THE REAL BEN MURPHY
Unknown UK magazine, 1976

The disappearing act--Ben Murphy's pretty good at that even when he's not playing Sam Casey in The Gemini Man.

It's not just that he's always dashing around and is hard to get hold of--the answering service on his home phone works overtime now! But he's got a personality that's hard to pin down too.

"I never really act a role," says Ben. "I just play myself."

But does he? And who is the real Ben Murphy?

Well, he's 34, has blue eyes and light brown hair. He's 180 cm tall, and weighs 68 kg. He lives in a small flat on Malibu beach. He's sport mad--a real outdoor type who plays tennis, swims, and generally keeps fit. He eats organic foods and his idea of a good nosh is a crunchy salad.

That's the picture Ben presents to the world--the all-American boy he plays on screen.

But there's a whole lot more to him. There's the private, secret Ben Murphy that most of us never get to see. He's a loner. He's independent and self-reliant, and not as out-going and extrovert as he'd have us believe.

Oh yes, he's always polite and courteous, but as one friend put it, "He seems very detached. He likes people and getting to know folks, but it takes an awful lot before he loves and trusts them. I don't think he's ever been in love with a girl or had a serious girlfriend, but he always has escorts!"

Ben is reowned for his love of ladies, and is always, cheekily on the look-out for new talent. But, endearingly, he doesn't seem to have that smooth a line in patter.

"He's very charming of course," one young lady told us, "but when it comes to the chat-up he isn't as slick and subtle as some guys. His way of showing admiration is to sit right next to you when you're chatting, squeezed up against you!"

He's late to bed, and a late riser--he enjoys going to Hollywood-type parties occasionally. But he's not so impressed by stardom and money that he wouldn't give it all up tomorrow.

"I want to go to France for six months and learn the language--forget about acting," he told a mate when Smith and Jones finished. And he did just that. Now he talks about giving up acting altogether within a few years, and concentrating on small-league sport.

Knowing Ben's determination, he may very well carry out his words.

And then, the mystery that is Ben Murphy will be lost to us for good...