Person Details

Birthday:

Aliases: Kenneth Abner Doncourt

Gender: Male

Place of birth: New York City, New York, USA

Homepage:

Movie Involvements: 20

TV Involvements: 4


Most Famous Work

Biography

Ken Murray (born Kenneth Abner Doncourt, July 14, 1903 – October 12, 1988) was an American comedian, actor, radio and television personality and author. After finding success on the vaudeville stage, Murray moved to Hollywood and made his film debut in the 1929 romantic drama Half Marriage, followed by a role in Leathernecking in 1930. Murray was the host of a weekly radio variety show (The Ken Murray Show) on NBC 1932-33 and on CBS 1936–37. He later was the original host (1945-57) of Queen for a Day, on the Mutual Broadcasting System radio show, which was simulcast on KTSL (now KCBS-TV), Channel 2 in Los Angeles. During World War II, Murray was one of the many celebrities to volunteer at the Hollywood Canteen. In 1947, he produced Bill and Coo, a feature film using trained birds and other animals as actors. Bill and Coo won a special Academy Award for "novel and entertaining use of the medium of motion picture" and "artistry and patience" . He was also the host of The Ken Murray Show, a weekly music and comedy show on CBS Television that ran from 1950 to 1953. The show was the first to win a Freedom Foundation Award. Murray also guest starred on several television series, including The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford and The Bing Crosby Show. Murray produced and co-starred as "Smiling Billy Murray" in a 1953 film, The Marshal's Daughter, a western that featured his protege Laurie Anders in the title role, her sole film performance. In 1962, Murray portrayed the top hat wearing, cigar chewing, drunken Doc Willoughby in John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance starring John Wayne and James Stewart, arguably his most memorable screen role. Paired off for most of the picture with Edmond O'Brien as an alcoholic newspaper editor, he drunkenly rolls over the gunshot corpse of villain Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) with his boot, looks around off-handedly, and says "Dead" to the surrounding crowd of euphoric Mexicans. In 1964, Murray played Whipsaw, the operator of a stagecoach depot in the episode "Little Cayuse" of the television series Death Valley Days, hosted by Stanley Andrews. He and his partner take in a Cayuse orphan (Larry Domasin), who demonstrates his loyalty to the men during an Indian attack. In 1965, Murray played a THRUSH financier and owner of a caribbean casino in The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. In 1966, Murray was cast as Melody Murphy in the Walt Disney film Follow Me, Boys! starring Fred MacMurray, Vera Miles and Kurt Russell.

Most Famous Work

Burke's Law
Average
6

Burke's Law

(1963) Charles P. Banner
What's My Line?
Average
7

What's My Line?

(1950) Self - Mystery Guest
The Lux Show
Average
6

The Lux Show

(1957) Self
This Is Your Life
Average
6

This Is Your Life

(1952) Self
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Average
8

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

(1962) Doc Willoughby
The Power
Average
6

The Power

(1968) Grover
Swing, Sister, Swing
Average
0

Swing, Sister, Swing

(1938) Nap Sisler
You're a Sweetheart
Average
4

You're a Sweetheart

(1937) Don King

Acting

Year Character Movie/Tv
1997 Self (archive footage)
1976 Souvenir Salesman
1968 Grover
1966 Melody Murphy
1965 Self
1964 N/A
Self - Film Narrator
1963 N/A
Himself
Charles P. Banner
N/A
Self - Host
Mr. Hurley
1962 Doc Willoughby
1957 Self
1953 'Smiling Billy' Murray
1952 Self
1950 Self - Mystery Guest
N/A
1949 Ken Murray
1948 Self
Ken Murray
1946 N/A
1942 Malcolm Hammond
1941 Jerry Traynor
Self
1940 Barney Nelson
1938 Nap Sisler
1937 Don King
1933 Mac
N/A
Jim McGuire
1932 Peter Sturgis
Spencer B. Dazy
1930 Frank
1929 Charles Turner
Year Character Movie/Tv

Crew

Year Role Movie/Tv
1983 Thanks
Year Role Movie/Tv

Editing

Year Role Movie/Tv
1965 Editor
Year Role Movie/Tv

Production

Year Role Movie/Tv
1963 Producer
1948 Producer
Year Role Movie/Tv

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