Brian Murphy (actor) Brian Murphy (actor) Brian Trevor John Murphy (born 25 September 1932) is an English actor and comedian, best known as the henpecked husband George Roper in the popular sitcom "Man About the House" and its spin-off series "George and Mildred", and as Alvin Smedley in "Last of the Summer Wine". Murphy was born in Ventnor, Isle of Wight, the son of Gerald, a grocer's assistant and Mabel Murphy, both of whom later became restaurateurs. His two brothers Ken and Eric were killed during active service in the Second World War. He was called up to do his national service at
Ron Joyce food-service industry and in 1963 purchased a Dairy Queen franchise in Hamilton. Joyce entered a franchise partnership with Horton in 1967, and Joyce reportedly wrote "You must be kidding!" in reference to the clause of the one-page franchise agreement requiring rent in advance. After Horton's death in an auto accident in 1974, Joyce purchased Horton's share for about $1 million and assumed control of the full Tim Horton franchise. Joyce hired a management team and began to franchise the company throughout the late 1970s until the 1990s. During the early 1990s, Danny Murphy, a franchise owner of both Tim Hortons