Dr Merlyn Purdy is a former stage actress and psychologist. She is better known through her late husband, Hugh Hurd, a civil rights activist and actor. Merlyn Purdy met Hugh Hurd on Broadway when they both appeared in a play; they became friends, dated and later married. Dr Merlyn and her husband had three children together, Denise, Michelle and Adrienne Hurd.
Education and Career
Dr Merlyn Purdy has never made public details of which school she attended, but she studied up to the college level and earned a degree before practising as a psychologist. She has been working as a psychologist for a long time, but she is probably retired because of her age and is doing private practice.
The Major Work of Dr Merlyn’s Husband
Dr Merlyn Purdy’s husband appeared in several Broadway plays before making his film debut. Besides, Hugh Hurd appeared in many avant-garde films in the 1950s. Some of Merlyn’s husband’s feature films include Shadows, For Love of Ivy, The Hot Rock, The First Deadly Sin, Jumpin’ at the Boneyard, The Catch and A Woman Under the Influence.
The last major film Hugh Hurd featured in is 1993’s Who’s the Man?, but in 1995 he appeared in the documentary Anything for John, his last film role. Besides, Dr Merlyn’s husband appeared in some television shows and commercials. Hugh also had theatre roles in some plays, including Four Saints in Three Acts, The Little Foxes and The Threepenny Opera.
Dr Merlyn Purdy’s husband was also involved in activism; he was against racial discrimination in America, particularly towards African Americans. He supported the civil rights movement and helped organize fundraisers to help their agenda.
Dr Merlyn’s Children
Dr Merlyn is a proud mother of three beautiful daughters, and one of them is making it big in the acting industry. Denise has kept a low profile and took different careers from their sisters, Adrienne and Michelle Hurd, actresses.
About Her Daughter Michelle
Michelle Hurd started her acting career in the late 1980s after completing her college studies; she started by appearing in theatres before making it into television. Dr Merlyn Purdy’s daughter made several Off-Broadway appearances before her Broadway debut in 1996 when she appeared in Getting Away with Murder.
On television, Michelle first appeared in the show Another World, where she portrayed Dana Kramer. She appeared in an episode of Law & Order where she was noticed and later cast as a regular in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, where she portrayed Monique Jeffries.
Dr Merlyn’s daughter has also appeared in The Good Wife, FlashForward, Charmed, Blue Bloods, Younger, Lethal Weapon, Blindspot, Pose, The Fugitive, According to Jim, Shark, The Glades and Star Trek: Picard, where she plays Raffi Musiker. Michelle is still active in the acting industry.
Her Husband’s Death
Dr Merlyn Purdy’s husband had kidney failure before his death. He was being managed at St Vincent’s Hospital in Greenwich Village, New York City, when he died. He passed away on July 15, 1995, due to complications of kidney failure and hypertension, aged 70.
