murder, The Hustler, The Graduate, The Amityville Horror and Jaws.
Born in Washington, North Carolina, Hamilton 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.
In an early role, he performed on stage with Henry Fonda in the classic wartime story Mister Roberts as a replacement, playing Ensign Pulver. In 1950, 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.
His best known performance is as the obdurate mayor of Amity, Larry Vaughn in the Steven Spielberg thriller Jaws (1975). Hamilton reprised the role in the sequel, Jaws 2 in 1978. Other notable big-screen appearances include the critically acclaimed 1959 film Anatomy of a Murder with James Stewart, in which he played the bartender Al Pacquette, who gives testimony in the murder of Barney Quill. He worked again with Stewart in The Spirit of St. Louis (1957) and The FBI Story (1959).
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