Also an avid tennis player, at one time top seeded in Southern California.
Apprenticed at the Pasadena Playhouse for a time.
Attended eight different colleges, including the University of Illinois to the University of the Americas in Mexico.
Born in Arkansas but raised in Memphis and Chicago.
In a career that has spanned five decades, he has starred in eight television series: "The Name of the Game" (1968), "Alias Smith and Jones" (1971), "Griff" (1973), "Gemini Man" (1976), "The Chisholms" (1979), _'Lottery! (1983)', _"Berrengers (1985)_ and _"Dirty Dozen: The Series" (1988).
In July 2006, he and Roger Davis, narrator of "Alias Smith and Jones" (1971), were guests at the Western Film Fair in Charlotte, North Carolina along with Russ Tamblyn, Mark Goddard, Marjorie Lord, Ronnie Schell, Steve Kanaly, Tom Reese, Coleen Gray and Cheryl Rogers.
Starred with the late Pete Duel in "Alias Smith and Jones: Alias Smith and Jones (#1.1)" (1971) and "Alias Smith and Jones" (1971), an ABC western series derived from the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). Rumor has it that Murphy ended up a frontrunner for the series because of his close resemblance to Paul Newman.