Murray Bartlett
{{short description|Australian actor (born 1971)|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Murray Bartlett
| image = Murray Bartlett (cropped).jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Bartlett in 2008
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1971|03|20}}
| birth_place = Sydney, Australia
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1987–present
| education = National Institute of Dramatic Art (BFA)
}}
Murray Bartlett (born 20 March 1971) is an Australian actor. He became known for starring as a luxury resort manager in the first season of the HBO dark comedy series The White Lotus (2021), for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. He gained further recognition for his role as Nick De Noia in the Hulu miniseries Welcome to Chippendales (2022), and Frank in the episode "Long, Long Time" of the HBO drama series The Last of Us (2023), receiving Primetime Emmy Award nominations for both.
Bartlett has also appeared in the HBO comedy-drama series Looking (2014–2015), the Netflix revival series Tales of the City (2019), and the Apple TV+ series Physical (2021–2023).
Early life
Bartlett was born in Sydney on 20 March 1971.{{cite web|last1=Godfrey|first1=Chris|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/sep/09/i-want-to-show-intimacy-between-men-how-murray-bartlett-became-a-breakout-star-at-50|title='I want to show intimacy between men': how Murray Bartlett became a breakout star at 50|work=The Guardian|date=9 September 2021|access-date=11 January 2022}} When he was four years old, he moved with his family to Perth. He attended John Curtin College of the Arts in Fremantle, where he graduated from the drama program in 1988.{{cite web|url=https://www.jc.wa.edu.au/alumni/murray-bartlett/|title=Alumni|work=John Curtin College of the Arts|date=2 December 2022|access-date=2 December 2022}} Upon graduating, he was admitted to the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney.{{cite web|last1=Millar|first1=Jake|url=https://www.gq.com.au/men-of-the-year/murray-bartlett/image-gallery/5be11ecfba97c6d17ce48a5b74f1aa8d|title=Murray Bartlett is Shining Bright|work=GQ Australia|date=25 November 2022|access-date=2 December 2022}}
Career
Bartlett pursued an acting career in Australia for several years, including a role in the series headLand. In 1993, he played con man Luke Foster in Neighbours. In 2000, he relocated to the U.S. His first big break there came a few years later when he was cast as a guest star in the HBO series Sex and the City.{{cite web|last1=Ambrosino|first1=Brandon|url=http://www.vox.com/2015/3/22/8220045/murray-bartlett-hbo-looking|title="Everybody is looking for something": Looking's Murray Bartlett on his series' universal appeal|website=Vox|date=22 March 2015|access-date=19 June 2020}} He also played D.K., John Crichton's best friend, in four episodes of the SciFi Channel series Farscape. In 2006, he joined Hugh Jackman in the Australian touring company production of Jackman's Broadway hit The Boy From Oz.
From March 2007 until the show's cancellation in September 2009, Bartlett was a cast member on the CBS daytime soap opera Guiding Light, where he played Cyrus Foley. He starred as Dominic "Dom" Basaluzzo in the HBO comedy-drama series Looking from 2014 to 2015, and then reprised his role in the series finale television film, Looking: The Movie in 2016.{{cite news|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|title=Scott Bakula Joins HBO's Michael Lannan Dramedy Series, Now Titled Looking|url=https://deadline.com/2013/08/scott-bakula-joins-hbos-michael-lannan-dramedy-series-now-titled-looking-570826/|access-date=24 August 2013|newspaper=Deadline Hollywood|date=23 August 2013}}{{cite web|last1=Moylan|first1=Brian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/jul/20/looking-movie-hbo-gay-friends-tv-show|title=Looking the Movie: a fitting sendoff for HBO's slowburning show|work=The Guardian|date=20 July 2016|access-date=19 June 2020}} In 2017, he portrayed a recurring role in the musical drama series Nashville.{{cite web|url=http://tvline.com/2016/09/22/nashville-season-5-murray-bartlett-cast-will-love-interest-spoilers/|title=Nashville Season 5: Looking Fave Joins Cast... as Will's New Love?|first=Michael|last=Ausiello|date=22 September 2016|website=TVLine|access-date=19 June 2020}} Bartlett assumed the central role of Michael 'Mouse' Tolliver in the Netflix revival of Tales of the City.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/10/armistead-maupins-tales-of-the-city-paul-gross-reprise-role-netflix-revival-full-cast-1202483486/|title=Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City: Paul Gross To Reprise Role In Netflix Revival; Full Cast Set|first=Denise|last=Petski|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=16 October 2018|access-date=16 October 2018}}
