Murvyn Vye

Biography

Born Marvin Wesley Vye, Jr., this Massachusetts-born, Yale-trained character actor was associated for a time with the Theatre Guild in the 1940s. Equipped with a tough-looking countenance and sturdy baritone, he was hired to originate the role of Jigger Craigin in the Guild's 1945 mounting of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Carousel," which also starred John Raitt and Jan Clayton. A spectacular success, this led to Hollywood offers and in 1947 he made an auspicious film debut (third billed) in Golden Earrings (1947) starring Marlene Dietrich and Ray Milland, playing Zoltan, a gypsy who sings the title tune. Playing next a baddie in the Alan Ladd starrer Whispering Smith (1948) and Merlin in the Bing Crosby remake of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949), Vye returned to Broadway to co-star as the Kralahome in the musical "The King and I." The musical, of course, went on to become a smash but without Vye for he quit the production during tryouts after his only song was cut. Unfortunately he would not recreate his Jigger role in the movie version of "Carousel" either. Cameron Mitchell took the honors. Back in Hollywood, Vye became a standard fixture in mobster pics including Al Capone (1959) as Bugs Moran, King of the Roaring 20's: The Story of Arnold Rothstein (1961) and The George Raft Story (1961). With a homely, imposing mug made for adventure tales, he played everything from warrior chiefs to Blackbeard the Pirate. On TV he portrayed a number of corrupt characters on such shows as "The Untouchables" and "77 Sunset Strip" and sometimes even played his tough guys for laughs. In between he appeared in musical productions of "Oklahoma!" and "South Pacific," among others. Vye died in 1976 at age 63.