# Murray Matheson

Sidney Murray Matheson (1 July 1912 – 25 April 1985) was a U.S.-based Australian actor. He appeared on stage and in films and television programs until 1983.

## Biography

Matheson was born in Casterton, Australia in 1912 where he grew up on a 3,000-acre sheep station. When he was 12, he saw a production of Sally by a touring company, and that experience sparked his desire to be an actor.
His first principal stage performance was in the musical Roberta at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Australia in 1934. His London debut was at the Palladium in Band Waggon (1939).
He made his New York debut as Captain Worthy in The Relapse, as part of the Theatre Guild (1950). Matheson performed in dozens of plays, including some major tours, until 1982.
Matheson's first film appearance was as Joe Lawson in The Way to the Stars, a.k.a. Johnny in the Clouds (1945). He played the clown in the classic The Twilight Zone episode "Five Characters in Search of an Exit". He made guest appearances in two 1964 episodes of CBS's Perry Mason: once as murder victim B.K. Doran in "The Case of the Accosted Accountant", and once as murderer Howard Hopkins in "The Case of the Wooden Nickels".
Some of his best-known film and television roles include:
* Felix Mulholland in the NBC Banacek series
* Benjamin Ovington in the movie How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967)
* The Clown in the Twilight Zone episode "Five Characters in Search of an Exit"
* Mr. Agee in the "Kick the Can" segment of The Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
* Dr. John Keith in the film Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
* Talbot in the "Why Wait Until Uncle Kevin Dies" episode of Hawaii Five-O (1973) Season 6, episode 8.
In 1960 Matheson appeared as Alexander on the TV western Laramie on the episode titled "Duel at Parkinson Town." In 1960–61, he was cast as Geoffrey Carey in "The Archer's Ring" and as the High Priest in "The Perils of Penrose", respectively, on the ABC series, Adventures in Paradise, starring Gardner McKay. In 1961, he played the lead guest-starring role in the episode "A Rope for Charlie Munday" on another ABC adventure series, The Islanders, co-starring William Reynolds. In 1969, he guest starred in Bewitched season 5 episode 28, " Samantha's Good News". In 1970, he appeared in an episode of the ABC crime drama The Silent Force, and in 1978 he appeared in the "Murder! Murder!" episode of the NBC crime drama The Eddie Capra Mysteries. In 1982 he made an appearance on The Facts of Life S4 E11.
Matheson's ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1945 | The Way to the Stars | Joe Lawson | |
| 1945 | Journey Together | Lancaster Crew | |
| 1946 | School for Secrets | Wing Commander Allen | |
| 1948 | The Secret Tunnel | Mr. Henderson | |
| 1949 | The Fool and the Princess | Graham Ballard | |
| 1952 | Hurricane Smith | Dr. Whitmore | |
| 1952 | Plymouth Adventure | Christopher Martin | Uncredited |
| 1952 | Botany Bay | Reverend Mortimer Thynne | |
| 1953 | Jamaica Run | Inspector Mole | |
| 1953 | Flight to Tangier | Franz Kovac | |
| 1953 | King of the Khyber Rifles | Major Ian MacAllister | |
| 1954 | The Bamboo Prison | Comrade Clayton | |
| 1955 | Love is a Many-Splendored Thing | Dr. John Keith | |
| 1958 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | James St. George Bernard Bowlby | Season 3 Episode 37: "The Canary Sedan" |
| 1958 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Oliver Teleton | Season 4 Episode 10: "Tea Time" |
| 1958 | Peter Gunn | Phillip Lasdowne | Season 1 Episode 17: "Missing Night Watchman" |
| 1960 | Laramie | Alexander | Season 2 Episode 12: "Duel at Parkinson Town" |
| 1960 | One Step Beyond | Bentley | Season 2 Episode 32: "Delia" |
| 1961 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Cyril Hardeen | Season 6 Episode 20: "The Throwback" |
| 1961 | Thriller | Thomas Edward Griffith | Season 1 Episode 17: "The Poisoner" |
| 1961 | Thriller | Andrew Lawrence | Season 2 Episode 8: "Letter to a Lover" |
| 1961 | The Twilight Zone | Clown | Season 3 Episode 14: "Five Characters in Search of an Exit" |
| 1961 | The Islanders | Charlie Munday | Episode: "A Rope for Charlie Munday" |
| 1962 | The Notorious Landlady | Neighbour | Uncredited |
| 1963 | Wall of Noise | Jack Matlock | |
| 1963 | The Fugitive | Earl Morehead | Season 1 Episode 9: "Ticket to Alaska" |
| 1964 | Perry Mason | B.K. Doran | Season 7 Episode 14: "The Case of the Accosted Accountant" |
| 1964 | Perry Mason | Howard Hopkins | Season 8 Episode 12: "The Case of the Wooden Nickels" |
| 1964 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Charles Justin | Season 2 Episode 19: "Murder Case" |
