Bio: Academy Award-winning actor F. Murray Abraham was born on October 24, 1939 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and raised in El Paso, Texas. His father, Fred Abraham, was a Syrian (Antiochian Orthodox Christian) immigrant. His mother, Josephine (Stello) Abraham, was the daughter of Italian immigrants. Born with the first name "Murray", he added an "F." to distinguish his stage name.Primarily a stage actor, Abraham made his screen debut as an usher in George C. Scott's comedy They Might Be Giants (1971). By the mid-1970s, Murray had steady employment as an actor, doing commercials and voice-over work. He can be seen as one of the undercover police officers along with Al Pacino in Sidney Lumet's Serpico (1973), and in television roles including the villain in one third-season episode of Kojak (1973). His film work of those years also included the roles of a cabdriver in The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975), a mechanic in The Sunshine Boys (1975), and a police officer in All the President's Men (1976).Beyond these small roles, Abraham continued to do commercials and voice-over work for income. But in 1978, he decided to give them up. Frustrated with the lack of substantial roles, Abraham said, "No one was taking my acting seriously. I figured if I didn't do it, then I'd have no right to the dreams I've always had". His wife, Kate Hannan, went to work as an assistant and Abraham became a "house husband". He described, "I cooked and cleaned and took care of the kids. It was very rough on my macho idea of life. But it was the best thing that ever happened to me". Abraham appeared as drug dealer Omar Su��rez alongside Pacino again in the gangster film Scarface (1983). He also gained visibility voicing a talking bunch of grapes in a series of television commercials for Fruit of the Loom underwear.In 1985, he was honored with as Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for the acclaimed role of envious composer Antonio Salieri in Amadeus (1984), an award for which Tom Hulce, playing Mozart in that movie, had also been nominated. He was also honored with a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama, among other awards, and his role in the film, is still considered to be his most iconic as the film's director Milos Forman inspired the work of the role with Abraham's wide range of qualities as a great stage and film actor.After Amadeus, he next appeared in The Name of the Rose (1986), in which he played Bernardo Gui, nemesis to Sir Sean Connery as William of Baskerville. In the DVD audio commentary, his director on the film, Jean-Jacques Annaud, described Abraham as an "egomaniac" on the set, who considered himself more important than Sean Connery, since Connery did not have an Oscar. That said, the film was a critical success. Abraham had tired of appearing as villains and wanted to return to his background in comedy, as he also explained to People Weekly magazine in an interview he gave at the time of its release.
Tivia: Has filmed Scarface (1983) in Los Angeles at the same time as Amadeus (1984) in Prague, necessitating four round trip flights between the two.During a ceremony in Rome, he was awarded the "Premio per gli Italiani nel Mondo". This is a prize distributed by the Marzio Tremaglia foundation and the Italian government to Italian emigrants and their descendants who have distinguished themselves abroad. (July 2004)Attended the University of Texas at El Paso and the University of Texas at Austin.One of his first plays in Los Angeles was a dramatization of a work by Ray Bradbury: "The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit". He and Bradbury remained friends until Bradbury's death.He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and brought up in El Paso, Texas. His father, Fred Abraham, was a Syrian immigrant, of the Antiochian Orthodox faith. His mother, Josephine (Stello) Abraham, was also born in Pennsylvania, to Italian parents.Attended and graduated from El Paso High School in El Paso, Texas (1958).Early in his career, he made a long series of television commercials for Fruit of the Loom underwear, portraying the speaking "Bunch of Grapes" character.Studied drama under the tutelage of Uta Hagen at HB Studio in Greenwich Village, New York City for a year in the early 1960s.He was awarded the John H. Finley Award by the Alumni Association of the City College of New York (CCNY) for exemplary dedicated service to the City of New York (2009).He was the on-the-scene hero of a real-life crime scene at the Classic Stage Company in New York City, where he struggled with a young robber in the dressing room area during a public rehearsal. (January 2010)After his Academy Award for Amadeus (1984), he turned down roles in films such as the black comedy Clue (1985) and Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986).He was dismissed from the sitcom Mythic Quest (2020), after being accused of sexual misconduct while on set. In a response statement, Abraham apologized and stated that he never intended "to offend anyone, I told jokes, nothing more, that upset some of my colleagues and as a result lost a great job with wonderful people.". (April 2023)Has worked with Kim Cattrall in The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990). Both stars appeared in the very popular Star Trek series. Cattrall appeared in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) and Abraham appeared in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998).Has worked with Ron Perlman in The Name of the Rose (1986). Both stars appeared in the very popular Star Trek series. Abraham appeared in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) and Perlman appeared in Star Trek: Nemesis (2002).Has worked with Peter Weller in Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite (1995). Both stars appeared in the very popular Star Trek series. Abraham appeared in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) and Weller appeared in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013).Has appeared with Christian Slater in three films: The Name of the Rose (1986), Beyond the Stars (1989) and Mobsters (1991). Both stars appeared in the very popular Star Trek series. Slater made a cameo in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) and Abraham appeared in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998).As of 2017, has appeared in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: All the President's Men (1976), Amadeus (1984) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). Of those, Amadeus (1984) is a winner in the category.Has appeared in two films which have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant": All the President's Men (1976) and Amadeus (1984).Has appeared with Sir Sean Connery as his nemesis in two films: Bernardo Gui in The Name of the Rose (1986), and Professor Robert Crawford in Finding Forrester (2000).Two of his most recognized films feature him as the story frame, portraying an old man telling his story from the past: Amadeus (1984) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014).The first person with ancestry from an Arab country to have received an Academy Award for Best Actor. Rami Malek, who won for Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), is the second.His contract for The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) stipulated that his name appear above the title in the advertising, or by no means. Since the producers already had Tom Hanks, Melanie Griffith, Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman above the title, Abraham chose not to be credited.Auditioned for the role of Charlie in An Unmarried Woman (1978), but Paul Mazursky found that Cliff Gorman more closely resembled the director's New York artist friends.He was considered for the role of Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), eventually played by Christopher Lloyd.He was considered for the role of the Master in the television movie Doctor Who: The Movie (1996), eventually played by Eric Roberts.He was originally considered for the role of painter Van Brenkelen in Miluji te modre (2017), eventually played by Robert Russell.Received an honorary degree (Doctor of Fine Arts) from Rider University in Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey (1990).Had two younger brothers: Robert Abraham and Jack Abraham, who were both killed in separate automobile accidents.He continues working as a theater lecturer at Brooklyn College in New York City.His first major success as an actor was as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus (1984) at age 45.