Chad Michael Murray has showcased his brooding good looks and acting talent on television sets and silver screens for two decades. The 6-foot tall star, who resides in Wilmington, North Carolina, is known to audiences of One Tree Hill (2003), where he played the good son, Lucas Scott. The model-turned-actor has also serenaded Jamie Lee Curtis with Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time” in Freaky Friday (2003), became Hilary Duff’s “Prince Charming” in A Cinderella Story (2004), and even watched Paris Hilton die a violent on-screen death in House of Wax (2005).
Chad Michael Murray was born in Buffalo, New York. Growing up, his mother left his family at a young age and he had to help take care of his younger siblings, together with his brother and his father, Rex Murray, an air traffic controller. While working his way through adolescence, he learned a lot about work ethics, which eventually helped built his character. Chad once said in an interview that he could call his father anytime of the day whenever he needs help as his father is “his rock”.
The One Tree Hill (2003) star started his life as a paper boy, delivering newspapers around the neighborhood before working as a janitor at Donut World. Chad only worked there for a few days when he lost his job because he was shooting Skittles into the deep-fryer. Sure enough, one of the Skittles got caught in the machine and Chad got fired. Chad also worked as a receptionist at a limousine company. When he was 15, he had a resection of his small intestines. His intestines were so twisted they had to be cut out, but there were some complications causing him to not be able to eat for three months. Chad also broke his nose when he was jumped at a Burger King outlet which then required him to be admitted into the hospital. It was there where he met the person who inspired him, his nurse. His nurse was a model and she told Chad to start modeling, but Chad only wanted to act.
Chad then took a chance and went to a convention in Buffalo and they wanted him to go to another convention in Biloxi, Mississipi. There, he met a man named Eddie Winkler, who offered Chad a place to stay in Los Angeles to kick-start his career. Not long afterwards, Chad was hired for a Tommy Hilfiger campaign which helped paid his bills and that was when he thought he could really focus on acting. He started out on Dawson’s Creek (1998) with his two One Tree Hill (2003) co-stars, Hilarie Burton and Lee Norris. Two years later, he scored the role of rich brat “Tristian DuGrey” on Gilmore Girls (2000) before playing “Lucas Scott”, one half of the young Scott brothers in the popular teen drama One Tree Hill (2003), where he met best friends James Lafferty and Tyler Hilton. Chad also starred in the B-horror flick House of Wax (2005).
He starred in Lionsgate’s The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia (2013) and the socially important Indie film, To Write Love on Her Arms (2012) (Kat Dennings, Rupert Friend). Going round the festival circuit, Chad played “Thatcher”, an HIV-positive character, in the short film The Carrier (2012) (Rita Wilson, Anna Paquin). Murray also released “Everlast”, his first graphic novel. “Everlast” is a passion project of his that tells the story of the tragic hero, “Derek Everlast”, as he follows his journey to save the world before the “End of Days”.
Chad played football growing up and his love for the sport was projected in a charity game where he would help underprivileged kids with the money he gains from audiences. A fan of philosophy himself, Chad’s favorite book is “Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger. He enjoys listening to music from Incubus, Frank Sinatra, James Brown and watching shows such as The Simpsons (1989) and Fear Factor (2001). As for movies, Chad has given credit to Gladiator (2000), Fight Club (1999), Varsity Blues (1999) & Any Given Sunday (1999) as his favorites.
Chad married his One Tree Hill (2003) co-star, Sophia Bush, when he was 23. He reportedly cried on his wedding day, the 16th of April, 2005. After less than a year of marriage, the couple signed for an annulment. Chad was also engaged to actress Kenzie Dalton for a few years.
In 2015, Chad married actress and model Sarah Roemer, and the two are expecting a child.
