Brain Murray Biography

is the recipient of both the 1998 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence and the 1998 Lucille Lortel Award for his body of work as both an actor and a director. His most recent appearances: Finian in the 1999 revival of Finian’s Rainbow, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Duke in Measure For Measure directed by Sir Peter Hall. On Broadway: A Small Family Business, Noises Off (Drama Desk Award), Black Comedy, Sleuth, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Tony Award nomination), and All In Good Time. For the New York Shakespeare Festival: Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor and Claudius in Hamlet opposite Kevin Kline. At Lincoln Center: Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night with Helen Hunt, and Ben Hubbard in The Little Foxes opposite Stockard Channing (Drama Desk Award and Tony nomination). Other New York appearances: James Tyrone in Long Day’s Journey Into Night, the title role in Da, Archie in The Entertainer, Ed in Entertaining Mr. Sloane, John Tarleton in Misalliance, Dr. Rice in Molly Sweeney, Reverend Harry Henderson in Racing Demon, Travels With My Aunt (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards), Ashes (Obie award), and starred in the new play Spread Eagle at the WPA theatre. He has also directed the acclaimed Broadway productions of The Circle with Rex Harrison, Blithe Spirit with Rosemary Harris, and Arsenic and Old Lace with Jean Stapleton. His film credits include: Bob Roberts and City Hall, and on television: “The Investigation,” “Illusions,” “Liberty” (PBS series), “Hamlet,” and “Twelfth Night.”