Michael Fairman
ON SOAP OPERA DIGEST AND WEEKLY ONLINE
SOAP STAR STATS
Michael Fairman (Murphy, Y&R)
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— Steven Bergman
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Vital Statistics
- Birthday:
- February 25
- Hails From:
- New York, NY
- Years On Show:
- 2008-present
- Marital Status:
- Has a wife, Joy
- Children:
- Son Jeremy (from a previous marriage) was born in 1967, and daughter Sky was born in 1993.
The 411
Michael Fairman is a veteran of TV, film and stage, with over 100 credits to his name. Surprisingly, he didn't get involved in showbiz until he was an adult.
While working as an Air Force navigator, he was stationed near Tokyo, Japan. There, he joined a theater group and discovered that he loved acting. When he returned to New York City, he attended New York University, where he enrolled in drama and starred in plays such as Oedipus and A Streetcar Named Desire.
In the '70s, he appeared in a few TV movies and popular prime-time series like EIGHT IS ENOUGH and CHARLIE'S ANGELS. His career really took off in the '80s, however — and has been going strong ever since!
Fairman has guest-starred on countless beloved TV series, including CHEERS, SEINFELD, THE A-TEAM, THE DUKES OF HAZZARD, MUPRHY BROWN, NIGHT COURT, THE X FILES and QUANTUM LEAP. He also had recurring roles on CRASH (which was based on the movie), CAGNEY & LACEY, SCARECROW AND MRS. KING, HILL STREET BLUES and L.A. LAW, and appeared in many movies, including Mulholland Drive and Thirteen Days.
Meantime, the talented star is a soap vet, with roles on BEACH, GH and RH. He turned out to be the perfect leading man for Jeanne Cooper (Katherine) on Y&R, when his character, Patrick "Murphy" Murphy, first came to the show last November and cared for an amnesiac Kay.
Though soaps tend to focus on romances between younger couples, the mature pair quickly became a fan favorite. Y&R rewarded the audience by having Kay and Murphy tie the knot in a sweet wedding ceremony on May 1, 2009.
Et Cetera
— Played Ben Affleck's father in Forces Of Nature.
— In 1999, he placed 6th in his age group in the Body For Life challenge.
— Graduated as a 2nd Lt. from Harlingen Air Force Base in Texas.
— In 2006, he was in television ads for Hallmark's Keepsake Ornaments.
— His son is 26 years older than his daughter.
Other Roles
Other Soap Roles
SUNSET BEACH (Archbishop Damien, 1999)
GENERAL HOSPITAL (Harry Silver, 1994-1997)
RYAN'S HOPE (Nick Szabo, 1975-1980)
TV Roles
MONK (Stanley Greenblatt, 2009)
CRASH (Lou Losky, 2008-2009)
MEDIUM (Frontier Doctor, 2006)
NIGHT STALKER (2006)
GHOST WHISPERER (Dennis's Father, 2006)
WITHOUT A TRACE (Thomas Healy, 2005)
7TH HEAVEN.... (Milton Madison, 2005)
THE PRACTICE (Governor's Council Interviewer, 2004; Harold Shaw, 2001)
COLD CASE (David Rosen, 2004)
JUST SHOOT ME! (Bob, 2003)
JUDGING AMY (Judge Henry Bouton, 2003)
FIREFLY (Adelai Niska, 2002)
JAG (CIA Director Norman Watts, 2002)
DHARMA & GREG (Porter, 2001)
THE KING OF QUEENS (Harold, 2001)
BLACK SCORPION (General Stryker, 2001)
BOSTON PUBLIC (Harold Shaw, 2000)
FAMILY LAW (Pierce's Attorney, 2000)
BOY MEETS WORLD (Dr. Markman, 1999)
PROVIDENCE (Frank Gerrish , 1999)
VIPER (Abe Goldberg, 1998)
BEYOND BELIEF: FACT OR FICTION (Publisher, 1998)
MIKE HAMMER, PRIVATE EYE (Ronald Wilk, 1998)
BROOKLYN SOUTH (Dr. Vanderluke, 1997)
THE X FILES (Older Jason Nichols, 1997)
HIGH INCIDENT (1997)
KID COP (Charlie Rebbins, 1996)
THE CREW (Sam Steadman, 1995)
COURTHOUSE (Judge Francis Firestone, 1995)
SWEET JUSTICE (Richard Crashaw, 1995)
MURPHY BROWN (Steve Ferguson, 1994)
ER (Mort Harris, 1994)
THE ADVENTURES OF BRISCO COUNTY JR. (General Quarry, 1994)
L.A. LAW (Judge Douglas McGrath, 1986-1994)
THE GEORGE CARLIN SHOW (1994)
