Chad Michael Murray Bio

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Chad Michael Murray (born August 24, 1981) is an American actor, former fashion model and spokesperson. Murray became an international household name after landing the lead role in The CW television series One Tree Hill where he portrays Lucas Scott. In addition, he is popular among teenagers and young adults for starring in the commercially successful films, Freaky Friday, A Cinderella Story and House of Wax. Murray has the record for the most Teen Choice Award nominations and has posed on the cover of numerous mainstream magazines after gaining international fame from One Tree Hill; his magazine covers include Rolling Stone, People, Vanity Fair and Entertainment Weekly. In 2009, Murray was listed in Forbes' "Most Bankable Stars" list due to his high earnings.

Chad Michael Murray: Early life

Murray was born in Clarence, New York, just outside of Buffalo, New York. He is the son of Rex Murray, an air traffic controller.

In 1999, Murray headed for Hollywood where he supported himself modeling for such clients as Skechers, Tommy Hilfiger and Gucci.

Chad Michael Murray: Career

Murray appeared in several guest-starring television roles, including an episode of Diagnosis Murder and an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. In 1999, Murray was cast as Tristin Dugray on Gilmore Girls'; the role was one of the main characters in the first season of the series and then became a recurring character after Murray was cast in One Tree Hill. Murray then appeared in several television movies, such as Aftermath and Murphy's Dozen. Later that year, he portrayed the role Charlie Todd on the successful television series, Dawson's Creek.

In 2003, Murray appeared in the Walt Disney Pictures feature film, Freaky Friday alongside Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis. The film was a major box office success, garnering a total of $110,222,438 in the United States alone. Critics were mostly positive in their reviews of the film, and the film garnered a "B" grade on Yahoo! movies and an 88% "Certified Fresh" approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Murray also appeared in the television movie The Lone Ranger where he portrayed the role of Luke Hartman.

Later that year, Murray won the main role of Lucas Scott in the successful The WB television series One Tree Hill. The series quickly became the channel's biggest hit with over 4.50 million viewers on the first season's finale. Murray appeared in six seasons of the series and earned many awards. In May 2009, the CW announced Murray would not be returning to the series for its seventh season. After Murray gained mainstream fame and media exposure, he also became a spokesperson for many high-profile deals. Murray and his One Tree Hill co-stars were the official endorsers for MasterCard and K-Mart. The series was Warner Bros. Television most successful and top rated television program when it first aired in 2003 and continued receiving top ratings for the CW. The series also earned Murray numerous awards including eleven Teen Choice Awards. The series has also spawned a book series and was very successful among critics who praised the entire cast's performance and the original story lines. In 2005, Murray and hs One Tree Hill co-stars also endorsed the Cingular wireless and Chevy Cobalt.

Following Murray's starring role on One Tree Hill in 2003, he appeared on the cover of many mainstream magazines such as Rolling Stone and People. That same year, he was voted as one of "TV's Sexiest Guys" in People magazine.

In 2004, Murray starred in the romantic comedy A Cinderella Story with Hilary Duff. Though the reviews were mostly negative, the film went on to become a moderate box office hit, and critics were impressed by Duff's performance. A Cinderella Story earned $70.1 million worldwide and was a commercial success. The movie led to many 2006 Teen Choice Awards wins for many categories. Later that year, Murray was named one of the "Sexiest Men Alive" by People magazine and appeared on the cover of the magazine.

In 2005, Murray starred in House of Wax. The movie grossed $12 million in its first day and was a commercial success. Though most film critics gave the film negative reviews, House of Wax earned over $68,766,121 worldwide. The movie led to Murray receiving many 2006 Teen Choice Awards wins for many categories including "Choice Movie Actor: Action/Adventure/Thriller".

In 2008, Murray won a Teen Choice Award for Best TV Actor in a Drama and was nominated for several other awards.

Chad Michael Murray: Personal life

Murray married One Tree Hill co-star Sophia Bush on April 16, 2005 after almost two years of dating. Five months after the wedding, Bush filed court papers to have their marriage annulled. After the annulment was finalized, Murray began dating Kenzie Dalton, a former cheerleader extra on One Tree Hill and the first runner-up in the 2005 Miss North Carolina Teen USA pageant. They later became engaged.