In 2021, Bartlett starred in The White Lotus as Armond, the luxury resort manager and a recovering drug addict who has been "clean" for 5 years.{{Cite web|date=13 August 2021|title=Murray Bartlett on filming The White Lotus: 'How do we deal with our white privileged guilt?'|url=http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/aug/14/murray-bartlett-on-filming-the-white-lotus-how-do-we-deal-with-our-white-privileged-guilt|access-date=4 February 2022|website=The Guardian|language=en}} Bartlett got the role through a self tape audition.{{Cite web|last=Liebman|first=Lisa|date=16 August 2021|title=Murray Bartlett on All the Shit That Goes Down in the White Lotus Finale|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/murray-bartlett-white-lotus-finale-interview.html|access-date=4 February 2022|website=Vulture|language=en-us}} For his portrayal, Bartlett received nominations at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Independent Spirit Awards and won at the AACTA Awards, Critics' Choice Television Awards, and Primetime Emmy Awards.{{Cite web|last=Vaillancourt|first=Daniel|date=26 January 2022|title=How Murray Bartlett avoids camp with his 'White Lotus' hotel manager|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2022-01-26/murray-bartlett-white-lotus-guiding-light|access-date=4 February 2022|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-us}}
In 2023, Bartlett appeared in the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us, portraying Frank in the episode "Long, Long Time". At the time of its airing, the episode received universal acclaim and was widely considered to be the best of the show's first season.{{cite web |url=https://gizmodo.com/last-of-us-hbo-review-playstation-pedro-pascal-joel-ell-1849950042 |title=The Last Of Us Is the Best Video Game Adaptation Ever, But It's So Much More |last=Lussier |first=Germain |work=Gizmodo |publisher=G/O Media |date=10 January 2023 |accessdate=11 January 2023 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110165209/https://gizmodo.com/last-of-us-hbo-review-playstation-pedro-pascal-joel-ell-1849950042 |archivedate=10 January 2023 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a42429477/last-of-us-review-tv/ |title=The Last of Us is so much more than just The Walking Dead meets The Mandalorian |last=Opie |first=David |work=Digital Spy |publisher=Hearst Communications |date=10 January 2023 |accessdate=11 January 2023 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110165833/https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a42429477/last-of-us-review-tv/ |archivedate=10 January 2023 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/the-last-of-us/ |title=The Last Of Us Review |last=Nugent |first=John |work=Empire |date=10 January 2023 |accessdate=11 January 2023 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110165149/https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/the-last-of-us/ |archivedate=10 January 2023 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/hbos-the-last-of-us-recap-season-1-episode-3-1850040180 |title=In The Last Of Us, Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett prove that true love survives the apocalypse |last=Cote |first=David |work=The A.V. Club |publisher=G/O Media |date=29 January 2023 |accessdate=30 January 2023 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130031607/https://www.avclub.com/hbos-the-last-of-us-recap-season-1-episode-3-1850040180 |archivedate=30 January 2023 |url-status=live }}
Personal life
Bartlett came out as gay early in his career. When asked about the decision in a 2021 interview, he stated, "I didn't feel like I really had an alternative. I just never felt I could ever be anything but myself."{{cite web|last1=Kaufman|first1=David|url=https://www.gq.com/story/murray-bartlett-white-lotus-hbo-sex-and-the-city-interview|title=Murray Bartlett On Letting Loose As Armond in The White Lotus|work=GQ|date=16 August 2021|access-date=18 August 2021}} He previously lived with his partner Matt in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1995
