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Murphy Dunne | |
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| Born | George Dunne (1942-06-22)June 22, 1942 (age 82) |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, musician |
| Years active | 1969–present |
George "Murphy" Dunne[1] (born June 22, 1942) is an Americanactor andmusician. He played "Murph", the keyboardist forthe Blues Brothers, in the 1980 filmThe Blues Brothers, a role he reprised in the sequel,Blues Brothers 2000.
Dunne grew up in Chicago, the son of Agnes andGeorge Dunne. He has two sisters, Mary and Eileen.[1][2] In the late 1960s he became Precinct Captain of the 42nd ward, also known as Rush Street. Rush Street was home to many music venues and while visiting the clubs Dunne decided to pursue an active career in show business. He started playing piano in a back room of Lake Shore Park and joined one of the early 1970s comedy ensembles, The Conception Corporation.[citation needed]
In 1968 he joined the improvisational theatre companyThe Second City.[2]
In 1969 Dunne co-produced Chicago's first Free Blues Festival at Grant Park Band Shell, where he metWillie Dixon,Albert King and his future Blues Brothers band-mateSteve Cropper.[citation needed]
In 1977 Dunne had a small role as a keyboard player inJoan Tewkesbury'sOld Boyfriends, where he metJohn Belushi.
In 1979 Dunne played keyboards forLenny and the Squigtones on the albumLenny & Squiggy Present Lenny and the Squigtones, under the pseudonym Lars Svenki.
In September 1992, he performed a solo piece entitled "Murphy Dunne Nevertheless" at the Globe Playhouse inWest Hollywood, California. It was co-written withLewis Arquette.[2]
Dunne won the role inThe Blues Brothers after their original pianist,Paul Shaffer, could not accept the part due to his contractual obligations withSaturday Night Live, as well as his choice to take part inGilda Live. Dunne played himself in both of the two Blues Brothers films, with a fictional storyline: Murphy "Murph" Dunne was an original member of the Blues Brothers until "Joliet" Jake went to prison in the 1970s. He then started his own band called "Murph and the MagicTones"[3] along with four other ex-Blues Brothers Band members;Donald "Duck" Dunn,Steve "The Colonel" Cropper,Willie "Too Big" Hall andTom "Bones" Malone. While performing a regular set at the Armada Room in aChicago areaHoliday Inn, Jake and Elwood Blues again approached the band to reform the Blues Brothers band. After a brief tour, Murph was sent to prison with the rest of the Blues Brothers Band.
When the real-life Blues Brothers toured in 1980 to promote the film, Dunne performed live with the band along with Shaffer. His work can be heard on their 1980 live album,Made in America.[citation needed]
Dunne also appeared inChesty Anderson, USN (1976),[citation needed] the disaster spoofThe Big Bus (1976),[2]Mel Brooks'sHigh Anxiety (1977) as a lounge-room piano player,[2] three commercial parody films;Tunnel Vision (1976),American Raspberry (1977) andLoose Shoes (1980), and the teen comedyBad Manners (aka:Growing Pains) (1984). He played a court stenographer in the movieOh, God! (1977). Later films includeThe Main Event (1979),The Last Married Couple in America (1980),Honky Tonk Freeway (1981),Perfect (1985),Hero and the Terror (1988),Phoenix (1998) andThe Mothman Prophecies (2002). He has also acted in numerous television shows includingNight Court as well as working as avoice actor, and can be heard inCowboy Bebop: The Movie,Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and in the game,Star Trek: Klingon Academy.[citation needed]
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