Brian Murphy, who starred as the henpecked landlord George Roper on the 1970s British sitcoms Man About the House and George and Mildred, which were adapted for Three’s Company and The Ropers in the U.S., has died. He was 92.
Murphy died Sunday of cancer at his home in Kent, England, his agent, Thomas Bowington, announced.
Murphy also starred on the short-lived comedies The Incredible Mr. Tanner in 1981, L for Lester in 1982 and Lame Ducks in 1984-85 before joining the long-running BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine as Alvin Smedley for an eight-season run from 2003-10.
ITV’s Man About the House, from Thames Television, starred Richard O’Sullivan as student chef Robin Tripp, who moves into a London flat shared by two young women, Chrissy (Paula Wilcox) and Jo (Sally Thomsett), to enjoy a platonic relationship. The landlords, George and his sexually frustrated wife, Mildred (Yootha Joyce), are told Robin is gay.
Created by Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer, the popular show aired for six seasons from 1973-76, to be followed by the spinoff George and Mildred, which saw the bickering Ropers move to a nicer home on the series that lasted five seasons through 1976-79.
This should all sound very familiar to fans of ABC’s Three’s Company, which was developed by Don Nicholl, Michael Ross and Bernie West. Norman Fell and Audra Lindley played Stanley and Helen Roper for its first three seasons starting in 1977 before leaving for The Ropers, which ran two seasons, from 1979-80. John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers, of course, were the original roommates.
Born on the Isle of Wight on Sept. 25, 1932, Murphy completed his national service with the Royal Air Force — his two brothers died during World War II — and then studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
In the 1950s, he became a member of Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop, where he acted alongside Joyce, then appeared on such TV shows as The Avengers and Z-Cars and in the Littlewood-directed 1963 film Sparrows Can’t Sing.
In 1993, he starred onstage, again for Littlewood, in H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man.
Murphy also voiced a character on the animated series Pond Life and appeared in Booze Cruise telefilms and on episodes of Brookside, The Catherine Tate Show and The Cafe.
Survivors include his second wife, Linda Regan (the British sitcom Hi-de-Hi!), whom he first met in 1990 and married in 1995, and his sons, Trevor and Kevin.
English (US) ·