Brian Trevor John Murphy (25 September 1932 – 2 February 2025) was an English actor. He was best known as the henpecked husband George Roper in the popular sitcom Man About the House and its spin-off series George and Mildred. He also played Alvin Smedley in Last of the Summer Wine, and other notable roles included Stan the shopkeeper in the 1990s children's series Wizadora, and Maurice in the comedy drama series The Booze Cruise. He also had a prolific career on stage.
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Early life
Murphy was born in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight, on 25 September 1932. He was the son of grocer's assistant Gerald Murphy and his wife Mabel, both of whom later became restaurateurs. His two brothers Ken and Eric died during active service in the Second World War. He was called up to do his national service at RAF Northwood, where he met future The Good Life actor Richard Briers. Upon leaving the RAF the two aspiring actors both performed in productions by the Dramatic Society at the Borough Polytechnic Institute (now London South Bank University).
Career
Early career
Murphy was a member of the Theatre Workshop and a jobbing actor in the 1960s and early 1970s, combining his theatre work with guest appearances in television shows such as The Avengers, Z-Cars, Callan and Dixon of Dock Green. He also starred in Littlewood's film Sparrows Can't Sing (1963) alongside his Theatre Workshop peers including Yootha Joyce, Barbara Windsor, Stephen Lewis, Bob Grant and Roy Kinnear. Other film roles at this time included San Ferry Ann (1965; also starring Windsor), The Activist (1969), The Devils (1971) and The Boy Friend (1971).
By the early 1970s, Murphy was considering giving up acting in order to become an insurance salesman, however he was cast in an episode of the sitcom Alcock and Gander (1972) which was written by Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke. The pair were impressed by Murphy's performance and offered him a role in their then-forthcoming sitcom Man About the House which would make him a household name.
Man About the House and George and Mildred
Murphy first came to prominence in the ITV television sitcom Man About the House, playing George Roper, whose wife, Mildred, played by Yootha Joyce, was a domineering social climber – a sharp contrast to the character of George, a lazy landlord whose desire was for an easy and quiet life. The pairing was an instant hit. A contributing factor to the actors' immediate chemistry was that they had been friends for many years. Aside from their Theatre Workshop years, Murphy also featured opposite Joyce in Sparrows Can't Sing (1963).
When Man About The House ended in 1976, a spin-off was created for Murphy and Joyce, titled George and Mildred. This ran for five series until 1979. In 1978 he released the single "Jogging" (b/w "The Great Gnome Robbery"), recorded in the persona of George, on the Pye label. Murphy later said, "Out of the blue I was requested to record 'Jogging' in the manner of George, and naturally could not refuse. I had been told I had an excellent singing voice and in fact did some training, but sadly I lacked confidence and missed opportunities – one of my biggest regrets." Murphy reprised his role in feature films of both sitcoms. Owing to their success, Murphy and Joyce starred in the London Palladium's pantomime in 1976. From 1977 to 1978, they reprised their roles as George and Mildred in a stage version of the show, which toured the UK in various theatres, including a summer season at Bournemouth's Pier Theatre. In 1979, Murphy and Joyce toured Australia and New Zealand in the stage show.
Joyce and Murphy became concerned over typecasting, and they agreed with the producers that the then-forthcoming sixth series of George and Mildred would be its last. However, Joyce died in 1980, and the planned final series of George and Mildred was cancelled. Murphy was at Joyce's bedside when she died.
After George and Mildred
In 1981 another television sitcom, The Incredible Mr. Tanner, was created specifically for Murphy with him in the title role and featuring regular Man About The House and George and Mildred co-star Roy Kinnear. However, the show failed to gain popularity. He moved to the BBC in 1982 for the driving school TV sitcom L for Lester opposite Amanda Barrie, but this was also a ratings failure and was cancelled after just six episodes. In 1982, he appeared in the Eric Sykes comedy short film It's Your Move; Murphy had previously had a role in Sykes' film of The Plank in 1979. From 1984 to 1985, Murphy had a main role in the BBC sitcom Lame Ducks, in which he played a private investigator. In 1985, he reprised his acclaimed role of Arthur Lucan from the stage, in a television film On Your Way Riley, alongside Maureen Lipman. From October 1987 to July 1991, Murphy played Ernest Bond in BBC Radio 4's drama series Citizens.
From 1993 to 1997, Murphy played shopkeeper Stan in the children's television series Wizadora. Murphy was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1998.
Last of the Summer Wine and others
Murphy continued to appear regularly on television, most notably as "Alvin Smedley" in Last of the Summer Wine from 2003 to 2010, and also with roles in The Bill (as a drunken tramp dressed as an elf at Christmas); comedy series Pond Life, an animation series, as Len Pond, the father of protagonist Dolly Pond (Sarah Ann Kennedy), One Foot in the Grave starring Richard Wilson (playing a character called Mr Foskett); and Brookside;
In 2010, Murphy appeared in an episode of Hustle called "The Thieving Mistake". He later made appearances in comedy shows The Catherine Tate Show, This Is Jinsy and Benidorm. Murphy can also be seen in all three episodes of the ITV comedy The Booze Cruise, playing Maurice. He also appeared as Frank Dobson in The Cafe from 2011 and 2013, and also in the Channel 4 comedy Man Down as music teacher Frank Field-Williams in the 2013 Christmas special. Murphy also played Robert Collins in an episode of the audio series of Doctor Who by Big Finish Productions in an episode entitled "The Home Guard" in November 2019. In 2022 and 2023, he appeared in several Channel 5 documentaries discussing his work on Man About the House, George and Mildred and Last of the Summer Wine.
In 2023, Murphy wrote the introduction to the autobiography of his Oh, What a Lovely War! co-star Larry Dann. Murphy appeared for three episodes - along with his wife, Linda Regan - playing the role of Mayor, Lord Palmer, in podcast sitcom Barmy Dale. He continued to work until the end of his life, and was set to appear in a film with his wife that would have begun shooting in June 2025.
Personal life and death
Murphy married Carol Gibson in 1957; they had two children, Trevor and Kevin, and fostered many others. In 1995 he married Hi-de-Hi! actress Linda Regan. They lived in Kent.
His grandson is Martin Murphy, a writer, director, and performer, whose recent writing credits include The Ghost of White Hart Lane (2024), along with Midas (2023) and Jonny Feathers the Rock & Roll Pigeon (2022) both at the Park Theatre.
Murphy died of cancer at his home in Kent, on 2 February 2025, at the age of 92.
Acting credits
Theatre
(incomplete)
