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Murray Hamilton

Murray Hamilton

Actor · 1923 – 1986 · Washington, North Carolina, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Murray Hamilton (March 24, 1923 – September 1, 1986) was an American actor. He is best known for his role as Mayor Larry Vaughn in the 1975 film "Jaws" and its sequels, "Jaws 2" and "Jaws: The Revenge". Hamilton also starred in several other well-known films such as "The Graduate", "The Hustler" and "The Amityville Horror". He had a long career in both film and TV and appeared in over 70 films and TV series. Early life Hamilton was born in Washington, North Carolina. He 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. Career In an early role, he performed on stage with Henry Fonda in the wartime story Mister Roberts as a replacement for David Wayne, playing Ensign Pulver. In 1960, 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. Hamilton's best-known performance is as Larry Vaughn, the mayor of Amity, in the Steven Spielberg thriller Jaws (1975). Hamilton reprised the role in the sequel, Jaws 2 in 1978. He had agreed to reprise the role again in Jaws: The Revenge, but died in 1986, before production began. He was just 63 years old. Hamilton complained in a newspaper article about being typecast, stating "After I was first cast as a heavy on The Untouchables, I couldn't ever persuade them [producers] that I could also do something else." While comic roles were rare for Hamilton during his Hollywood career, he had one opposite Andy Griffith in the 1958 military comedy No Time for Sergeants, as well as an appearance in Steven Spielberg's raucous comedy 1941, released in 1979. He also appeared in a comedic guest spot on Mama's Family in the second-season episode "Mama Cries Uncle" as Uncle Roy. He was more often cast in dramatic works, such as the science-fiction drama Seconds (1966), which starred Rock Hudson. In his most high-profile performances, Hamilton appeared with Paul Newman in The Hustler (1961), playing Findley, a wealthy billiards player who gambles for high stakes, and with Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate (1967) as Mr. Robinson, husband of the seductress Mrs. Robinson. In 1975, Hamilton appeared again with Newman in The Drowning Pool. He also worked with Robert Redford in a pair of films, The Way We Were (1973) and Brubaker (1980). In early 1982 he appeared as a judge presiding over an impromptu court case on an episode of Bret Maverick. Death Hamilton died of lung cancer at age 63, and is interred at Oakdale Cemetery in his native Washington, North Carolina. He and his wife, Terri DeMarco Hamilton (of The DeMarco Sisters), had a son, David. CLR

Movies24

  • Movie7.7

    Jaws

    1975 · 11K votes

  • Movie7.6

    The Graduate

    1967 · 3.8K votes

  • Movie6.0

    Jaws 2

    1978 · 2.2K votes

  • Movie7.0

    The Way We Were

    1973 · 530 votes

  • Movie7.8

    Anatomy of a Murder

    1959 · 1.2K votes

  • Movie6.3

    The Amityville Horror

    1979 · 1.1K votes

  • Movie7.5
  • Movie5.8

    1941

    1979 · 736 votes

  • Movie7.7

    The Hustler

    1961 · 1.1K votes

  • Movie7.1

    Brubaker

    1980 · 530 votes

  • Movie7.4

    Seconds

    1966 · 454 votes

  • Movie6.4

    Houseboat

    1958 · 201 votes

  • Movie6.5

    The Cardinal

    1963 · 54 votes

  • Movie6.7

    The Spirit of St. Louis

    1957 · 150 votes

  • Movie5.1

    Damnation Alley

    1977 · 119 votes

  • Movie4.3

    Mazes and Monsters

    1982 · 107 votes

  • Movie5.9
  • Movie6.3

    The Drowning Pool

    1975 · 143 votes

  • Movie6.6

    The Boston Strangler

    1968 · 258 votes

  • Movie6.2

    The FBI Story

    1959 · 45 votes

  • Movie6.6

    No Way to Treat a Lady

    1968 · 62 votes

  • Movie5.7

    Tall Story

    1960 · 16 votes

  • Movie5.2

    Too Scared to Scream

    1984 · 25 votes

  • Movie6.2

    Jeanne Eagels

    1957 · 15 votes

Series24

  • TV7.7

    Perry Mason

    1957 · 139 votes

  • TV7.5

    Murder, She Wrote

    1984 · 471 votes

  • TV5.7

    Dr. Kildare

    1961 · 19 votes

  • TV7.3

    The Fugitive

    1963 · 63 votes

  • TV7.6

    Mission: Impossible

    1966 · 320 votes

  • TV7.3

    Have Gun, Will Travel

    1957 · 44 votes

  • TV7.0

    Alice

    1976 · 63 votes

  • TV5.4

    Studio One

    1948 · 13 votes

  • TV8.5

    The Twilight Zone

    1959 · 1.1K votes

  • TV5.6

    The F.B.I.

    1965 · 25 votes

  • TV7.6

    The Golden Girls

    1985 · 412 votes

  • TV6.7

    Cannon

    1971 · 41 votes

  • TV5.7

    Naked City

    1958 · 13 votes

  • TV6.3

    The Defenders

    1961 · 11 votes

  • TV7.8

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    1955 · 265 votes

  • TV6.7

    Route 66

    1960 · 20 votes

  • TV7.1

    Run for Your Life

    1965 · 7 votes

  • TV6.6
  • TV7.1

    Barnaby Jones

    1973 · 31 votes

  • TV6.3

    Matt Houston

    1982 · 28 votes

  • TV6.4

    Medical Center

    1969 · 14 votes

  • TV7.3

    Kojak

    1973 · 154 votes

  • TV6.7

    Gunsmoke

    1955 · 119 votes

  • TV6.8

    The Invaders

    1967 · 62 votes