One of my favorite television shows of all time is “Murphy Brown.” (Likely, because I was working in the trenches of television news during the show’s run.) The CBS sitcom starred Candice Bergen as a quick-witted, sharp-tongued, hard-driving TV newswoman. I especially loved her interactions with Faith Ford’s character–Bergen’s young, ditsy protégé. But, I also loved the scenes when the whole crew would end the day around a table at Phil’s Bar. Sadly, I just learned that Pat Corley (“Murphy Brown’s” barkeep Phil) died last week.
According to news reports, Corley died of congestive heart failure on Monday, September 11th at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 76. Corley was a native of Texas. He was born on June 1, 1930 in Dallas and started his entertainment career as a ballet dancer for the Stockton Ballet when he was a teen. (Hard to believe the gruff-voiced Corley ever pirouetted.) He served in the army during the Korean War, went to Stockton College and then moved to New York to study acting at the American Theatre Wing. Corley’s first big break came on Broadway in “Blues for Mr. Charlie.”
That role parlayed into a five-decade acting career. On television he was also known as coroner Wally Nydorf on “Hill Street Blues” and a questionable baseball team owner on “The Bay City Blues.” He also appeared on “Starsky and Hutch,” “The Waltons,” “Lou Grant,” “Hart to Hart,” “St. Elsewhere,” “The Fall Guy,” “Moonlighting,” “LA Law,” “Simon and Simon,” “Cagney & Lacey” and “Murder One.” But, Corley also showed up on the big screen as well. He appeared in “Coming Home,” “True Confessions,” “Night Shift” and “Against All Odds.” (Of course, he’ll always be “Phil” to me.)
Corley is survived by sons Jerry and Kevin, daughters Troy and Christina, and 12 grandchildren.