Murray Matheson

Sidney Murray Matheson was born on 1 July 1912 in Casterton, Australia, where he spent his early years on a 3,000-acre sheep station. At the age of 12, a touring company's production of Sally ignited his ambition to pursue acting. He went on to build a career spanning stage, film, and television across Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, remaining active until 1983.

Matheson's first principal stage role came in 1934, when he appeared in the musical Roberta at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne. He later made his London debut at the Palladium in Band Waggon in 1939. His New York stage debut followed in 1950, when he originated the role of Captain Worthy in The Relapse, produced by the Theatre Guild. He continued performing on Broadway through 1953, with credits that also include Escapade. Beyond Broadway, Matheson performed in dozens of plays and major tours through 1982.

His film career began in 1945 with a role as Joe Lawson in The Way to the Stars, also released under the title Johnny in the Clouds. He went on to appear in Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing in 1955, playing Dr. John Keith, and portrayed Benjamin Ovington in the 1967 film How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. One of his most recognized television performances was the role of the Clown in the classic Twilight Zone episode "Five Characters in Search of an Exit." He later returned to the Twilight Zone franchise, playing Mr. Agee in the "Kick the Can" segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie in 1983.

Matheson accumulated an extensive list of television credits throughout his career. In 1960, he appeared as Alexander in the Laramie episode "Duel at Parkinson Town." During 1960 and 1961, he took on two roles in the ABC series Adventures in Paradise, playing Geoffrey Carey in "The Archer's Ring" and the High Priest in "The Perils of Penrose." In 1961, he played the lead guest role in "A Rope for Charlie Munday" on the ABC series The Islanders. He guest starred in two 1964 episodes of Perry Mason on CBS, appearing as murder victim B.K. Doran in "The Case of the Accosted Accountant" and as murderer Howard Hopkins in "The Case of the Wooden Nickels." In 1969, he appeared in the Bewitched episode "Samantha's Good News" as an Australian warlock. He played Talbot in the 1973 Hawaii Five-O episode "Why Wait Until Uncle Kevin Dies" and held a recurring role as Felix Mulholland in the NBC series Banacek. Additional television appearances include a 1970 episode of The Silent Force, a 1978 episode of The Eddie Capra Mysteries, and a 1982 appearance on The Facts of Life.

Matheson died on 25 April 1985. His ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean.