Malcolm Murray (actor)

Born in Oamaru, Malcolm grew up on his family's North Otago farm, where he worked as a farmer after leaving secondary school.^[1] Subsequently he worked as a Ministry of Agriculture farm consultant^[1] before studying journalism at Aoraki Polytechnic, from where he graduated in 1991.^[2] He then worked as a rural reporter for The Press newspaper in Christchurch until the end of 1993,^[2] before studying drama at Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School, graduating in 1995.^[3] He played Bottom in the graduating class's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.^[4]

His first production after graduating was the critically acclaimed Knot A Problem—a solo show that he wrote while at drama school loosely based on his own life—at BATS Theatre in Wellington as part of the 1996 New Zealand Fringe Festival.^[1][5][6] Later that year he played a Scottish doctor in The Vampyre Dances at Circa Theatre in Wellington.^[7] He then appeared as Brian Fraser in Market Forces, Roger Hall's sequel to Glide Time and Gliding On, at Centrepoint Theatre in Palmerston North at the end of 1996.^[8][9]

In 1997, Murray returned to Centrepoint, playing a variety of characters in Travels with My Aunt, adapted by Giles Havergal from the novel of the same name by Graham Greene.^[9] He then followed that up with the role of a Russian tourist, Konstantin, in the premiere of David Geary's comedy The Farm, at the same theatre,^[10] before appearing in Hamlet, also at Centrepoint.^[11]

Murray reprised his monologue, Knot A Problem, at Circa in Wellington in early 1998.^[1] That March he appeared in Sing Whale as part of the International Festival of the Arts in Wellington, before taking Knot A Problem to various venues including Repertory House in Invercargill in April^[12] and Centrepoint, Palmerston North, in October 1998.^[13] During the year he also appeared in The Herbal Bed and The Farm at Dunedin's Fortune Theatre.^[14][15] He finished the year taking on the role of Swannee in Centrepoint's Christmas production of Shop 'Til You Drop.^[16]

In 1999, Murray landed the role of Dr Alan Dubrovsky in the New Zealand prime-time soap opera Shortland Street.^[2] In November 2000 it was announced that Murray's character was one of five being axed by the show's executive producer, Tony Holden, early in 2001.^[17]

After leaving Shortland Street, Murray appeared as the barman in the mixed media play Death of a Theatre Manager, as part of the 2001 TV2 International LAUGH! Festival.^[18][19] He then made his debut at Christchurch's Court Theatre in June 2001 playing a doctor in the Pulitzer Prize-winning one-act play W;t by Margaret Edson, alongside Helen Moulder,^[20][21] before appearing in the role of New Zealand Battle of Britain fighter ace Brian Carbury in The Face Maker, also at the Court.^[14][22] Later in 2001, he appeared as Peter in Roger Hall's play A Way of Life with the New Zealand Actors Company, touring various venues in the North Island including Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua, Auckland, Napier, Gisborne, New Plymouth and Wellington.^{[23][24][25][26][27]}

2002 saw Murray again appearing in The Face Maker, this time at the Circa in Wellington.^[28] In 2003 he played Pushy in Strata^[29] and the following year appeared in the New Zealand premiere of Gagarin Way by Scottish playwright Gregory Burke, both at BATS in Wellington.^[30] Also in 2004 he was back in Dunedin, acting in The Pied Piper at the Fortune and Don't Tell at the University of Otago,^[31] before returning to BATS to play Rudolf Hess in David Edgar's Albert Speer.^[32]

He took on the role of the title character Antonio in Centrepoint's 2005 production of The Merchant of Venice.^[33] Later that year he played Dimitri Tsafendas in Antony Sher's 2003 play I.D. at BATS,^[34] and subsequently won Actor of the Year for the role at the 2005 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards.^[35]

In 2006 Murray appeared as Alex in the premiere season of Ken Duncum's play Picture Perfect.^[36] At the 2006 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards he was awarded an accolade for outstanding performance for his role in Martin Crimp's The Country at Circa^[37] and also received a nomination for Actor of the Year for the same role.^[38]

Murray returned for the 10th anniversary production of The Farm at Centrepoint in 2007, but this time took on the role of farmer Jim Greene.^[15] He then took the role of the Earl of Kent in the 2007 Fortune Theatre production of King Lear, which also played at Te Whaea Theatre in Wellington.^[37] In 2007 he appeared in an episode of the New Zealand television drama The Hothouse.^[39]

In 2008 he appeared as Ben Hecht in Ron Hutchinson's Moonlight and Magnolias and a horse in the Polly Teale/Shared Experience version of Jane Eyre, both at the Fortune,^[40] as well as in Peter Hawes' The Gods of Warm Beer at Centrepoint.^[41]