Biography.guide
Home › People › Television actor › George Murdock
Portrait of George Murdock

George Murdock

1930 – 2012

American film actor

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About George Murdock

Lived 1930 – 2012 (aged 81). George Murdock was an American television actor, film actor, stage actor and actor.

George Murdock (born George Sawaya Jr.; June 25, 1930 – April 30, 2012) was an American character actor, whose career was mainly in television.

Early years Murdock was born in Salina, Kansas. He was the second child of seven children born to George R. Sawaya, a Lebanese immigrant, and Olive (née Johnson) Sawaya.

Career Murdock was an original cast member of the Los Angeles-based Melrose Theatre, appearing in “Lester Sims Retires Tomorrow” during its early 1980s off-Broadway run, while also appearing in productions staged at the South Coast Repertory as well as the Los Angeles Theater Center and the Odyssey Theatre.

Filmography

The Twilight Zone (Episode: "The Dummy") (1962, TV Series) as Willie The Untouchables (1962, TV Series) as Pete Topchinski / Gus Dmytryk Pressure Point (1962) as Rally Speaker (uncredited) 77 Sunset Strip (1963, TV Series) as Frank Syden He Rides Tall (1964) as Burt Taggart (1964) as Army Scout (uncredited) Combat! (1965, TV Series) as Marcus I Spy (1965, TV Series) as Mariner Bonanza (1965-1970, TV Series) as Luis Getty / Marks / Floyd Ben Casey (1965) as Byron B. Davis The F.B.I. (1965–1974, TV Series) as Dirken / Vic Kirby / Al Evans Tarzan (1966–1967, TV Series) as Eric / Damian / Karl Gunn (1967) as Archie Batman (1967) as one of Catwoman's henchmen The Wild Wild West (1967, TV Series) as Luther Coyle Gunsmoke (1967–1974, TV Series) as Luke / Cole Matson / Bret Gruber / Jim Travers Ironside (1968–1974, TV Series) as Sheriff / Phil Wagner / Jim Peters / Lee R. Anderson / FBI Agent Torrence / Capt. Walter Finch / Victor Cramer Blackbeard's Ghost (1968) as Head Official Cimarron Strip (1968, TV Series) as Bladgey The Virginian (1969, TV Series) as Barton Night Gallery (1969, TV Series) as 1st Agent It Takes a Thief (1970, TV series) as Devon Hawaii Five-O (1971, TV Series) as Hank Merrill The Mod Squad (1971, TV Series) as Price The Todd Killings (1971) as Police Officer Adam-12 (1971, TV Series) as Mr. Williams Bearcats! (1971, TV Series) as Coot Leonard Banacek (1972–1974, TV Series) as Cavanaugh McCloud (1972–1974, TV Series) as Sergeant Rosovitch / Officer Duncan The Mack (1973) as Fatman The New Perry Mason (1973, TV Series) as Sgt. Dave Cook The Magician (1973, TV Series) as Timothy Dunagan Willie Dynamite (1974) as Celli Thomasine & Bushrod (1974) as U.S. Marshal Bogardie The Six Million Dollar Man (1974, TV Series) as Rossi Hangup (1974) as Captain Gorney Earthquake (1974) as Colonel The Streets of San Francisco (1974–1977, TV Series) as Harlan Betts / Dempsey / Merle The Invisible Man (1975, TV Series) as Captain Scopes Police Woman (1975, TV Series) as Hogan / Macon Barney Miller (1976–1982, TV Series) as Lt. Ben Scanlon Little House on the Prairie (1977, TV Series) as Jeremy Stokes Breaker! Breaker! (1977) as Judge Joshua Trimmings Thunder and Lightning (1977) as Jake Summers Lou Grant (1977, TV Series) as Sgt. Irwin Winowsky The Rockford Files (1978, TV Series) as Doc Holliday Battlestar Galactica (1978–1979, TV Series) as the Doctor The Dukes of Hazzard (1979, TV Series) as Big Jim Downey The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (1979–1981, TV Series) as Mr. Sheldon / Mayor Hawkins Any Which Way You Can (1980) as Sgt. Cooley Trapper John, M.D. (1981, TV Series) as Jobo's Dad Shoot the Moon (1982) as French DeVoe Bosom Buddies (1982, TV Series) as Elliot Pardo T. J. Hooker (1982, TV Series) as Detective Jackson The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) as Quade Hill Street Blues (1982, TV Series) as Buck Remington Benson (1982, TV Series) as Officer George Grimsby The Winds of War (1983) as Brig. Gen. 