Rosemary Murphy

Biography: Born in Germany to American parents, Rosemary Murphy was educated in Paris. When her family relocated to the U.S. in 1939, Murphy completed her schooling in Kansas City. After preparing for an acting career at Neighborhood Playhouse and the Actors Studio, she returned to Germany, where she made her film bow in Berlin Express (1948) and her stage debut in a 1949 production of Peer Gynt. The following year, she made her first Broadway appearance. Murphy's stage credits include Period of Adjustment (1961), Any Wednesday (1964) and A Delicate Balance (1966); she earned Tony nominations for all three, and was honored with the New York Critic's Poll award for her work in Balance. Her film and TV characterizations ranged from meek subservience to homicidal intensity. She spent several years as Loretta Fowler on the daytime soap opera Another World, and has played such "historical celebrity" roles as Sara Delano Roosevelet in Eleanor and Franklin (winning an Emmy for her work), DorothyBorn in Germany to American parents, Rosemary Murphy was educated in Paris. When her family relocated to the U.S. in 1939, Murphy completed her schooling in Kansas City. After preparing for an acting career at Neighborhood Playhouse and the Actors Studio, she returned to Germany, where she made her film bow in Berlin Express (1948) and her stage debut in a 1949 production of Peer Gynt. The following year, she made her first Broadway appearance. Murphy's stage credits include Period of Adjustment (1961), Any Wednesday (1964) and A Delicate Balance (1966); she earned Tony nominations for all three, and was honored with the New York Critic's Poll award for her work in Balance. Her film and TV characterizations ranged from meek subservience to homicidal intensity. She spent several years as Loretta Fowler on the daytime soap opera Another World, and has played such "historical celebrity" roles as Sara Delano Roosevelet in Eleanor and Franklin (winning an Emmy for her work), Dorothy Parker in Julia (1977), Mary Ball Washington in the 1984 miniseries George Washington, and Rose Kennedy in the 1991 TV biopic A Woman Named Jackie. Rosemary Murphy has also been prominently featured in three recent Woody Allen productions: September (1987), Don't Drink the Water (1994), and Mighty Aphrodite. Her final film role was in the indie rom-com The Romantics. Murphy died in 2014, at age 89.… Expand