Sean Murray

Actor

Birth Date: November 15, 1977

Age: 47 years old

Birth Place: Bethesda, Maryland

Children: Cay Ryan Murray

A familiar face on television since his early teens, actor Sean Murray later made a name for himself as a team member of a fictionalized version of the U.S. Navy's Criminal Investigations Service. Growing up in Southern California, the aspiring young actor was well positioned for early appearances in made-for-TV fare like "Backfield in Motion" (ABC, 1991) and the family feature "Hocus Pocus" (1992).

The budding thespian later joined the cast of the short-lived family drama "Harts of the West" (CBS, 1993-94) and appeared opposite future Oscar winner Hilary Swank in projects like the thriller "The Sleepwalker Killing" (NBC, 1997). After a number of years jumping from one guest spot to another on such popular shows as "ER" (NBC, 1994-2009) and "JAG" (CBS, 1995-2005), Murray at last picked up a regular cast role on a hit series. As Agent Timothy McGee on the CBS drama "Navy NCIS" (2003- ), he had finally made his transition from a juvenile talent to an established adult performer.

Born in Bethesda, MD on Nov. 15, 1977, Murray relocated to California during his adolescence and attended junior high school in Chula Vista. He booked his earliest role in the 1991 TV movie, "Backfield in Motion" opposite Roseanne and Tom Arnold. A lead in the short film "Too Romantic" (1992) followed, as well as the human form of Thackery Binx, the boy transformed into a cat by Bette Midler's mini-coven of witches in the broad 1992 comedy "Hocus Pocus" (Jason Marsden, not Murray, provided Binx's voice while in cat form).

Murray next joined the cast of the charming and underrated "Harts of the West" series (CBS, 1993-94) as Beau Bridges' son, Zane Grey Hart. The role earned him his second Young Actor Award nomination (the first being for "Hocus Pocus") in 1993.

Murray worked steadily through the 1990s, primarily in television; he was Victoria Principal's stepson in an unusually suspenseful TV movie, "River of Rage: The Taking of Maggie Keene" (1993); he played a member of a mysterious town in a loose adaptation of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" (1996); and he met an unpleasant fate as the victim of a murder that sets the revenge plot of "Fall Into Darkness" (1996) into motion.

In between made-for-TV appearances, Murray also booked guest appearances on several major series, including "ER" (NBC, 1994-2009), "Silk Stalkings" (USA Network, 1991-99), "Touched By an Angel" (CBS, 1994-2003) and "Boston Public" (Fox, 2000-04).

During the 2000-01 season, Murray made several appearances on CBS' "JAG" (1995-2005) as Danny Walden, the troubled son of Cynthia Sikes' Dr. Sydney Walden. He next jumped to his first regular role on a network series since "Harts of the West" with "The Random Years" (UPN, 2002). But despite a teen-friendly cast that included Will Friedle of "Boy Meets World," former "Mickey Mouse Club" member Josh Ackerman, and Natalie Cigluti from "Saved by the Bell: The New Class," the show was canceled after just four episodes.

In 2003, Murray guested on "NCIS" as probationary agent Timothy McGee. When the series began its second season in 2004, Murray became a full-time member of the team. His character's presence on the show offered a touch of gentle humor to the tense "NCIS" dramatics, especially in his dealings with Michael Weatherly's Tony DiNozzo. Another bonus was an offbeat, on-and-off romance between McGee and Pauley Perrette's quirky scientist Abby Sciuto. Murray, something of a computer expert off-camera - in an interview with USA Today, he had admitted to building them in his spare time - also provided consultation on technical scenes for the series.