Tab Murphy

WHEREAS, Hollywood screenwriter Tab Murphy was raised in Olympia 1
and attended Lincoln Elementary School, Washington Middle School, and 2
Olympia High School, from which he graduated in 1975; and3
WHEREAS, Tab lived in the historic South Water Street District, 4
three blocks from the capitol, and served as a senate page at the age 5
of 14. He also attended a "Bigfoot Rally" on the state capitol steps 6
that began a lifelong obsession with Sasquatch; and7
WHEREAS, Tab attended Washington State University before 8
transferring to the University of Southern California (USC) Film 9
School his sophomore year, though he will always be a "coug" at 10
heart, to pursue his love for movies and storytelling through a 11
career in the movie business; and 12
WHEREAS, While at the USC Film School, Tab took a course in 13
screenwriting that cemented his determination, and with a clear path 14
to breaking into a difficult business, Tab dropped out of film school 15
and began writing screenplays, supporting himself by working various 16
odd jobs; and 17
WHEREAS, Tab broke into the business as a screenwriter in 1983, 18
writing several unproduced movies for Paramount Studios; and19
WHEREAS, Tab's big break finally came in 1986 when he was hired 20
by Warner Bros. to write a screenplay based on the life and death of 21
Dian Fossey. The movie was named "Gorillas in the Mist" and was 22
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2025-4655 , by Representatives Parshley, Eslick,
Jacobsen, Dent, Bronoske, Kloba, Ryu, Taylor, Bernbaum, Stuebe, Dufault, and Callan
p. 1 HR 4655
released in 1988, for which Tab received an Academy Award nomination 1
for his work on the script; and 2
WHEREAS, In 1994, Tab wrote and directed a modern western fantasy 3
called "Last of the Dogmen," a nod to Tab's passion for Native 4
American culture and history, which included over 70 nonactors from 5
the Northern and Southern Cheyenne tribes; and 6
WHEREAS, In 1995, Tab embarked on a 10-year, multiproject journey 7
with The Walt Disney Company, during which time, Tab wrote four 8
animated features: "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Tarzan," 9
"Atlantis: The Lost Empire," and "Brother Bear"; and10
WHEREAS, Tab received numerous awards for his work with "Brother 11
Bear," and was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Animated 12
Feature category; and 13
WHEREAS, Tab also delved into the world of superheroes for Warner 14
Bros. Animation, adapting several popular graphic novels, including 15
the revered "Batman: Year One" by Frank Miller; and16
WHEREAS, In 2023, Tab received an Emmy nomination for best 17
documentary for his work on a Netflix nature documentary entitled 18
"Kangaroo Valley"; 19
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State House 20
of Representatives honor Tab Murphy for his many contributions in 21
film that continue to bring smiles and joy to kids and adults alike.22
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I hereby certify this to be a true and correct copy of24
Resolution 4655 adopted by the House of Representatives25
April 8, 2025 26
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__________________________ 31
Bernard Dean, Chief Clerk 32
p. 2 HR 4655