| 1964 | Signpost to Murder | Dr. Graham | |
| 1965 | Get Smart | Devonshire | Season 1 Episode 22: "Smart The Assassin" |
| 1965 | My Favourite Martian | Filbert | Season 3 Episode 12: "Avenue C Mob" |
| 1965 | The Man from U.N.C.L.E | The Maharajah | Season 1 Episode 17: "The Yellow Scarf Affair" |
| 1966 | Assault on a Queen | Captain | |
| 1967 | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Benjamin Ovington | Movie |
| 1967 | F.B.I | Henry Dodd | Season 2 Episode 24: "Flight Plan" |
| 1967 | The Invaders | Dr. Reynard | Season 1 Episode 11: "The Ivy Curtain" |
| 1967 | Girl from UNCLE | Dr. Merek | Season 1 Episode 28: "The High and the Deadly Affair" |
| 1968 | Star! | Bankruptcy Judge | Uncredited |
| 1968 | In Enemy Country | | Uncredited |
| 1969 | Explosion | Owner of Jaguar | Movie |
| 1969 | Bewitched | John Van Millwood | Season 5 Episode 28: "Samantha's Good News" |
| 1970 | F.B.I | Murray Elders | Season 5 Episode 19: "The Diamond Millstone" |
| 1970 | The Silent Force | Valentine Estes | Season 1 Episode 2: "The Hero" |
| 1970 | It Takes a Thief | Harry Fulham | Season 3 Episode 21: "The Suzie Simone Caper" |
| 1970 | McCloud | Grantley | Season 1 Episode 4: "The Stage is All the World" |
| 1971 | McCloud | George Lincoln | Season 2 Episode 4: "The Disposal Man" |
| 1971 | Marcus Welby MD | Dr. Stoddard | Season 3 Episode 14: "Cross Match" |
| 1971 | Mannix | Snowy Bartlett | Season 6 Episode 14: "Light and Shadow" |
| 1972 | A Fan's Notes | Clarke Institute Doctor | |
| 1972 | Banyon | Charles Troy | Season 1 Episode 14: "Just Once" |
| 1972-1974 | Banacek | Felix Mulholland | 16 episodes |
| 1972 | Hec Ramsey | Lionel Harlock | Season 1 Episode 2: "Hangman's Wages" |
| 1973 | Marcus Welby MD | Edward Liddell | Season 4 Episode 16: "A Necessary End" |
| 1973 | Hawaii Five-0 | Talbot | Season 6 Episode 8: "Why Wait Till Uncle Kevin Dies?" |
| 1973 | Here's Lucy | Professor Dietrich | Season 5 Episode 19: "Lucy and The Professor" |
| 1973 | Circle of Fear | Mathews | Season 2 Episode 9: "The Phantom of Herald Square" |
| 1973 | McMillan and Wife | Angus McPhee | Season 2 Episode 7: "Two Dollars on Trouble to Win" |
| 1973 | Ghost Story | Mathews | Season 1 Episode 22: "The Phantom of Herald Square" |
| 1973 | Night Gallery | Dr. Strang | Season 3 Episode 14: "The Doll of Death" |
| 1974 | The Magician (American TV Series) | Walter Moran | Season 1 Episode 18: "The Illusion of the Fatal Arrow" |
| 1974 | Kolchak:The Night Stalker | Mr. Lane-Mariot | Season 1 Episode 11: "Horror in The Heights" |
| 1975 | Marcus Welby MD | Lucky | Season 6 Episode 24: "Loser in a Dead Heat" |
| 1975 | Hawaii Five-0 | Lord Danby | Season 8 Episode 4: "Termination with Extreme Prejudice" |
| 1975 | The Manhunter | Major Markley | Season 1 Episode 18: "The Seventh Man" |
| 1975 | S.W.A.T | Cyrus Porter | Season 1 Episode 8: "The Bravo Enigma" |
| 1975 | S.W.A.T | Armand | Season 2 Episode 14: "Murder by Fire" |
| 1975 | McMillan and Wife | Aaron Hildreth | Season 4 Episode 5: "Night Train to L.A" |
| 1976 | The Tony Randall Show | Judge Burnside | Season 1 Episode 9: "Case: Mario Strikes Again" |
| 1976 | Phyllis | Charles Plunkett | Season 1 Episode 21: "Leo's Suicide" |
| 1977 | Family | Sandor Pratt | Season 2 Episode 11: "An Eye to The Future" |
| 1977 | Sugar Time | DeForest | Season 1 Episode 2: "Witty, Urbane And Erudite" |
| 1977 | Tail Gunner Joe | Publisher | TV movie |
| 1978 | Charlie's Angels | Leland Swinnerton | Season 2 Episode 22: "Mother Goose is Running for His Life" |
| 1978 | Rabbit Test | Dr. Mario Lowell | 1978 Movie |
| 1978 | Battlestar Galactica | Specter (Voice) | Season 1 Episode 9: "The Young Lords" (uncredited) |
| 1979 | Battlestar Galactica | Statesman Geller | Season 1 Episode 17: "Greetings from Earth" |
| 1979 | Vegas | Phillip Grayson | Season 1 Episode 12: "Ghost Of The Ripper" |
| 1979 | Hart to Hart | Martin Hyde-Jones | Season 1 Episode 5: "Death in the Slow Lane" |
| 1979 | Mary and Joseph: A Story of Faith | Zacharias | TV movie |
| 1980 | Angel on My Shoulder | The Stranger | TV movie |
| 1981 | Three's Company | Roger | Season 6 Episode 7: "Two Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" |
| 1981 | The Million Dollar Face | Sir Douglas Devereux | TV movie |
| 1982 | The Facts of Life | Professor Henry Clayton | Season 4 Episode 11: "September Song" |
| 1982 | The Great Detective | | Season 4 Episode 4: "Star of Bengal" |
| 1982 | Tucker's Witch | Nathan Bly | Season 1 Episode 2: "Big Mouth" |
| 1983 | Twilight Zone: The Movie | Mr. Agee | (segment "Kick the Can") |
| 1983 | Newhart | Carl | Season 2 Episode 3: "Animal Attractions" |