|Dad and Dave: On Our Selection |Sandy Tayler | |
| 1999
|Half Mongrel | |Short film |
| 2000
|Trocadera Patron | |
| 2001
|Muffled Love | |Short film |
| 2005
|Postmortem |Troy |Short film |
| 2007
|Om |John |Short film |
| rowspan="2" | 2010
|Boys on Film 4: Protect Me from What I Want |Troy |Direct-to-video |
| Needle
|Tony Martin | |
| 2011
|Troy | |
| 2012
|James Whitney | |
| 2013
|Kingston Avenue |Le copain de Barbara | |
| 2015
|Stubborn |Murray | |
| 2016
|Roy Spivey |Roy Spivey |Short film |
| 2018
|Paul | |
| 2020
| Terry | |
| 2024
| Bruce | |
| rowspan="2" | 2025
|Opus | Stan | |
| O'Dessa
| Plutonovich | |
| rowspan="3" | TBA
| | Post-production |
| The Death of Robin Hood
| | Post-production |
| Place to Be
| | Filming |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1987
|Michael Freeman |Episode: "The Unluckiest Boy in Town" |
| 1992
|Randy Evans |Recurring role |
| 1992–1993
|Owen Wyatt / Richard Welbourne |3 episodes |
| 1993
|Luke Foster |Recurring role |
| 1995
|Dr. Bob Ivory |Episode: "The Dentist" |
| rowspan="2" | 1996
|G.P. | |Episode: "Pendulum" |
| The Beast
|Christopher Lane |TV movie |
| rowspan="2" | 1997
|The Tower |Jeremy |TV movie |
| Flipper
| |Episode: "Help me, Rhonda" |
| 1999
|Gavin Todd |Episode: "Dying Day" |
| 1999–2003
|Douglas 'D.K.' Knox |4 episodes |
| 2000
|Nathan Peters |Episode: "Happy Families" |
| 2001
| |Episode: "The Old Flame" |
| rowspan="4" | 2002
|Oliver Spencer |Episode: "All That Glitters" |
| McLeod's Daughters
|Simon Birch |3 episodes |
| The Secret Life of Us
|Nick |6 episodes |
| All My Children
|Julian Sinclair |Series regular |
| rowspan="2" | 2006
|James Brogan |5 episodes |
| All Saints
|Roy Pickforth |Episode: "The Real Thing" |
| 2007
|Mark |Episode: "Sally Returns" |
| 2007–2009
|Series regular |
| 2009
|Adrian Tulane |Episode: "Free Fall" |
| 2011
|Seth Sloan |Episode: "I'd Prefer My Old Office" |
| 2014
|Logan |Episode: "The Deep Web" |
| 2014–2015
|Dom Basaluzzo | 16 episodes |
| rowspan="3" | 2016
|Conrad Harris |Episode: "Hi, My Name Is Rebecca Harris" |
| Looking: The Movie
|Dom Basaluzzo |TV movie |
| Conviction
|Victor Bonotto |Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2017
|Jakob Fine |2 episodes |
| 2017–2018
|3 episodes |
| rowspan="2" | 2019
|Michael "Mouse" Tolliver |Main cast |
| Madam Secretary
|Australian Prime Minister Chris Lawson |Episode: "The Common Defense" |
| 2021
|Armond{{cite press release|title=New HBO Limited Series THE WHITE LOTUS From Mike White Debuts July 11|url=https://pressroom.warnermedia.com/us/media-release/new-hbo-limited-series-white-lotus-mike-white-debuts-july-11|work=WarnerMedia|date=10 May 2021|access-date=10 May 2021|archive-date=10 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510204857/https://pressroom.warnermedia.com/us/media-release/new-hbo-limited-series-white-lotus-mike-white-debuts-july-11|url-status=live}} |Main cast (season 1) |
| rowspan="2" | 2022
|Vinnie Green |5 episodes |
| RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under
|Himself |Episode 7 |
| 2022–2024
|Crocodile Rob / Crocodile Tom (voice) |2 episodes |
| 2022–2023
|Miniseries; main cast |
| rowspan="2" | 2023
|Episode: "Long, Long Time"{{Cite web |last=Feinberg |first=Scott |date=19 June 2023 |title=From 'The Last of Us' to 'Succession': The Stacked Race for Drama Guest Actor |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/emmys-2023-race-drama-guest-actor-1235513790/ |access-date=7 January 2024 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}} |
| Extrapolations
|Mr. Ariel Turner |Episode: "2070: Ecocide" |
| 2025
|Brian |Main cast (season 2) |
Awards and nominations
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{IMDb name|id=0058864|name=Murray Bartlett}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Murray Bartlett
|list =
{{AACTA International Award for Best Actor in a Series}}
{{Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries}}
{{EmmyAward MiniseriesSupportingActor}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartlett, Murray}}
Category:20th-century Australian LGBTQ people
Category:21st-century Australian LGBTQ people
Category:Australian expatriate male actors in the United States
Category:Australian gay actors
Category:Australian male musical theatre actors
Category:Australian male soap opera actors
Category:LGBTQ people from New South Wales