EXCLUSIVE She was on a massive '60s TV show as a child, who is this beauty? Hint: it's not Charlize Theron

Daily Mail​

11-07-2025

She was on a major TV series in the 1960s that involved a pretty blonde witch.
At the time, the actress was a cute little child star who had a twinkle in her eye and very blonde hair.
The fun show became enormously popular as fans followed the private lives of the actors closely.
She then explored various roles in the industry as a casting director, makeup artist, stylist, acting teacher, and stunt double.
As life progressed, the mother of six re-entered the entertainment world as a TV presenter for networks like Fox Reality Channel and E!, and hosted several infomercials.
She also worked with Hulk Hogan, Bob Saget, Danny Bondaduce and RuPaul.
Who is this beauty who is seen below as a teenager?
She is Bewitched child star Erin Murphy, 61.
Murphy charmed audiences as Tabitha.
Erin was the magical daughter of witch Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) and Darrin Stephens.
Murphy was also one of the last surviving original cast members of Bewitched, along with her twin sister Diane, with whom she shared the role.
Last year she gave a rare interview.
She has finally revealed her favorite Darrin, the role of the mortal father/husband famously played by two different actors on the beloved sitcom.
Over the years, fans have debated which Darrin — originally portrayed by Dick York and later by Dick Sargent — was the better fit for the role, and now Murphy is settling the debate.
'I will give you a scoop. My entire life I have been so diplomatic because I loved them both,' she admitted to People on Saturday. 'They were wonderful guys. Watching the show, Dick York is a better Darrin.'
York embodied Darrin from 1964 until a serious back injury forced him to leave the show in 1969. Sargent then took over the role until the series wrapped in 1972.
Murphy fondly reflected on her close bond with York, describing how he took on a fatherly role both on and off screen.
'Dick York was a dad, and he had a lot of kids, so he was just more paternal,' she shared with the outlet.
She added, 'So he was more like a dad. Dick Sargent was a great guy, and we stayed in touch until he passed away. But I'm going with Dick York on this one.'
Sixty years on, Bewitched continues to captivate.
The show centers on Samantha, a witch who marries a regular man, Darrin Stephens.
Though she vows to live as a normal housewife, her magic constantly disrupts their ordinary life, leading to endless mischief.
'It's so interesting because I grew up on the show, so it's the only childhood I know, but I feel lucky,' Murphy said.
The actress began appearing on the show as Darrin and Samantha's daughter Tabitha in 1966, and remained on the program until it ended in 1972.
She and her twin sister Diane were jointly cast as Tabitha in order to comply with U.S. child labor laws limiting how many hours each girl could be put to work.
But, as Murphy told Studio 10 in March 2020, she and Diane were fraternal twins and 'as soon as they hired us they realized we really don't look that much alike'.
She explained 'they ended up showing my sister from the back or from a distance and then after the first year I took over'.
Murphy also said Montgomery, who died from cancer in May 1995 at the age of 62, 'was like a mom' to her, adding: 'We were close off the set and I loved her very much.'
However her 'favorite' co-star was Agnes Moorehead, who played Samantha's mother Endora and 'was very much like a grandma to me and I just thought she was beautiful and colorful and fun.
'And her favorite color was purple and everything in her dressing room was purple.'
Later in the 1970s, there was a short-lived spin-off series called Tabitha, in which the character was played as an adult by Lisa Hartman.
After Bewitched wrapped up in 1972, Erin Murphy stepped out of the spotlight, but reruns kept her a familiar face for viewers.
Starting her role as Tabitha at just two years old, Murphy graduated from El Toro High School in Lake Forest, California, in 1981.