'Fitz' Fitzgerald I'm Going to Be Famous (1983) Knight Rider (1983–1984, TV Series) as Archibald / Judge Oliver Callan Night Court (1984, TV Series) as Detective Griffin / Sergeant Foster / Hank Mire / Womack Fame (1985, TV Series) as Mr. Pulaski Certain Fury (1985) as Lt. Speier Murder, She Wrote (1985, TV Series) as Officer Kaplan Small Wonder (1986, TV Series) as Mr. Gordon Retribution (1987) as Dr. John Talbot Dynasty (1988, TV Series) as Charlie Braddock Midnight Caller (1989, TV series) as Sam Chase War and Remembrance (1989, TV Mini-Series) as Gen. Leslie Groves Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) as The "God" entity L.A. Law (1989, TV Series) as Sam Star Trek: The Next Generation (1990, TV Series) as Admiral J. P. Hanson Timescape (1992) as Judge Caldwell Final Analysis (1992) as Judge Costello Batman: The Animated Series (1992, TV Series) as Boss Biggis (voice) Law & Order (1992–1999, TV Series) as Judge Eric Bertram Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993, TV Series) as Burton Newcomb Firepower (1993) as Captain Croy Seinfeld (1994, TV Series) as Testikov Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II (1994) as Senator Riley Molly & Gina (1994) as Patrick Sweeny The Nanny (1995, TV Series) as Dakota Williams Tyson (1995, TV Movie) as Baranski The American President (1995) as Congressman Crosscut (1996) as Uncle Leo Chicago Hope (1996, TV Series) as Judge John Spencer ER (1996, TV Series) as Mr. Sidowski The Gregory Hines Show (1997, TV Series) as Samuel Lawrence Mike Hammer, Private Eye (1997, TV Series) as Cleve Baxter Scorpio One (1998) as CIA Director Wilfrid Parlow Early Edition (1998, TV Series) as Dutch Van Drie Anarchy TV (1998) as Chief Cochon Just Shoot Me! (1998, TV Series) as Sea Captain Phoenix (1998) as Sid The X-Files (1998–1999, TV Series) as Elder #2 / 2nd Elder The X-Files: Fight the Future (1998) as 2nd Elder The Adventures of Ragtime (1998) as Captain Murphy The Norm Show (1999, TV Series) as Probation Officer Family Tree (1999) as Big Wig Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming (1999, Short) as Dr. Salik Time Share (2000) as Cedric Templeton Judging Amy (2000–2002, TV Series) as Judge Norman Artel 2000x (NPR/Hollywood Theater of the Ear radio series) Smallville (2001, TV Series) as Old Harry Bollston Orange County (2002) as Bob Beugler The Dead Zone (2002, TV Series) as Arthur Allen Legend of the Phantom Rider (2002) as The Judge Spider's Web (2002) as Robert Harding Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) as Acme VP, Unfairly Promoted Serial Killing 4 Dummys (2004) as Detective Ray Berro CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2005, TV Series) as Stuart Manslow One More Round (2005) as Mr. Mack Man in the Chair (2007) as Richard Butler Say It in Russian (2007) as Warden Eagleheart (2011, TV Series) as Fred Torchwood: Miracle Day (2011, TV Series) as Preacher Dispatch (2011) as Himself

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Kansas Wesleyan University

People in George Murdock's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped George Murdock's

Frequently asked questions

Who was George Murdock?

American film actor (1930-2012)

When was George Murdock born?

George Murdock was born on 25 June 1930 in Salina.

When did George Murdock die?

George Murdock died on 30 April 2012 in Burbank.

What was George Murdock's occupation?

George Murdock was a television actor, film actor, stage actor and actor.

What nationality was George Murdock?

George Murdock was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: George Murdock

· Wikidata: Q132217

· DBpedia: George Murdock (actor)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). George Murdock. https://biography.guide/george-murdock-television-actor/

MLA: "George Murdock." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/george-murdock-television-actor/.

Chicago: "George Murdock." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/george-murdock-television-actor/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:11 UTC