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Tim O'Kelly

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Tim O'Kelly
O'Kelly in Targets (1968)
Born
Timothy Patrick Wright

(1941-03-12)March 12, 1941
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 4, 1990(1990-01-04) (aged 48)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1965–1970

Tim O'Kelly (variously O'Kelley; born Timothy Patrick Wright,[1] March 12, 1941 – January 4, 1990) was an American actor best known for playing the sniper in Peter Bogdanovich's film Targets (1968).

Career

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O'Kelly first gained attention as a stage actor with the Santa Monica Group Theater.[2][3][4] He later served as a director and acting coach with the group.[5][6] Among the stage productions he appeared in was Peter Shaffer's The Private Ear/The Public Eye.[7] Much of his television work was in Western series such as The Monroes,[8] Cimarron Strip,[9] The Big Valley,[10] and The Guns of Will Sonnett,[11] although he also made appearances in Batman.[12][13] O'Kelly also played Detective Danny "Danno" Williams in the pilot episode of Hawaii Five-O, but was replaced by James MacArthur after a preview audience found O'Kelly "too young" for the part.[14][15]

His one major film appearance was opposite Boris Karloff in Peter Bogdanovich's directorial debut Targets (1968), in which he played the spree killer Bobby Thompson, a character loosely based on Texas tower sniper Charles Whitman.[16] His final confirmed acting role was the 1970 film The Grasshopper (as the boyfriend of Jacqueline Bisset's character),[17] after which he faded from the public eye.

Personal life

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O'Kelly was the son of Maurice Wayne Wright and Billie Jo Chew.[1][18][19] He had a brief marriage to actress Evelyn Rudie, whom he married in 1968.[1][20] Vital records indicate he died of cardiomyopathy in Los Angeles on January 4, 1990, aged 48.[19][21][22]

Partial filmography

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Luncheon, Bridal Shower, Honors Former Child Star". Valley News. Van Nuys, California. 18 July 1968. p. 101. Retrieved 26 March 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Timothy Patrick Wright ... known professionally as Tim O'Kelly.
  2. ^ Thomas, Kevin (September 6, 1968). "Bogdanovich Debuts as Director with 'Targets'". Los Angeles Times.
  3. ^ "S.M. Group Theater Mentor". Los Angeles Times. September 26, 1968. p. 3.
  4. ^ "'Burning of The Lepers' will be staged Friday". Los Angeles Times. February 3, 1966. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Acting Classes Being Conducted by Theater Unit". Los Angeles Times. February 1, 1968. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Mercy, Mercy". Los Angeles Times. January 23, 1969. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Harford, Margaret (June 18, 1968). "Shaffer Plays on Las Palmas Stage". Los Angeles Times – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "O'Kelly Inked". Santa Ana Register. June 5, 1966. Note: this article refers to The Monroes by its working title, The Wild Country.
  9. ^ "TV Previews". Indianapolis Star. September 21, 1967. p. 31.
  10. ^ "TV Scout Reports: The Big Valley". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. October 1, 1966. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Tim O'Kelly Signed for Sonnet [sic] Episode". Los Angeles Times. June 21, 1968. p. IV-17.
  12. ^ Muir, John Kenneth (2008). The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television. McFarland. p. 100. ISBN 9780786437559.
  13. ^ Berard, Jeanette M.; Englund, Klaudia (2009). Television Series and Specials Scripts, 1946-1992: A Catalog of the American Radio Archives Collection. McFarland. p. 27. ISBN 9780786454372.
  14. ^ Nelson, Valerie J. (October 29, 2010). "James MacArthur dies at 72; actor played 'Danno' on 'Hawaii Five-0'". Los Angeles Times.
  15. ^ Salas, Randy A. (7 March 2007). "'Hawaii Five-O' Returns on DVD". The Spokesman-Review. p. D9. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  16. ^ Feldschreiber, Jared (October 3, 2017). "A Tale of Two Films – Both by Peter Bogdanovich". HuffPost. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019.
  17. ^ Lamberto, Nick (May 28, 1970). "Bisset Film: Many Vices, Few Virtues". Des Moines Tribune – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Death Notices: M. Wayne Wright". Los Angeles Times. April 5, 1980. pp. III-9 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ a b Certificate of Death: Timothy Patrick Wright. Certificate no. 39019001125. Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, County of Los Angeles, State of California. January 17, 1990
  20. ^ Lamparski, Richard (1982). Whatever Became Of...?. New York: Crown Publishers. p. 259. ISBN 051754346X. [Rudie's] marriage to actor Tim O'Kelly ended in an annulment after four months.
  21. ^ "California, Death Index, 1940-1997". Retrieved 17 August 2019 – via Ancestry.com.
  22. ^ "U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007". Retrieved 17 August 2019 – via Ancestry.com.
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