Brian Murphy's sweet love story with actress wife as she shares moving tribute
Brian Murphy's sweet love story with actress wife as she shares moving tribute
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Beloved actor Brian Murphy's career flourished in his 40s - and he found true love in later life too. The Last of the Summer Wine star, who has died at the age of 92, married Hi-de-Hi! star Linda Regan in 1995. They met when they were appearing in the husband-and-wife play Wife Begins at 40 in Eastbourne, East Sussex, with Brian saying: "We hit it off straight away". Also known for the 1970s British sitcoms Man About The House and George and Mildred, the actor died at home in Kent on Sunday morning. He leaves behind his sons Trevor and Kevin from his first marriage.
In a message posted on X today, his heartbroken second wife Linda said simply: "My love for you will never die. RIP sweetheart" as she shared a photo of the pair embracing. The 75-year-old said in a prior statement: "I was lucky to have in my lifetime found my soulmate. Brian who I will love forever.". The real life couple co-starred in an award-nominated podcast sitcom, Barmy Dale, in 2023, playing Felicity Palmer, Mayoress of Barmy Dale and her husband Lord Palmer. But mainly, Brian loved spending time with his wife at home.
"It's nice not working so much now because I can spend time at home with Linda," he told the Express in 2016. "We married in 1995. I can't grumble about my lot because I'm very happy. I've brought up a family and been working relatively solidly for 60 years. It has been a lot of fun.". When the star married Carol Gibson in 1957, approaching 40 with two young children, he nearly quit acting to become an insurance salesman as he found parts became harder to secure. Thankfully, he persevered his way to great success, with Man About the House an instant hit. "I'd been in the business for 20 years and it just started to happen like it had never happened before," he said.
Brian called his popular pairing with actress Yootha Joyce for six series of the programme, playing George and Mildred Roper, a "bloody good partnership". "They were taken aback by the chemistry between us when we instantly fell into our roles," he said. When Joyce called Brian at home, his wife would joke: "Your other wife's on the phone.". The star's character Alvin was a neighbour to the formidable Nora Batty, played by Kathy Staff, in Last of the Summer Wine and he starred with Maureen Lipman in theatre, with the actress calling him "a genius" of a performer.
