Biografia

Most decorated combat soldier in American history, earning every commendation the army could bestow by the time he was 20, including the Medal of Honor. He was also awarded France's and Belgium's highest decorations.

When the government replaced the tombstones at Arlington National Cemetery, tombstones of Medal of Honor recipients were embossed in gold leaf, but Murphy's family requested that the "Medal of Honor" on his tombstone remain plain, as he would have wanted. His is the second most-visited grave at Arlington, after John F. Kennedy's.

Medal of Honor Citation: "2d Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by 6 tanks and waves of infantry. 2d Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to prepared positions in a woods, while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him, to his right, 1 of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods. 2d Lt. Murphy continued to direct artillery fire which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machine gun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from 3 sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50. 2d Lt. Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective".

While photographing the making of Gli inesorabili (1960), Inge Morath accompanied John Huston and his friends on a duck hunt. Up the river, she noticed Murphy in the water, having fallen out of his boat. She stripped to her underwear, reached Murphy, who was in the last stages of exhaustion, and hauled him ashore by her bra strap while the hunt continued uninterrupted over them.

Died broke and in debt. His widow spent the next 35 years working as a patient liaison at the VA Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center (North Hills, CA) paying off his debts. She died in 2010, age 90.

[1956] I can't ever remember being young in my life.

I never liked being called the "most decorated" soldier. There were so many guys who should have gotten medals and never did--guys who were killed.

[fellow US Army officer about Murphy] Don't let that baby face fool you, that's the toughest soldier in the Third Division.

[on his acting career] I'm working under a great handicap . . . no talent.

[of his role as himself in All'inferno e ritorno (1955)] I don't think I'm the type. Maybe Tony Curtis would do.