F. Murray Abraham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
F. Murray Abraham
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Abraham in 2024
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| Born |
Murray Abraham
October 24, 1939 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Education | University of Texas at El Paso University of Texas at Austin |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1959–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Kate Hannan
(m. 1962; died 2022) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
F. Murray Abraham (born Murray Abraham; October 24, 1939) is a famous American actor. He is well-known for his many roles in both plays and movies. He has won an Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) and a Golden Globe Award. He was also nominated for other big awards like the BAFTA Award, Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. He became very famous for playing Antonio Salieri in the movie Amadeus (1984). For this role, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Abraham first appeared on Broadway in 1968 in the play The Man in the Glass Booth. He won an Obie Award for his great acting in Uncle Vanya (1984) and The Merchant of Venice (2011). He also returned to Broadway in 2014 in the comedy It's Only a Play.
He has acted in many movies, playing both main and supporting characters. Some of his films include All the President's Men (1976), Scarface (1983), The Name of the Rose (1986), Last Action Hero (1993), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019).
On television, he was a regular actor on the show Homeland (2012–2018), which earned him two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He also starred in Mythic Quest (2020–2021), Moon Knight (2022), and The White Lotus (2022). His role in The White Lotus earned him nominations for the Golden Globe Award and the Primetime Emmy Award.
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Early Life and Education
Abraham was born Murray Abraham on October 24, 1939, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His father, Fahrid "Fred" Abraham, was an automotive mechanic. His mother, Josephine, was Italian American. Murray describes himself as both Italian American and Syrian American. His father's family came from a small village in Syria. His mother's father was an Italian immigrant who worked in coal mines.
Abraham grew up in El Paso, Texas. He and his two younger brothers were altar boys at their church. He went to Vilas Grammar School and graduated from El Paso High School in 1958. As a teenager, he was part of a gang. Before becoming an actor, he worked in a clothing factory in El Paso.
He went to Texas Western College (now University of Texas at El Paso). There, he won a "best actor" award for his role in a play called Comanche Eagle in 1959–60. He also attended the University of Texas at Austin. Later, he studied acting in New York City. He started his acting career on stage in Los Angeles.
Abraham added "F." to his stage name to honor his father, Fahrid. He said that "Murray Abraham just doesn't seem to say anything. It just is another name, so I thought I'd frame it."
Career Highlights
Early Acting Roles (1971–1978)
Abraham first appeared on screen in the movie They Might Be Giants (1971). He had small roles in other films like Serpico (1973) and All the President's Men (1976). He also appeared in TV shows like Kojak.
By the mid-1970s, he also worked in commercials and did voice-overs. He was known for playing "the leaf" in commercials for Fruit of the Loom underwear. In 1978, he decided to stop doing this work. He felt that people weren't taking his acting seriously. He wanted to focus only on acting. His wife, Kate Hannan, started working to support them.
Becoming Famous (1983–1986)
In 1984, Abraham played the composer Antonio Salieri in the movie Amadeus. This film won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Abraham won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role. His co-star, Tom Hulce, who played Mozart, was also nominated. Abraham also won a Golden Globe Award for this role. This performance is still one of his most famous.
Some people in Hollywood thought that winning an Oscar early in a career could be a "jinx," meaning it might make it harder to find roles later. But Abraham disagreed. He said, "The Oscar is the single most important event of my career. I have dined with kings, shared equal billing with my idols, lectured at Harvard and Columbia. If this is a jinx, I'll take two." He also said that even after winning the Oscar, he could still ride the subway in New York without being recognized, which he found "refreshing."
After Amadeus, Abraham often focused on classical theater. He starred in many plays by William Shakespeare, such as Othello and Richard III. He also appeared in plays by other famous writers. His next big film role was in The Name of the Rose (1986). In this movie, he played Bernardo Gui, a villain. The film was very successful.
An Established Actor (1989–1998)
After playing villains, Abraham wanted to return to comedy. In 1991, he played King Lear in a theater production in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1994, he acted in the Broadway play Angels in America.
Over the next few years, Abraham continued to have important supporting roles in films. These included Mighty Aphrodite (1995), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), and Finding Forrester (2000). He also narrated the plot summaries for Wagner's Ring Cycle operas on PBS, which was watched by many people.
In the late 1990s, he starred in a new musical on Broadway called Triumph of Love. He has also taught theater at Brooklyn College.
Later Career (2000–Present)
Around 2009, Abraham started appearing more often on screen. He had guest roles in TV shows like Saving Grace, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and The Good Wife. He was also the main narrator for the PBS series Nature for several years.
His most notable TV role was as Dar Adal in the Showtime drama series Homeland. This role earned him two Emmy Award nominations.
Abraham has always loved working on stage. He gave memorable performances in plays like Waiting for Godot and Twelfth Night. He also played Shylock in The Merchant of Venice in New York and with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He played this role again in 2011.
In the 2010s, he appeared in two highly praised films: Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). For The Grand Budapest Hotel, he was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award along with the other actors in the movie. In 2014, he returned to Broadway in the play It's Only a Play, acting alongside famous stars like Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. He was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his performance.
He continued his voice acting career, lending his voice to the animated film Isle of Dogs (2018) and playing Grimmel in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019). He also played Tony in the 2019 live-action Lady and the Tramp. From 2020 to 2021, he was in the Apple TV+ comedy series Mythic Quest. In 2022, he voiced Khonshu in the superhero series Moon Knight, which is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He also starred in the 2022 film The Magic Flute and the Netflix series Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities. In 2023, he played Judge John Sirica in the HBO series White House Plumbers.
Abraham also acted in the HBO series The White Lotus: Sicily (2022), playing Bert Di Grasso, a friendly grandfather. This role earned him nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2023, he acted in the film Mother, Couch. In 2024, it was announced that Abraham would return to the stage in a musical called The Queen of Versailles.
Personal Life
Marriage
F. Murray Abraham was married to Kate Hannan for 60 years, from 1962 until her death in November 2022. They had two children and one grandchild.
Awards and Recognition
Abraham has received an honorary doctorate from Rider University.
Acting Awards
Abraham won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his acting in Amadeus (1984). When he accepted his Oscar, he praised his co-star, Tom Hulce. He was also nominated for a BAFTA Award.
He has also been nominated for a Grammy Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. He received three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations with the casts of Homeland and The Grand Budapest Hotel. He won two Obie Awards for his theater work in Uncle Vanya (1984) and The Merchant of Venice (2011).
In July 2004, he received the "Premio per gli Italiani nel Mondo" in Rome. This award is given by the Italian government to Italian emigrants and their descendants who have achieved great things abroad.
In 2009, he was recognized by the Alumni Association of the City College of New York for his service to New York City. In 2010, he received The Gielgud Award for his theater work. In 2015, Abraham was added to the American Theater Hall of Fame.
He was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2023.
Images for kids
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Abraham in 2024
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Portrait of Antonio Salieri, whom Abraham played in Amadeus (1984)
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Abraham (last full figure on right) on stage at the end of a December 2014 production of It's Only a Play
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Abraham in 2008.
See also
In Spanish: F. Murray Abraham para niños