SEINFELD (Arthur Pensky, 1993)
BOB (Buck Sikes, 1993)
THE GOLDEN PALACE (Ernie Niles, 1993)
ROC (Bert, 1991)
CHEERS (Dutch Kincaid, 1991)
WINGS (Reporter, 1991)
QUANTUM LEAP (Judge Mulhearn, 1990)
TOUR OF DUTY (Edward Higgins, 1989-1990)
MY TWO DADS ( 1990)
NIGHT COURT (Judge Casement, 1989)
ALIEN NATION (Capt. McKnight, 1989)
MANCUSO, F.B.I. (1989)
HUNTER (Carl Weller, 1989)
CBS SCHOOLBREAK SPECIAL (Dr. Bolton, 1987-1989)
DYNASTY (Dr. Westhaven, 1988)
FAVORITE SON (Dr. Aronowitz, 1988)
CAGNEY & LACEY (Department Inspector Knelman, 1984-1988)
21 JUMP STREET (Frank Hartman, 1987)
SCARECROW AND MRS. KING (Dr. Theodore Glaser, 1983-1987)
DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS (The TV series) (Henry Phelps, 1987)
NEWHART (Mr. Taylor, 1987)
GLORY YEARS (1987)
MACGYVER (Gen. Relkwin, 1985)
THE DUKES OF HAZZARD (The Deputy Attorney General, 1985)
HILL STREET BLUES (Arnold Detweiler (1982-1984)
REMINGTON STEELE (Cop, 1984)
THE A-TEAM (Anthony Raymond, 1984)
KNIGHT RIDER (Eric Fenton, 1983)
SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (Colonel Harris, 1983)
FILTHY RICH (Mr. Taylor, 1983)
THE POWERS OF MATTHEW STAR (Mr. Heller, 1982)
GAVILAN (1982)
LOU GRANT (Dr. Chamberlain, 1979 and 1982)
BOSOM BUDDIES (Mr. Peters, 1981)
WKRP IN CINCINNATI (Buddy Barker, 1978 and 1980)
TAXI (John Brennan, 1980)
MRS. COLUMBO (Lieutenant, 1979)
BARNABY JONES (Gerald Laslo, 1978)
CHARLIE'S ANGELS (Cal Stone, 1977)
EIGHT IS ENOUGH(1977)
TV Movie Roles
ORDINARY MIRACLES (Sterling Grimes, 2005)
THE PERFECT WIFE (Orville Gleason, 2001)
THE CHRISTMAS WISH (Mr. Connor, 1998)
APOLLO 11 (Edwin Aldrin, Sr. , 1996)
AN UNFINISHED AFFAIR (Clayton Edmunds1996)
THE LATE SHIFT (Michael Gartner, 1996)
HOGGS' HEAVEN (Dad, 1994)
SHAMEFUL SECRETS (Mal , 1993)
JOHNNY RYAN (Meyer Lansky, 1990)
A PLACE AT THE TABLE (Martin,1988)
I DREAM OF JEANNIE: 15 YEARS LATER (General Hatten, 1985)
OUR FAMILY HONOR (1985)
STINGRAY (Ned Rosenberg, M.D., 1985)
ANATOMY OF AN ILLNESS (Dr. Lowman, 1984)
WORLD WAR III (Dr. Alan Tenant, 1982)
MARILYN: THE UNTOLD STORY (1980)
SCARED STRAIGHT! ANOTHER STORY (Warden, 1980)
LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE (Lieutenant Anderson, 1979)
A QUESTION OF GUILT (Man on Stand, 1978)
THEY'VE KILLED PRESIDENT LINCOLN (Major Eckert, 1971)
Film Roles
A Voice in the Dark (Mr. Anderson, 2010)
Dark Streets (Nathaniel, 2008)
Struck (Doctor, 2008)
The Reflecting Pool (Berman, 2008)
Dead Silence (Henry Walker, 2007)
Beyond the Wall of Sleep (Older Intern, 2006)
Love Comes to the Executioner (Warden Stankovic, 2006)
The Hard Easy (Colonel Max, 2005)
Wheelmen (Paul, 2002)
Mulholland Dr. (Jason, 2001)
Thirteen Days (Adlai Stevenson, 2000)
The Perfect Tenant (Mr. Hartwell, 2000)
Forces of Nature (Richard Holmes, 1999)
Freedom Strike (Gen. Porter, 1998)
Brina's Problem (1998)
Cupid (Carl, 1997)
The Nurse (Bob Martin, 1997)
The Great White Hype (Chairman Jerry Schwartz, 1996)
One Day in Dallas (John, 1990)
The Banker (Fred, 1989)
The Story of Book One (1987)
Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (Bernard Lupowitz, 1981)
Gangster Wars (Mr. Silver, 1981)
Any Which Way You Can (CHP Captain, 1980)
The Kidnapping of the President (Harrison, 1980)
The Anderson Tapes (Sergeant Claire, 1971)
Marvelous Michael
"I love the idea of having this story where it's not about age. There are plenty of people out there who are at a certain age, where they're still vital and active."
— Jeanne Cooper (Kay, Y&R) on Murphy and Kay's relationship, Soap Opera Digest, 5/5/09
"Michael really embodies the whole character and has such great chemistry with Jeanne.... There were several other actors up for Murphy, but now I'm so glad that he's the one who got the part."
— Y&R Casting Director Camille St. Cyr, Digest, 5/5/09
