Russell Murphy is the father of slain police officer Alex Murphy (who was resurrected as the cyborg RoboCop) and grandfather of James Murphy. Like his son, Russell was a devout police officer himself for many years until his retirement and is the person responsible for instilling Alex Murphy with his trademark sense of duty and dedication to law enforcement, even after his transformation into a cyborg.
RoboCop: The Series
Russell Murphy was introduced in the live-action series as a recurring character. Throughout the series, Murphy/RoboCop finds himself teamed up with his father on a few cases that often saw them utilizing the elder Murphy's expertise in dealing with reappearing criminals he'd chased back before his retirement. Although his father was stern, it was clear Murphy's parents loved and cherished him even after his 'demise.'
Russell is unaware of his son's resurrection as the cyborg RoboCop, despite the two team-up to take down criminals Russell had dealt with during his law enforcement career. In "Corporate Raiders", discovers the cyborg is his son Alex.