Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to actor Christopher Murray, who we find out, was quite literally born into show business. From both his maternal and paternal grandparents as well as both of his parents, Christopher likely couldn’t have escaped a career in front of the camera if he tried. So who are his parents? Well, both are Oscar nominated and his mother is a two-time Emmy award winner. Can you guess? None other than actors Don Murray & Hope Lange.

Between his parents, they have starred in films and TV productions with Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Robert Wagner, Charles Laughton, Roddy McDowell, Michelle Lee, Kathleen Turner, Joan Crawford, Glenn Ford, Suzy Parker and more. And if that isn’t enough, his stepfather was a giant of a director, Alan J. Pakula who directed some of the best films of the 70s as well.

Our time with Christopher was more a conversation than an interview and frankly, those are the ones we love best on this podcast. We jumped around a lot but the connections were never more apparent than when we were discussing how it is that Charles Nelson Reilly spent so much time at his house. We delved into just about everything with Christopher to the story of how his parents helped displaced European war refugees from WWII & the Korean War that still functions to this day as well as the fabulous dinner parties his mother gave that were a safe haven for gay Hollywood couples in an era when things like that were very rare.

This conversation that spans the stage, film and television and involves everyone from Hubert H. Humphrey to Eleanor Roosevelt, Sean Connery to Ed Harris & Freddy Kruger to Don Deer. But to hear all of those stories, we had to spread this episode into two parts – there was just too much great stuff to cut out. You’ll have to take a listen to this episode, part one, of the Rarified Heir Podcast to begin this verbal scavenger hunt. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Christopher Lewis, son of entertainer & human juggernaut, the one, the only, Jerry Lewis. Chris was kind enough to reach out to us via a mutual connection at the Library of Congress and was pretty terrific about answering all our questions, big and small about the man known as “The King of Comedy.” The impetus for our chat was Chris’ book Jerry Lewis on Being a Person, a 300+ page book is packed with photos, ruminations, life lessons, antidotes and more. It’s a wonderful look at a complex comedian, director, writer, producer, golfer and philanthropist.

Chris talked to us about his father and was frank about why he looks at his father with “rose colored glasses,” his father’s lust for life and everything in between. Somehow we get to a vast amount of information on “Le Roi du Crazy” as the French called him. Our discussion hits everything from his love of audio and video technology to just how much of the Jerry Lewis archive was delivered to the Library of Congress. We also spoke about culturally significant high points like his guest appearance on Pink Lady and Jeff ans Slapstick (of Another Kind). Along the way we get to talking about The Day the Clown Cried, an true art imitates life Rupert Pupkin stalking situation that had everyone in the family on edge, why handshake deals were so important to Jerry and what comedians made Jerry Lewis laugh. All you have to do is sit back and listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Take a listen.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Victoria Riskin, daughter of actress Fay Wray & screenwriter Robert Riskin. We first learned about Victoria in a Los Angeles Times interview with her about her book, Fay Wray and Robert Riskin: A Hollywood Memoir & boy are we glad we reached out. Better yet, Victoria was an engaging guest full of great stories about her mother and father, her years growing up in Los Angeles, long lost LA haunts, her mother’s fortitude over the years and her own career in Hollywood.

While the kids love the buzz word, ‘iconic’ these days, it’s also the only real word to capture Fay Wray. She had a wonderfully full career in Hollywood which we discuss but it’s her signature role as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film King Kong which fans remember as part of the golden age of Hollywood – and beyond. We also discuss her father, who wrote films for Frank Capra and we get a glimpse into their private life and courtship via our conversation about her memoir.

There’s also talk about Mary Tyler Moore, John Lithgow, Michael Caine, Bernadette Peters and Bob Hoskins. And if you’ve never heard of C.C. Brown’s Ice Cream Parlor, well you are missing out on more Hollywood lore you never knew existed. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and everyone has a story.

Today on an encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are evolving into a new lifeform as we sit down with Julie Nimoy and husband David Knight to talk about Julie’s dad, Leonard Nimoy. Of course most of us know him as Mr. Spock, the Vulcan pop culture figure from the legendary TV show (and movies) Star Trek. But as you will hear from Julie, her father was a mercurial character who was fascinated with everything from cars to planes, from playwriting to photography, from painting to singing, there wasn’t much Leonard Nimoy didn’t do in his lifetime.

Julie & David let us in on everything you’d want to know about Leonard Nimoy including the documentary they made for PBS Remembering Leonard Nimoy to their second documentary Wilder! which came about due to an unlikely friendship between Leonard and actor Gene Wilder. Bonus points if you can tell us what film they met on. Somehow we work in Mission Impossible, Night Gallery, Baffled!, In Search of….and so much more. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and everyone has a story.

