View source for Murray Rose

{{short description|Australian swimmer}}
{{for|the New Zealand politician|Murray Rose (politician)}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name           = Murray Rose
| honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=AUS|size=100|AM}}
| headercolor    = lightblue
| image          = Murray Rose cropped.jpg
| image_size     = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels -->
| alt            =
| caption        = Rose in 2009
| full_name      = Iain Murray Rose
| nickname       = 
| national_team  = {{AUS}}
| birth_date     = {{Birth date|1939|1|6|df=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Birmingham]], England, United Kingdom 
| death_date     = {{Death date and age|2012|4|15|1939|1|6|df=y}}
| death_place    = [[Sydney]], Australia
| education      = [[Cranbrook School, Sydney]]
| height         = 1.85 m
| weight         = 80&nbsp;kg
| sport          = [[Swimming (sport)|Swimming]]
| event          = {{bulleted list|400m/440yd|800m|1500m/1650yd|4 x 110yd relay|4 x 200m/220yd relay}}
| event_type     = [[Freestyle swimming|Freestyle]]
| collegeteam    = [[USC Trojans|University of Southern California]]
| club           = Bondi Swimming Club
| coach          = 
| retired        = {{circa|1966}}
| medaltemplates = 
{{MedalSport | Men's swimming}}
{{MedalCountry | Australia}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Swimming at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1956 Summer Olympics|1956 Melbourne]] | [[Swimming at the 1956 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metre freestyle|400 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalGold | 1956 Melbourne | [[Swimming at the 1956 Summer Olympics - Men's 1500 metre freestyle|1500 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalGold | 1956 Melbourne | [[Swimming at the 1956 Summer Olympics - Men's 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay|4×200 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1960 Summer Olympics|1960 Rome]] | [[Swimming at the 1960 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metre freestyle|400 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalSilver | 1960 Rome | [[Swimming at the 1960 Summer Olympics - Men's 1500 metre freestyle|1500 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalBronze | 1960 Rome | [[Swimming at the 1960 Summer Olympics - Men's 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay|4×200 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[British Empire and Commonwealth Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games|1962 Perth]] | 440 yd freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | 1962 Perth | 1650 yd freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | 1962 Perth | 4×110 yd freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | 1962 Perth | 4×220 yd freestyle}}
}}

'''Iain Murray Rose''', {{postnominals|country=AUS|size=100|AM}} (6 January 1939 – 15 April 2012) was an Australian [[swimming (sport)|swimmer]], who swam for the University of Southern California, and worked as an actor, sports commentator and marketing executive. He was a six-time Olympic medalist (four gold, one silver, one bronze), and at one time held the world records in the 400-metre, 800-metre, and 1500-metre freestyle (long course). He made his Olympic debut at the [[1956 Summer Olympics]] in [[Melbourne]] as a 17-year-old and won three Olympic medals, all gold. Four years later, as a 21-year-old, he won three Olympic medals (one gold, one silver, one bronze) at the [[1960 Summer Olympics]] in [[Rome]], [[Italy]].

==Biography==

===Early life===
Iain Murray Rose was born on 6 January 1939 in [[Birmingham]], England, UK to parents Eileen and Ian Rose.<ref name="aoc_rose">{{Cite web |title=Murray Rose |work=Australian Olympic Committee |access-date=2015-01-18 |url=http://corporate.olympics.com.au/athlete/murray-rose}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Rose |first=Ian F |date=1969 |title=Faith, Love, and Seaweed |url=https://archive.org/details/faithloveseaweed00rose |url-access=registration |publisher=New York, Award Books; London, Tandem Books |page=[https://archive.org/details/faithloveseaweed00rose/page/20 20] |lccn=63-12015}}</ref> As World War II broke out, his family moved to Australia in 1940 when he was a baby. He started swimming as a boy and attended [[Cranbrook School Sydney|Cranbrook School]] in [[Bellevue Hill, New South Wales|Bellevue Hill]], Sydney. He swam regularly at Redleaf Pool, an enclosed saltwater swimming pool in the suburb of [[Double Bay]]. In 2012, the pool was renamed Murray Rose Pool in his honour.<ref name=Woollahra>[https://web.archive.org/web/20221101235223/https://www.woollahra.nsw.gov.au/recreation/parks,_reserves_and_playgrounds/list_of_parks_and_playgrounds/parks_and_playgrounds/murray_rose_pool Murray Rose Pool] [[Municipality of Woollahra]]</ref>

