Veteran Actor George Murdock Has Died Aged 81

Television actor George Murdock has died at the age of 81. The actor is probably best known for his appearances in various sci-fi and genre shows such as Battlestar Galactica and the X Files.

Murdock died aged 81 at the end of April, according to reports. One of Murdock’s last appearances on television was in last year’s Torchwood: Miracle Day. The actor had a small role in third episode Dead of Night playing a preacher. Torchwood was one of Murdoch’s many sci-fi credits; he appeared in numerous high profile shows ranging from Battlestar Galactica to Star Trek.

In the original series of Battlestar Galactica he played the recurring character of Dr. Salik; a role he reprised in the 1999 in The Second Coming – Richard Hatch’s pilot for a sequel series. The pilot was filmed to show various studios the possibility of a continuation from the original series but eventually broadcaser Syfy decided to “re-image” the original. Murdock appeared in the two-part Star Trek: The Next Generation story Best of Both Worlds – a story widely seen as shaping the franchise for the following years and spin-offs.

A year before his appearance in TNG the actor played ‘God’ in the feature length film Star Trek: The Final Frontier. His other sci-fi and genre roles include a recurring role in the X Files – also appearing in the 1998 movie based on the television series – and appearances in The New Adventures of Superman, Smallville, The Dead Zone and the movie Apollo 11.

Away from the sci-fi genre Murdock appeared in shows such as Murder She Wrote, Fame, Seinfield, ER, Law & Order, CSI, Knight Rider, T.J Hooker, Bonanza, Hawaii Five-O and The Twilight Zone.