biography
Born in Kingston, Texas to cotton sharecroppers on June 20, 1924, Audie Murphy was devastated when his father abandoned his large
family in the late 1930s. To make matters worse, his mother passed away only a few years later. After the death of his mother, Murphy
enlisted in the Army in 1942 and emerged from World War II as the nation's most decorated soldier and appeared on the cover of several
magazines. War wounds aside, his boyish looks and popularity as a war hero made him a natural for films.Not long after his release from the service, Murphy made his way to Hollywood at the invitation of actor James Cagney. His first screen appearance came in the Paramount drama Beyond Glory (1948; with Alan Ladd and Donna Reed), in which Murphy portrayed a soldier. He landed a starring role in the juvenile-delinquent drama Bad Boy (1949; with Lloyd Nolan and Jane Wyatt). In 1949, while acting in a remake of Forbidden Valley titled Sierra (1950; with Burl Ives and Wanda Hendrix), Murphy met and married starlet Wanda Hendrix. The same year he published his now-famous autobiography, To Hell and Back, which is still in print. Murphy's brief marriage to Hendrix suffered under the strain of their careers and ended after just a few months. In 1951, Murphy married his second wife, Pamela Archer, a flight attendant. 
While Murphy's career had been a bit rocky at first, with the young actor struggling with acting and dancing lessons, it stabilized
when he signed a long-term contract with Universal-International in 1951. The studio cast Murphy in a string of westerns, which suited his
persona and talents, including The Duel at Silver Creek (1952; with Faith Domergue,
Susan Cabot, and Gerald Mohr) and Ride Clear of Diablo (1954;
with Dan Duryea, Susan Cabot, and Russell Johnson). The biggest picture of
Murphy's career came in To Hell and Back (1955; with Marshall Thompson and
Charles Drake), based on his autobiography of the same title. |
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the films of audie murphyKansas Raiders (1950) 
From the Universal-International western Kansas Raiders. LEFT: With James Best, Dewey Martin, Brian Donlevy, Richard Long, and Tony Curtis. RIGHT: With Marguerite ChapmanThe Kid from Texas (1950) 
From the Universal-International western The Kid from Texas. LEFT: With Gale Storm. RIGHT: With Gale Storm and Albert DekkerGunsmoke (1953)Tumbleweed (1953)
With Lori Nelson, Russell Johnson, and Chill Wills in TumbleweedDrums Across the River (1954)  
LEFT and CENTER: With Hugh O'Brian in the Universal-International western Drums Across the River. RIGHT: Murphy with Lisa GayeWalk the Proud Land (1956) 
From the Universal-International western Walk the Proud Land. LEFT: With Charles Drake and Anne Bancroft. RIGHT: With Charles Drake and Pat CrowleyWorld in My Corner (1956)The Wild and the Innocent (1959) 
LEFT: From the Universal-International western The Wild and the Innocent with Peter Breck and Jim Backus. RIGHT: With Joanne Dru and Peter Breck40 Guns to Apache Pass (1967) 
From Murphy's penultimate film, 40 Guns to Apache Passlater years
Audie Murphy's film career had been a successful one, but in the mid 1960s he put his acting career on the back burner, focusing instead on his
ranches and business interests. Unfortunately, he faced a reversal of fortune and was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1968. Following this,
Murphy attempted a comeback in Budd Boetticher's A Time for Dying (1969; with Victor Jory), which proved to be his last film. Tragically,
Murphy died with six others while on a business trip in a plane crash near Roanoke, Virginia, on May 28, 1971, at age 46. He was survived
by his second wife, Pamela, and their two sons. |
filmographyFILM
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