Biography
Connor Anthony Murray (born November 8, 2002) is an American actor, performer, and producer currently based in the New York City tri-state area. Murray launched his professional career in early 2018, while living near Boston, and steadily became one of the most recognizable, well-respected young personalities in the New England entertainment scene. Now operating out of New Rochelle, New York, he is gaining popularity and renown in the primary industry of NYC, where he is widely considered a "star on the rise" in the realm of show business.
He is best known for his portrayal of Dean Williams in the short film Descend, which garnered praise from critics and the public alike upon its release in May, 2020, as well as his performance as a dancer alongside the Bague brothers in the music video for "Celebration", the 2019 hit single by Teresa Marie and featuring Cristian Cartier. His ascent to stardom was interrupted by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, resulting in the postponement of several of his more highly-anticipated projects, such as Magnolia Flowers, the Strange Place Productions film that received viral fame due to its casting of notable TikTok stars, including Emma Waters. Magnolia Flowers was released in limited theaters in the summer of 2021 and is now in the festival stage. Also delayed was Final Curtain: Tech Week, the 22nd addition to what has been described as the independent counterpart of the "Friday the 13th" series. In March, 2021, the film opened in select theaters. Murray plays the lead role of Michael Forrest, and, additionally, is listed on IMDb as a producer with Curtain Call Pictures. This is his first recorded venture into professional film production, and he has attained several more producer credits since the film's release, all of which are with Curtain Call Pictures. Most recently, he was announced as a cast member in blockbuster Who Invited Charlie?, starring Jordana Brewster and Reid Scott, and will also be making an appearance in Challengers, the highly anticipated Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer romantic drama directed by Luca Guadagnino of Call Me by Your Name, featuring stars such as Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, and Mike Faist.
Murray grew up in the Hudson Valley region of New York, but moved with his family to Massachusetts at thirteen years old. Until recently, he resided in Andover, a mid-sized suburb about 25 miles north of Boston, where he attended Andover High School (not to be confused with Phillips Academy, the internationally renowned boarding school in the same town) and is reportedly a well-liked, popular member of the community. He was the vice-president of Andover High School's critically-acclaimed show choir and vocal music program, which performs in New York City, Nashville, and beyond, for the likes of celebrities such as Jay Leno and Maria Canals-Barrera, and was also a member of the Andover Drama Guild, which won the Marquis Award for Best Ensemble Acting in 2019 for its production of "The Music Man"; Murray played Olin Britt. During high school, Murray took regular voice lessons with prominent New England singer Sandra Bedrosian and was nominated "Most Likely to Win America's Got Talent" by his graduating class.
In fall, 2021, after graduating at Andover High School, he continued his educational career at Iona University in New Rochelle, where he is now pursuing a baccalaureate in both political science and criminal justice, as well as a minor in theatre. Besides engaging in traditional undergraduate studies, he is extremely involved in several other campus groups and organizations. For example, he is a member of the Iona Players, the school's student-run drama program, and played Lucas Beineke in the club's production of "The Addams Family". Furthermore, Connor participated in several shows produced by the Iona University Theatre Ensemble, including Ira Levin's "Veronica's Room" and Conor McPherson's "The Weir", in which he took a position as director Thomas Donnarumma's personal assistant. He's also greatly involved with the Iona University Music Ministry and performs at a variety of the institution's other major events and services. However, despite his performance-oriented talents, he is probably better known as a player for the Iona University Rugby Football Club, one of the leading rugby teams in the United States and winner of the 2021 Liberty Conference. Finally, and perhaps most notably, as a freshman, Connor ran and was elected to be a senator for the Iona University Student Government Association, and before finishing even his first term, launched another campaign for Vice President of Internal Affairs. He won and now serves as a member of the institution's student life, athletics, enrollment, and libraries and IT committees, representing the student body as a consultant for the school's administration, among other responsibilities as the third-highest ranking student leader at Iona. These are just a few examples of his heavy influence in the Iona University community.
Although the Iona University campus is his base operations, Murray makes frequent trips into New York City for work. Famous within the industry for his particularly driven, yet genuinely friendly attitude, Murray established himself as a friend of the Hollywood and Broadway elite at a remarkably early age, haven taken workshops with dozens of pros, including John Cariani (playwright - "Almost Maine"), Ginna Claire Mason (Glinda - "Wicked"), and Iris Menas (Anybodys - "West Side Story"), just to name a few. Many have attributed Murray's success to his wide range of skills and versatility as a performer, as well as what award-winning music producer Jacob Dunn (also known as Jacoby Jones) has referred to as "great talent and persona". All of this together guarantees one thing - that it's only a matter of time before Connor Murray explodes into the industry as one of brightest stars of his generation.