===Career===
At the age of 17, Rose participated in the [[1956 Summer Olympics]] in [[Melbourne]]. He won the 400-metre and 1500-metre [[Freestyle swimming|freestyle]] races and was a member of the winning team in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay. Winning three gold medals in his home country immediately made him a national hero. He was the youngest Olympian to be awarded three gold medals at one Olympic Games. Afterwards, Rose moved to the United States to accept an athletic scholarship at the [[University of Southern California]] (USC) where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business/Communications. Rose introduced the [[Swim briefs|swim brief]] made by [[Speedo]] at the 1956 Olympics.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vingan |first=Alyssa |date=2025-05-22 |title=Are Straight Guys Ready for Speedo Summer? |url=https://www.gq.com/story/welcome-to-speedo-summer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250616131732/https://www.gq.com/story/welcome-to-speedo-summer |archive-date=2025-06-16 |access-date=2025-06-26 |work=GQ |language=en-US}}</ref>

He continued competing while at USC, and graduated in 1962. At the [[1960 Summer Olympics]] in Rome, Italy, Rose again won an Olympic gold medal in the 400m freestyle, as well as a silver in the 1500m freestyle and a bronze in the {{nowrap|4 × 200 m}} freestyle relay, bringing his total to six Olympic medals. In addition to his Olympic medals, he won four gold medals at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia. He eventually set 15 world records, including the world record in the 800-metre [[Freestyle swimming|freestyle]] in 1962, which was not broken until [[Semyon Belits-Geiman]] set a new record in 1966.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cCRZAAAAIBAJ&pg=2383,577151&dq=belits-geiman&hl=en |title=Rose's Swim Record Falls to Russian |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=4 August 1966 |access-date=2 August 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KVdYAAAAIBAJ&pg=4810,88880&dq=geiman+world-record+800&hl=en |title=Aussie Bests Swim Mark |work=[[Spokane Daily Chronicle]] |access-date=2 August 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EghRAAAAIBAJ&pg=4047,4182754&dq=geiman+world-record+800&hl=en |title=Burton Sets 2 World Marks |work=[[Telegraph Herald]] |access-date=2 August 2011}}</ref> Rose missed the [[Swimming at the 1964 Summer Olympics|1964 Tokyo Olympics]] as he was attending university in the United States at the time of Australia's Olympic trials and so was omitted from their Olympic team; he had set world records for 880 yard and 1,500 metre freestyle event earlier in the months before the Games and would have been a medal favourite.<ref name="EB">{{cite web |title=Murray Rose |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Murray-Rose |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=27 July 2024 |date=28 June 2024}}</ref>

During the 1960s, he also pursued an acting career, starring in two [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] films and making guest appearances on television shows such as ''[[Adventure Unlimited]]''.<ref name="Forgotten Australian TV Series">{{Cite magazine |last=Vagg |first=Stephen |date=2023-05-06 |title=Forgotten Australian TV Series: Adventure Unlimited |url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-tv-series-adventure-unlimited/ |access-date=2023-07-23 |magazine=[[FilmInk]]}}</ref>

In addition, Rose worked as an Australian sports commentator for the [[Nine Network]], plus each of the major US networks, participating in seven consecutive Olympic Games.

Rose continued to compete as a masters swimmer. In 1981, he won the World Masters title in faster times than he recorded at the 1956 Games.<ref name="IOC2024">{{cite web |title=Murray Rose |url=https://olympics.com/en/athletes/murray-rose |website=Olympics.com |publisher=International Olympic Committee |access-date=27 July 2024}}</ref>

From 1988-94, Rose was vice-president of California Sports Marketing specialising in marketing, sponsorships and promotions for the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team and special events at the Great Western Forum.

He returned to Sydney with his family in 1994 and worked as a Senior Account Director for Sports Marketing and Management – the official marketing agent for the [[Australian Olympic Committee]], the [[Commonwealth Games Australia|Australian Commonwealth Games Association]] and a range of other leading Australian sports organisations.

[[File:Murray Rose Seven News.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Murray Rose being interviewed by a [[Seven News]] journalist during a live cross of the evening news bulletin to [[Circular Quay]] in Sydney prior to the opening ceremony of the [[2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Beijing Olympics]].]]

An avenue at [[Sydney Olympic Park]] was named for him in 2000. He was one of the eight flag-bearers of the [[Olympic Flag]] at the [[2000 Summer Olympics opening ceremony]] in Sydney.<ref name="EB"/>

In 2010, Rose led a team on a pilgrimage for Military History Tours to [[Gallipoli]] and a 4.5&nbsp;km swim from Europe to Asia across the Dardanelles.

