F. Murray Abraham
F. Murray Abraham | |
|---|---|
| Born | Murray Abraham October 24, 1939 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1965–present |
| Known for | Role as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus |
| Notable work | Amadeus, Scarface, The Name of the Rose, Homeland, The White Lotus |
F. Murray Abraham (originally named Murray Abraham; born October 24, 1939) is an American actor acclaimed for his performances both on stage and in film. His accolades include an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, alongside nominations for a BAFTA Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. He rose to international fame through his role as Antonio Salieri in the 1984 movie Amadeus, which earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Abraham made his Broadway debut in 1968 with the play The Man in the Glass Booth. He received an Obie Award recognizing his outstanding performances in productions of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya (1984) and William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (2011). In 2014, he returned to Broadway starring in the revival of Terrence McNally's comedy It's Only a Play, which garnered him a nomination for a Drama Desk Award.
His extensive film career includes significant roles, both leading and supporting, in films such as All the President's Men (1976), Scarface (1983), The Name of the Rose (1986), Last Action Hero (1993), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), Finding Forrester (2000), Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). More recently, he has contributed voice performances in animated features like Isle of Dogs (2018) and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019).
On television, Abraham was a series regular on Showtime's drama Homeland from 2012 to 2018, earning two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor. His TV credits also include appearances on shows such as Louie (2011–2014), Mythic Quest (2020–2021), Moon Knight (2022), and The White Lotus (2022), with the latter performance leading to both Golden Globe and Emmy nominations.
Early life and education
Born as Murray Abraham on October 24, 1939, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he is the son of Fahrid "Fred" Abraham, who worked as an automotive mechanic, and Josephine (née Stello; 1915–2012). His father immigrated from Muqlus, Ottoman Syria, at the age of five; notably, his paternal grandfather served as a priest within the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch. His mother was of Italian American descent, being the daughter of a coal miner who had emigrated to Western Pennsylvania. Abraham had two younger brothers, Robert and Jack, both of whom tragically died in separate automobile accidents.
He was raised in El Paso, Texas, where he and his siblings served as altar boys at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church. His education included attending Vilas Grammar School before graduating from El Paso High School in 1958. During adolescence, he was involved with a local gang. Prior to pursuing acting professionally, he was employed at a factory owned by a family of Lebanese American heritage.
Abraham studied at Texas Western College—now known as the University of Texas at El Paso—where he earned recognition as best actor from Alpha Psi Omega for his portrayal of Nocona in Comanche Eagle during 1959–60. He continued his education at the University of Texas at Austin, subsequently training under renowned acting teacher Uta Hagen at New York City's HB Studio. Before establishing himself as an actor, he gained experience working behind the scenes.
To pay tribute to his father Fahrid, he incorporated "F." into his professional name, stating that "Murray Abraham just doesn't seem to say anything. It just is another name, so I thought I'd frame it."
1965–1978: Initial engagements
Abraham launched his acting journey on stage with a 1965 Los Angeles rendition of Ray Bradbury's The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit. His Broadway introduction occurred in 1968 with The Man in the Glass Booth, followed by his cinematic debut in They Might Be Giants (1971). Among his early film appearances were roles in Serpico (1973), Neil Simon's The Prisoner of Second Avenue and The Sunshine Boys (both released in 1975), the political thriller All the President's Men (1976), as well as comedies such as The Ritz (1976) and The Big Fix (1978).
Throughout the mid-1970s, Abraham maintained steady work in commercials and voice-over roles, notably embodying "the leaf" character in Fruit of the Loom advertisements. Feeling constrained by the scarcity of meaningful parts, he took a hiatus from acting in 1978 to prioritize family life while his wife pursued an assistantship. He later reflected on this interval as transformative, highlighting its challenge to conventional gender norms.
1983–1986: Career breakthrough and recognition
Abraham achieved wider recognition with his portrayal of drug trafficker Omar Suárez in Scarface (1983). His true breakthrough arrived with the role of Antonio Salieri in Miloš Forman's acclaimed Amadeus (1984), which earned him both an Academy Award for Best Actor and a Golden Globe Award, representing a pinnacle in his professional path.
Although discussions circulated about an "Oscar curse," Abraham dismissed such notions, underscoring the career advancements and prestigious invitations, including academic lectures, that followed his win. He also valued preserving anonymity in everyday settings, finding it rejuvenating.
In 1984, he became part of The Mirror Theater Ltd's Mirror Repertory Company, collaborating with Geraldine Page and starring opposite her in The Madwoman of Chaillot. After Amadeus, Abraham concentrated on theatrical performances, undertaking leading roles in Shakespearean works such as Othello and Richard III, as well as productions by Beckett and Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, for which he received an Obie Award. His stage credits also include Mike Nichols' rendition of Waiting for Godot and the character Malvolio in Twelfth Night at the New York Shakespeare Festival.
His subsequent significant film role was Bernardo Gui in The Name of the Rose (1986), starring alongside Sean Connery. Although reports indicated some on-set friction attributed to Abraham's assertive demeanor, the movie garnered both critical praise and box office success.
