Murray McArthur

Short Biography

Murray McArthur (born 4 May 1966 in Honiton, Devon) is a British stage, television and film actor. The son of a mushroom farmer, of Scottish parentage and red-haired, he often plays Scottish roles. He attended King's School, Ottery St. Mary, received a BA (Hons) degree in English and drama at Loughborough University and went on to study acting at the Drama Studio London. He has appeared in many stage-plays in British regional theatres and on London's West End (including the Royal National Theatre and Shakespeare's Globe). Much of his stage work has taken him overseas (Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles & Panasonic Globe Theatre, Tokyo); most recently playing Joe Gargery in Great Expectations at the Gate Theatre, Dublin in 2008 where his performance was described by Irish Independent critic Bruce Arnold. "Emphasis on the heart-warming relationship between Pip and Joe Gargery is a crucial part of the story, and the blacksmith, played by Murray McArthur in the best performance of the evening, achieves this. He captures the poignancy and tenderness of his affection for Pip".