Murray Head
Acting · Sound · Writing
Born March 5, 1946, London, England, UK
Murray Seafield St George Head (born 5 March 1946) is an English actor and singer. Head has appeared in a number of films, including a starring role as the character Bob Elkin in the Oscar-nominated 1971 film Sunday Bloody Sunday. As a musician, he is most recognised for his international hit songs "Superstar" (from the 1970 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar) and "One Night in Bangkok" (the 1984 single from the musical Chess, which topped the charts in various countries), and for his 1975 album Say It Ain't So. He has been involved in several projects since the 1960s and continues to record music, perform concerts, and make appearances on television either as himself or as a character actor. Head was born in London to Seafield Laurence Stewart Murray Head (20 August 1919 – 22 March 2009) and Helen Shingler (29 August 1919 − 8 October 2019). Head's father was a documentary filmmaker for Verity Films. Head's mother played Mme Maigret alongside Rupert Davies in the BBC 1960s television adaptation of the Maigret novels written by Georges Simenon. Head's younger brother Anthony Head is also an actor, best known for playing Rupert Giles in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Head was educated at the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle in South Kensington, London and Hampton School in Hampton, Middlesex. He attended Chiswick Polytechnic (A level college) in the early 1960s. Head began writing songs as a child, and by the mid-1960s he had a London-based recording contract. He briefly appeared as one of the hosts of the Bristol-based television pop show Now! alongside Michael Palin. He had limited success, until asked by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber to play Judas Iscariot on the original concept album version of Jesus Christ Superstar; at the time, he had been appearing in the West End production of the musical Hair. With the Trinidad Singers, the song "Superstar" peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1971. He made his film debut in The Family Way (1966), which featured Hayley Mills, Hywel Bennett and John Mills in the leading roles. Head won a leading role in the Oscar-nominated film Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), alongside Peter Finch and Glenda Jackson. Despite these successes, he received little public attention in the next ten years (except for his single release, "Say It Ain't So, Joe" in 1975, which has been covered by The Who's lead vocalist, Roger Daltrey, among others, including The Hollies). "Never Even Thought" has been covered by both Colin Blunstone and Cliff Richard. In 1973, he appeared in a radio drama, The Fourth Tower of Inverness. In 1979, Head appeared in the miniseries Prince Regent and the final episode of the ITV program Return of the Saint. ... Source: Article "Murray Head" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Filmography
- War of the Worlds — Mikel
- 2014Horsehead — Jim
- Vera — Peter Calvert
- 2009No Pasaran — Peter Konchelsky
- 2004D-Day 6.6.1944 — Robert Douin
- 2003I, Cesar — Mr. Fitzpatrick
- Rosemary & Thyme — Nev Connolly
- 2002Cindy - Cendrillon 2002 — Ronan
- 2002Lovers of the Nile — Le colonel
- Judge John Deed — Judge Previn
- 1999The Big Snake of the World — Tom
- 1999The Children of the Century — Writer
- The Vice — Tommy Roker
- 1996Beaumarchais the Scoundrel — Lord Rochford
- Heartbeat — Jack Hollins
- Centrepoint — Nick Wareing
- 1989Chess in Concert — Freddie
- 1989Stormy Summer — Jack
- 1989The Savage — Michael
- 1988Door on the Left as You Leave the Elevator — Original Music Composer
- 1987White Mischief — Lizzie
- Casualty — Billy Cooper
- 1985Chess Moves — The American
- 1982For 200 Grand, You Get Nothing Now — Original Music Composer
- 1980Cocktail Molotov — Music
- Return of the Saint — Pierre
- 1977Madame Claude — David Evans
- 1975El poder del deseo — Javier
- 1974Intent to Murder — Larry
- 1974Taking Leave — Barbara Allen Singer (voice only)
- The Fortunes of Nigel — Lord Dalgarno
- 1973Gawain and the Green Knight — Gawain
- 1972La Mandarine — Antony 'Tony' Bellay-Vanguard
- Shirley's World
- 1971Sunday Bloody Sunday — Bob Elkin
- 1967Two Weeks in September — Dickinson's Assistant
- 1966The Family Way — Geoffrey Fitton
Appearances as themselves (14)
- Bonsoir bonsoir! — Self
- En direct de l'univers — Self
- Where Are They Now? — Self
- Taratata — Self
- 40° à l'ombre — Self
- Le monde est à vous — Self
- Nulle part ailleurs — Self
- Sacrée soirée — Self
- 1984Magasinet Special: Chess 1984 — Self
- Bei Bio — Self
- Champs-Elysées — Self
- Six Fifty-Five Special — Self
- Les Rendez-vous du dimanche — Self
- Midi Première — Self