Encore! Encore! Yes, today we present another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, and this one was a doozy! Our guest today is Matt Asner, son of actor and activist of the beloved Ed Asner. Matt spoke with us on the podcast about a myriad of things such as his youth spent on the MTM backlot while his dad was playing Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the story behind his dad’s controversial stint as head of the Screen Actors Guild, films like Fort Apache The Bronx, Pixar’s Up, Elf and much more.

We also hear from Matt about his years as a musical youth in punk bands like Insect Idol & Grand Manner, time spent with his dad’s co-stars Ted Knight and Gavin McLeod as well as where his father liked to eat in Los Angeles. Most importantly we discuss Matt’s work at The Ed Asner Family Center, which provides virtual and in-person camps, adult day programs, relationship courses, arts, and vocational, enrichments for special needs individuals and their families as well as in-person and Telehealth counseling and support groups. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Richard Duggan, son of actor Andrew Duggan. Andrew was kind enough to talk to us about his father who had so many credits and tangential pop culture references, we’ll have you saying, “Ah, yeah right!” Before you know it. A star of stage, screen, television, commercials and more, Richard Duggan most recently would be known for his TV show Lancer which plays a pretty major role in the Quentin Tarantino movie Once Upon a Time In Hollywood. Believe me, we dig right in on that one. We also hear about his father’s roles opposite everyone from James Coburn, Meryl Streep, Don Knotts, Dan Aykroyd and Larry Storch. I ask you, where can you find a resume like that? From In Like Flint to Doctor Detroit, we hear all about his dad’s career in front of the camera. There’s even a few curve balls, as Andrew was the voice of a series of popular commercials for Bud Light & even won a Clio for “Friend of the Family (Rust in Peace)”.

Richard also tells us about his career in comedy & film as he passes along some great first-hand accounts of Robin Williams (who went to the same college), Andy Dick and the cult film The Toxic Avenger. I mean, how could you go wrong hearing about Kirk Douglas and Toxie? The fact is you can’t. So set your internal clocks back a tiny bit and take a listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Hugo Morley, grandson of actor Robert Morley. Depending on what age you are and what country you grew up in, you might know Robert Morley for different things. If you are an American, you know him from his stint as the spokesman for British Airways or possibly the film Who Is Killing The Great Chef’s of Europe with George Segal and Jacqueline Bisset. It was fascinating to find out from Hugo, that Robert actually had a lot of leeway in the BA commercials direction. But if you grew up in England or Australia, you might know Robert Morley from the stage where he performed in about 100 films and starred in/wrote many plays. His career spanned more than sixty years and in fact, his first film role garnered an Academy Award nomination in 1939 as King Louis XVI in Marie Antoinette, starring Norma Shearer and Tyrone Power. That’s one hell of a debut.

Hugo was open with us and told us about (free) trips he took with his grandfather and family thanks to British Airways, of meals he shared with him and time spent in Robert Morley’s back garden. There was swimming and cigars….for Robert, not Hugo. We also learn about Hugo’s theater critic/actor father, Sheridan Morley who was quite well known in England. We learn about his influence on the musical Les Miserables, how an interview with Carol Channing led to Hugo becoming her Godmother and how Yul Brenner played a part in their relationship. Along the way we talk about everyone from Eli Wallach to David Tomlinson, Griff Rhys Jones, to Joanna Lumley and more.

This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and everyone has a story.

Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to the son of actor Albert Eisenmann. While that name might be unfamiliar to some, if you grew up in Houston in the 1960s, you KNEW Albert Eisenmann. This episode is about local television stars and as we hear from guest Ike Eisenmann, the show Cadet Don was a massively popular children’s program when he was a boy in the NASA obsessed hometown of Houston.

Ironically, Ike decided to try acting when the family moved to Los Angeles where the plan was to have Albert’s acting career take off on a larger scale. However, it was Ike whose career took off in Los Angeles in fact, not his father’s. As you will hear, you all know Ike from films like Escape from Witch Mountain & Fantastic Journey as well as multiple television series and commercials from the 1970s onward. He was THE go-to child and young adult actor.

Ike spoke with us about the good stuff and the not so great stuff of growing up with a celebrity father whose career he eclipsed before he was even 10 years old. It’s a bit of a rough go hearing Ike’s story and we appreciated him talking so frankly about his father as well as his own career. Today, Ike co-hosts his own podcast, Pop Culture Retro with Jonathan Rosen. It’s a good one. Be sure and check it out after this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.