In 2012, Redleaf Pool in [[Double Bay]], Sydney, was officially renamed Murray Rose Pool in his honour.<ref name=Woollahra/> In 2022 Cranbrook School named its new swimming complex on [[New South Head Road]] the Murray Rose Aquatic & Fitness Centre.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20221021051549/https://www.cranbrook.nsw.edu.au/community/murray-rose-aquatic-and-fitness-centre/ Murray Rose Aquatic & Fitness Centre] [[Cranbrook School, Sydney|Cranbrook School]]</ref>

===Work in film and television===
In 1958, he appeared on ''[[You Bet Your Life]]'' where he was baffled by the world geography questions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvM_sHBXYcY |title=You Bet Your Life #57-26 Arthur Godfrey's mother, Kathryn (Secret word 'People', Mar 20, 1958) |via=YouTube |date=24 January 2014}}</ref> On 6 January 1959, Rose appeared as a guest challenger on the TV panel show ''[[To Tell the Truth]]'' where he stumped the panel as they all voted for the wrong person.

He made his acting debut in the 1962 Australian live drama ''[[My Three Angels (1962 TV movie)|My Three Angels]]''. He also guest starred in an episode of ''Adventure Unlimited''.<ref name="film">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-tv-series-adventure-unlimited/ |first=Stephen |last=Vagg |magazine=Filmink |title=Forgotten Australian TV Series: Adventure Unlimited |date=6 May 2023}}</ref>

Later he starred in the 1964 surf movie ''[[Ride the Wild Surf]]''<ref name="EB"/> and in ''[[Ice Station Zebra]]'' in 1968. He also made periodic appearances in television and film including guest spots on ''[[Dr. Kildare (TV series)|Dr Kildare]]'', ''[[You Bet Your Life]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvM_sHBXYcY&index=62&list=PLHaioNpr_GDbvsTj_taM-jO6C1658N1PC |title=You Bet Your Life #57-26 Arthur Godfrey's mother, Kathryn (Secret word 'People', Mar 20, 1958) |via=YouTube |date=24 January 2014}}</ref> ''[[The Patty Duke Show]]'', ''Dream Rider'', ''Time Capsule 1932'' and ''Time Capsule 1938''.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Stephen |last=Vagg |magazine=Filmink |url=https://www.filmink.com.au/good-sports-australian-athletes-act/ |title=Good Sports: Australian Athletes Who Act |date=12 July 2019}}</ref>

===Charity===
Rose held a number of cause-related Board positions including the Mary MacKillop Foundation and Patron of Rainbow Club Australia, a non-profit charity providing children with special needs the opportunity to explore their abilities through sporting and recreational activities. In 2012, Rainbow Club Australia renamed their annual event, The Murray Rose's Malabar Magic Ocean Swim. The MRMM offers a two swim program of 1&nbsp;km and 2.4&nbsp;km

===Honours===
He was among the first swimmers inducted into the [[International Swimming Hall of Fame]], in 1965, was voted Australia's greatest male Olympian by his peers in 1983, and inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.<ref name="EB"/>

Rose was appointed a [[Member of the Order of Australia]] (AM) in 2000 for services to swimming.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1136663 |title=It's an Honour: AM |access-date=15 April 2012 |archive-date=22 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222042258/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1136663 |url-status=live}}</ref> He also received the [[Australian Sports Medal]] that year and,<ref>[https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/974415 It's an Honour: ASM]</ref> in 2001, he was awarded the [[Centenary Medal]].<ref>[https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1127673 It's an Honour: Centenary Medal]</ref>
In 2023, he was inducted into the Swimming Australia Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hanson |first=Ian |date=10 November 2023 |title=Aussie Home Games Heroes Susie O'Neill, Murray Rose And Lorraine Crapp Inducted into Swimming Australia's Hall of Fame |url=https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/susie-oneill-murray-rose-and-lorraine-crapp-inducted-into-swimming-australias-hall-of-fame/ |access-date=13 May 2024 |website=Swimming World}}</ref>

===Books===
Murray Rose's father, Ian F Rose, published [https://lccn.loc.gov/63012015 Faith, Love, and Seaweed] about his son's childhood and diet.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rose |first=Ian F |date=1969 |title=Faith, Love, and Seaweed |url=https://archive.org/details/faithloveseaweed00rose |publisher=New York, Award Books; London, Tandem Books |lccn=63-12015}}</ref>
In 2013, Murray Rose's memoir ''Life is Worth Swimming'' was posthumously published. Written before his leukaemia diagnosis, ''Life is Worth Swimming'' reflects on Rose's life and experiences as an Olympic swimmer.

