MNFF is thrilled to welcome back one of its favorite Honorees, the distinguished film actor Michael Murphy, for the next edition of the Craven Conversations on Wednesday, June 24 at 7pm on Zoom. In a brilliant career spanning more than 50 films over 50 years, Michael has worked with a wide array of heralded filmmakers including Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Paul Mazursky, Peter Weir, Tim Burton, Oliver Stone, Sarah Polley, John Sayles, Elia Kazan, Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Ritt, Robert Aldrich, Orson Welles and Paul Thomas Anderson. Among his dozens of film credits, you’ll find The Arrangement, MASH, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Nashville, The Front, An Unmarried Woman, Manhattan, The Year of Living Dangerously, Salvador, Batman Returns and Away from Her. The breadth of the roles Michael has played and the innumerable stories he has accumulated will make for a most entertaining conversation that you won’t want to miss.
Michael Murphy was born in Los Angeles, California, and after a stint in the Marine Corps, he attended the University of Arizona, Tucson, and then went to UCLA for his California teaching credential. From 1962 to 1964, he taught high school English and drama in Los Angeles. His acting career as a first-rate supporting player began in 1962 and has continued for over five decades.
The consummate professional, Michael is perhaps best known for his long collaboration with renowned director Robert Altman, having been cast in seven of Altman’s movies between 1968 and 1996, and in two cable-TV mini-series for him: Tanner ’88 and Tanner on Tanner. But the relationship stretched back to the very beginning of his career. “I was right out of the University of Arizona,” Murphy reminisced during a 2004 interview, “and a friend said, ‘Go over to MGM and meet Bob Altman. He’s using a lot of young guys for this Army thing he’s doing.’” Altman was directing the World War II television series Combat! and Altman cast him in the show without an audition. “We became immediate friends. He told me, ‘You may not turn out to be a movie star, but you’ll get to do some interesting work.’ Bob was in his thirties when we met. He had been a young bomber pilot in World War II and was wise beyond his years. From the very beginning, he never played it safe when it came to making movies. He had amazing fortitude and guts.”
Attendance is limited for the Craven Conversation with Michael Murphy so don’t wait too long to sign up. We anticipate a good crowd for this event.
Click here to register for the event!