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
Yootha Joyce after his subsequent relationships broke down. In the 1960s and 1970s she became a familiar face in many one-off sitcom roles and supporting parts in films, with her first main recurring role being Miss Argyll, frustrated girlfriend of the title star Milo O'Shea in three series of "Me Mammy" (1968–71); most of the tapes of that series are now lost. Prior to that, she played a cameo role in Jack Clayton's "The Pumpkin Eater" (1964) as a psychotic young woman opposite Anne Bancroft, delivering a performance that has been called one of the "best screen acting miniatures one could hope