The talented character actor Michael Murphy was born in Los Angeles, California. Murphy's most notable appearance was as Woody Allen's best friend Yale, the self-tortured adulterer, in Allen's masterpiece "Manhattan" (1979). The two had acted together earlier in Martin Ritt's "The Front" (1976) and had become good friends. Murphy is perhaps best known for his long collaboration with director Robert Altman that stretches back to the beginning of his career.