Pat Corley (June 1, 1930 â€" September 11, 2006) was an American
actor. He was known for his role as bar owner Phil on the CBS sitcom
Murphy Brown from 1988 to 1996. He also had a recurring role as Chief
Coroner Wally Nydorf on the television drama Hill Street Blues
(1981â€"87) and supporting roles in a number of films, including Night
Shift (1982), Against All Odds (1984), and Mr. Destiny (1990).Corley
was born Cleo Pat Corley in Dallas, Texas, the son of Ada Lee (née
Martin) and R.L. Corley. He got his start in the entertainment
business as a teenage ballet dancer for the Stockton Ballet where he
performed for three seasons. While serving in the U.S. Army during the
Korean War, Corley helped put on entertainment shows for the brass
while stationed in France. After his honorable discharge, he entered
Stockton College on the G.I. Bill where he met his future second wife,
Iris Carter, a younger student, champion debater and a locally
acclaimed actress.After moving to New York City he worked as a waiter,
attended the esteemed American Theatre Wing, studied under Uta Hagen
and auditioned for plays. Corley and his wife toured in summer stock
in Indiana and New Jersey with his young daughter Troy in tow. His
first Broadway appearance was in James Baldwin's Blues for Mr.
Charlie, a production by the Actors Studio, where Corley had been
accepted as a member. Early in his career he shared the stage with
future stars Al Pacino and James Earl Jones in the Off-Broadway play
The Peace Creeps. In the 1970s Corley appeared in several Broadway
productions including Of Mice and Men with James Earl Jones and Sweet
Bird of Youth with Christopher Walken.Corley's Hollywood career began
in 1969 in TV with a small role in N.Y.P.D. and a few television
commercials. His first feature film roles were in Gordon Parks' The
Super Cops and the comedy Law and Disorder with Carroll O'Connor and
Ernest Borgnine. He also appeared in Coming Home and in an early
Oliver Stone feature, The Hand, with Michael Caine.
actor. He was known for his role as bar owner Phil on the CBS sitcom
Murphy Brown from 1988 to 1996. He also had a recurring role as Chief
Coroner Wally Nydorf on the television drama Hill Street Blues
(1981â€"87) and supporting roles in a number of films, including Night
Shift (1982), Against All Odds (1984), and Mr. Destiny (1990).Corley
was born Cleo Pat Corley in Dallas, Texas, the son of Ada Lee (née
Martin) and R.L. Corley. He got his start in the entertainment
business as a teenage ballet dancer for the Stockton Ballet where he
performed for three seasons. While serving in the U.S. Army during the
Korean War, Corley helped put on entertainment shows for the brass
while stationed in France. After his honorable discharge, he entered
Stockton College on the G.I. Bill where he met his future second wife,
Iris Carter, a younger student, champion debater and a locally
acclaimed actress.After moving to New York City he worked as a waiter,
attended the esteemed American Theatre Wing, studied under Uta Hagen
and auditioned for plays. Corley and his wife toured in summer stock
in Indiana and New Jersey with his young daughter Troy in tow. His
first Broadway appearance was in James Baldwin's Blues for Mr.
Charlie, a production by the Actors Studio, where Corley had been
accepted as a member. Early in his career he shared the stage with
future stars Al Pacino and James Earl Jones in the Off-Broadway play
The Peace Creeps. In the 1970s Corley appeared in several Broadway
productions including Of Mice and Men with James Earl Jones and Sweet
Bird of Youth with Christopher Walken.Corley's Hollywood career began
in 1969 in TV with a small role in N.Y.P.D. and a few television
commercials. His first feature film roles were in Gordon Parks' The
Super Cops and the comedy Law and Disorder with Carroll O'Connor and
Ernest Borgnine. He also appeared in Coming Home and in an early
Oliver Stone feature, The Hand, with Michael Caine.
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