Murray Rose, the handsome four-time Olympic gold medal swimmer from Australia, died of leukemia Sunday at home in Sydney. He was 73. At 17, he became a national hero after winning three gold medals at the 1956 Melbourne Games – the 400- and 1,500-meter freestyle events and the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Four years later, in Rome, he won the 400 freestyle, took silver in the 1,500 freestyle, and bronze in the 4×200 freestyle relay. He set 15 world records, including marks in the 400, 800 and 1,500 freestyles. Rose was born in England, but his family moved to Australia, where he began swimming. After the Melbourne Olympics, he moved to the States and attended USC, swimming competitively and studying drama and television. He was graduated in 1962. He appeared on Groucho Marx’s radio show You Bet Your Life, was a guest on the 1950s TV show To Tell the Truth, and acted in the 1964 movie Ride the Wild Surf.