1989–2000: Established presence
Following The Name of the Rose, Abraham aimed to revisit comedic roles. Between May 10 and July 14, 1991, he embodied King Lear at the American Repertory Theater under Adrian Hall’s direction. In 1994, he succeeded Ron Leibman portraying Roy Cohn in Tony Kushner's inaugural Broadway staging of Angels in America at the Walter Kerr Theater.
During this era, Abraham embraced prominent supporting parts in Peter Yates' An Innocent Man (1989), Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite (1995), and Gus Van Sant's Finding Forrester (2000), frequently cast opposite Sean Connery as an adversary. He portrayed antagonist Ahdar Ru'afo in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) and held a notable yet uncredited role in Brian De Palma's The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) due to contractual disagreements. Additionally, he served as narrator for Wagner's Ring Cycle operas during the 1990 PBS Metropolitan Opera broadcast.
In the 1997/98 Broadway season, Abraham starred alongside Betty Buckley in the chamber musical Triumph of Love, which completed an 85-performance run. Beyond acting, he has contributed to theater education through teaching at Brooklyn College.
2001–present: Revival of Career
In 2001, Abraham took on the role of Cyrus Kriticos in the horror movie Thirteen Ghosts. He portrayed Shylock in an Off-Broadway production of The Merchant of Venice at Theatre for a New Audience in 2007, later stepping into the same role again in 2011, succeeding Al Pacino.
From 2007 through 2010, Abraham lent his voice as narrator for 32 episodes of PBS’s Nature. His on-screen presence increased following a guest appearance on Saving Grace in 2009, leading to roles in shows such as Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Louie, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Between 2011 and 2014, he had a recurring part on The Good Wife and received critical praise for his portrayal of covert operative Dar Adal on Showtime’s Homeland, earning Emmy nods in both 2015 and 2018.
During the 2010s, Abraham was prominently featured as Bud Grossman in the Coen brothers’ film Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) and took on the character Mr. Moustafa in Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), which garnered him a Screen Actors Guild ensemble nomination. That same year, he returned to Broadway with Terrence McNally’s revival of It’s Only a Play, securing a Drama Desk Award nomination. In 2016, he starred in Classic Stage Company’s staging of Nathan the Wise.
Abraham collaborated again with Wes Anderson by providing voice work for the animated feature Isle of Dogs (2018). He also voiced Grimmel in DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) and appeared as Tony in Disney+’s live-action adaptation of Lady and the Tramp (2019). Between 2020 and 2021, he was part of Apple TV+’s comedy series Mythic Quest, from which he was later removed amid allegations of inappropriate conduct; Abraham issued an apology, emphasizing that offending others was never his intention.
In February 2022, Abraham was cast as Khonshu in Marvel’s limited series Moon Knight. That year also saw him star in the cinematic version of The Magic Flute and portray Dr. Carl Withers in Netflix’s anthology series Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities. In 2023, he played Judge John Sirica in HBO’s political drama series White House Plumbers.
For his performance as Bert Di Grasso during HBO’s second season of The White Lotus (2022), Abraham received nominations for both Golden Globe and Emmy awards. In addition, he acted alongside Ewan McGregor and others in the film Mother, Couch, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. Looking ahead to 2024, Abraham is scheduled to return to theater portraying David Siegel in Stephen Schwartz’s musical The Queen of Versailles, starring Kristin Chenoweth at Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre.
Marriage
Abraham shared a marriage with Kate Hannan that lasted six decades, from 1962 until her passing in November 2022. Together they had two children and one grandchild.
Incidents
While shooting Surviving the Game in Washington State in 1993, Abraham was involved in a car accident that led to another driver’s fatality. In January 2010, during a rehearsal at New York City’s Classic Stage Company, he confronted an individual attempting theft.
Religious beliefs
Abraham has spoken about his spiritual path, highlighting his Orthodox Christian background alongside many years attending Quaker meetings. As of 2008, he regularly participates at New York’s First Presbyterian Church, appreciating its outreach efforts toward varied communities. He regards faith as a vital part of his existence.
Acting credits and honors
Abraham earned both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his role in Amadeus (1984), where he notably acknowledged co-actor Tom Hulce during his acceptance remarks. Additionally, he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
His recognition extends to a Grammy Award nomination alongside four nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award. He also received four Screen Actors Guild Award nominations as part of the ensemble casts of Homeland, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The White Lotus. In 2023, he garnered a Golden Globe nomination for his work in The White Lotus. Abraham has twice been honored with Obie Awards for his theatrical performances in Uncle Vanya (1984) and The Merchant of Venice (2011).
In July 2004, Abraham was presented with the "Premio per gli Italiani nel Mondo" in Rome, recognizing Italians who have distinguished themselves internationally. The City College of New York Alumni Association bestowed upon him the John H. Finley Award in 2009, acknowledging his devoted contributions to New York City. He was the recipient of the Gielgud Award for theater excellence in 2010 and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2015.
He has been granted an honorary doctorate from Rider University located in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.