* {{Cite book |title=Life is Worth Swimming |author=Murray Rose |publisher=Arbon Publishing |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-9872820-6-4}}

===Personal life===
Rose married ballerina Jodi Wintz on 20 October 1988.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}} Their son was born in 1990.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}} He was previously married to Bobbie Whitby and he adopted her daughter.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}

Rose was a strict vegetarian in his swimming days – this earned him the nickname "The Seaweed Streak" – but he later added meat to his diet.<ref>''[[Sydney Morning Herald]]'', 8 November 1987</ref><ref>Interview on ''You Bet Your Life''</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/jul/30/lizzie-armitstead-vegetarian-athletes-olympics-2012 "Olympic vegetarians: the elite athletes who shun meat"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 30 July 2012</ref>

Rose died of [[leukaemia]] on 15 April 2012 at the age of 73 in Sydney, New South Wales.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Passages: Australian Gold Medalist Murray Rose, 73 |url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/World/30285.asp |magazine=Swimming World Magazine |date=15 April 2012 |access-date=15 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912084607/http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/World/30285.asp |archive-date=12 September 2012}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1964|| ''[[Ride the Wild Surf]]'' || Swag ||
|-
|1968|| ''[[Ice Station Zebra]]'' || Lt. George Mills ||
|-
|1993|| ''Dreamrider'' || Father OGorman ||
|-
|2003|| ''[[Swimming Upstream]]'' || Reporter #3 ||
|}

==See also==
* [[List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame]]
* [[List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (men)]]
* [[List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)]]
* [[World record progression 400 metres freestyle]]
* [[World record progression 800 metres freestyle]]
* [[World record progression 1500 metres freestyle]]
* [[World record progression 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{World Aquatics|1157758/murray-rose}}
* {{International Swimming Hall of Fame}}
* {{Sport Australia Hall of Fame}}
* {{AOC profile|murray-rose}}
* {{CGA profile|murray-rose}}
* {{Olympics.com profile|murray-rose}}
* {{Olympedia}}
* {{CGF}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-ach|rec}}
{{succession box|before=<br />[[Ford Konno]]<br />John Konrads|title=[[World record progression 400 metres freestyle|Men's 400 m freestyle <br />world record holder]] (long course)|years=27 Oct 1956{{spaced ndash}}15 Jan 1958<br />17 Aug 1962{{spaced ndash}}31 July 1964|after=<br />[[John Konrads]]<br />[[Don Schollander]]|rec}}
{{succession box|before=<br />[[George Breen]]<br />[[Roy Saari]]|title=[[World record progression 1500 metres freestyle|Men's 1500 m freestyle <br />world record holder]] (long course)|years=30 Oct 1956{{spaced ndash}}5 Dec 1956<br />2 Aug 1964{{spaced ndash}}2 Sep 1964|after=<br />George Breen<br />Roy Saari|rec}}
{{succession box|before=<br />John Konrads|title=[[World record progression 800 metres freestyle|Men's 800 m freestyle <br />world record holder]] (long course)|years=26 Aug 1962{{spaced ndash}}3 Aug 1966|after=<br />[[Semyon Belits-Geiman]]|rec}}
{{S-end}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions 400 m Freestyle Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 1500 m Freestyle Men}}
{{Olympic Champions Swimming 4x200 m Men Freestyle Relay}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 400m Freestyle Men}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 1500m Freestyle Men}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 4x100m Freestyle Men}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Murray}}
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:2012 deaths]]
[[Category:Australian male freestyle swimmers]]
[[Category:Olympic swimmers for Australia]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1956 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1960 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for Australia]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Australia]]
[[Category:World record setters in swimming]]
[[Category:USC Trojans men's swimmers]]
[[Category:Australian expatriate swimmers in the United States]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Australia]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal]]
[[Category:University of Southern California alumni]]
[[Category:Australian male actors]]
[[Category:English emigrants to Australia]]
[[Category:Swimmers from Birmingham, West Midlands]]
[[Category:Swimmers from Sydney]]
[[Category:People educated at Cranbrook School, Sydney]]
[[Category:Deaths from leukemia in Australia]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in New South Wales]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Australia]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games swimmers for Australia]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in swimming]]
[[Category:Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Australian expatriates in the United States]]
[[Category:Sportsmen from New South Wales]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen]]