BEN MURPHY
Tiger Beat Presents Super-Stars!, 1972
REAL FULL NAME: Benjamin Murphy
NICKNAME: Ben
BIRTHDATE: March 6, 1942
BIRTHPLACE: Jonesboro, Arkansas
HEIGHT: 5'11"
WEIGHT: 170 lbs.
HAIR COLOR: Light brown
EYE COLOR: Blue
MARITAL STATUS: Single
MAILING ADDRESS: c/o Universal Studios 100, Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California 91608
 
If there were a phrase to describe Ben Murphy, it would probably be something like: "an ambitious romantic realist who's a wanderer at heart." But describing him in that way would simplify him, and he's too complex for that!

Leaving the sleepy community of Jonesboro was the beginning of his ambitions. His original plans of a career in baseball were left behind when he discovered that acting was a better means of self-expression. Before that, he managed to squeeze college time in by getting two bachelor's degrees--one in political science and another in drama. Although he often lacks time, due to his busy schedule on TV's "Alias Smith and Jones," he's still taking acting and singing lessons, participating in workshops, and mastering karate.

In a romantic sense, he's a man who loves surprises! His favorite season is spring, because "everything is coming alive again and it's back to the beginning . . . plants, flowers, and little babies..." Someday, he plans on having a dream house in the desert made of stone and glass to share with a special woman who accepts him as he is.

Yet his realistic side somehow gets mixed in with this romance through his personal fight for ecology. He's been quoted as listing his dislikes as "uptight, negative people, rivers and lakes that kill fish, and air that keeps children from playing during recess." He admits that he's finally making peace with himself and the world, but still can't abide boring people who have nothing better to do than chit-chat. For that reason, he finds that he can't get beyond a surface level of friendliness with a lot of people.

Since he's striving to better his talents more than ever, he has no plans now on traveling as much as he used to. He's wandered all over the United States, Mexico, and Canada and wants to do more. His plans for the future include writing a book describing his personal experiences and travels. "I've always been intrigued by those isolated roadside diners, curious characters who work and live in the middle of nowhere, and people who have found their particular nirvana," he admits. And with that, we can see all the elements of his ambition, romantic realism, and thirst for travel combined to make the simple and complex person he is.


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