Biography
Murray Seafield St George Head (born 5 March 1946) is an English actor and singer. He has appeared in various films, notably starring as Bob Elkin in the Oscar-nominated 1971 film Sunday Bloody Sunday. As a musician, he is best known for his international hit songs "Superstar" from the 1970 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, and "One Night in Bangkok," the 1984 single from the musical Chess, which reached number one in multiple countries. His 1975 album Say It Ain't So is also well-regarded. Since the 1960s, Head has participated in numerous projects and continues to record music, perform live, and appear on television either as himself or in acting roles.
Born in London to Seafield Laurence Stewart Murray Head (20 August 1919 – 22 March 2009) and Helen Shingler (29 August 1919 − 8 October 2019), Head comes from a creative family. His father was a documentary filmmaker for Verity Films, while his mother portrayed Mme Maigret alongside Rupert Davies in the BBC’s 1960s adaptation of Georges Simenon's Maigret novels. His younger brother, Anthony Head, is also an actor, best known for his role as Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Head was educated at Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle in South Kensington, London, and Hampton School in Middlesex. In the early 1960s, he attended Chiswick Polytechnic for his A levels.
Writing songs since childhood, Head secured a London-based recording contract by the mid-1960s. He briefly co-hosted the Bristol-based TV pop show Now! with Michael Palin. His breakthrough came when Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber invited him to play Judas Iscariot on the original concept album of Jesus Christ Superstar; at that time, he was performing in the West End production of Hair. His rendition of "Superstar" with the Trinidad Singers reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971.
Head’s film debut was The Family Way (1966), starring Hayley Mills, Hywel Bennett, and John Mills. He secured a lead role in the Oscar-nominated Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), alongside Peter Finch and Glenda Jackson. Despite these achievements, he remained relatively low-profile in the following decade, apart from his 1975 single "Say It Ain't So, Joe," which has been covered by artists including Roger Daltrey and The Hollies. His song "Never Even Thought" was also covered by Colin Blunstone and Cliff Richard.
In 1973, Head featured in the radio drama The Fourth Tower of Inverness. He appeared in the 1979 miniseries Prince Regent and the final episode of the ITV series Return of the Saint.
