Tim O'Kelly (variously O'Kelley; born Timothy Patrick Wright,
March 12, 1941 – January 4, 1990) was an American actor best known for playing the sniper in
Peter Bogdanovich's film ''
Targets'' (1968).
Career
O'Kelly first gained attention as a stage actor with the Santa Monica Group Theater.
He later served as a director and acting coach with the group. Among the stage productions he appeared in was
Peter Shaffer's ''The Private Ear/The Public Eye''.
Much of his television work was in
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
series such as ''
The Monroes'', ''
Cimarron Strip'', ''
The Big Valley'', and ''
The Guns of Will Sonnett'',
although he also made appearances in ''
Batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
''.
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.
His one major film appearance was opposite
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...
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.
His final confirmed acting role was the 1970 film ''
The Grasshopper'' (as the boyfriend of
Jacqueline Bisset
Winifred Jacqueline Fraser Bisset ( ; born 13 September 1944) is a British actress. She began her film career in 1965 and first came to prominence in 1968 with roles in ''The Detective (1968 film), The Detective'', ''Bullitt'', and ''The Sweet ...
's character), after which he faded from the public eye.
Personal life
O'Kelly was the son of Maurice Wayne Wright and Billie Jo Chew.
[Certificate of Death: Timothy Patrick Wright. Certificate no. 39019001125. Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, County of Los Angeles, State of California. January 17, 1990] He had a brief marriage to actress
Evelyn Rudie, whom he married in 1968.
cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy is a group of primary diseases of the heart muscle. Early on there may be few or no symptoms. As the disease worsens, shortness of breath, feeling tired, and swelling of the legs may occur, due to the onset of heart failure. A ...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
on January 4, 1990, aged 48.
Partial filmography
*'' For Pete's Sake'' (1966)
*'' The Big Valley'' (1966) - Will Marvin
*''Gunsmoke
''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...
'' (1966) - Sandy
*'' Cimarron Strip'' (1967) - Episode 3: Broken Wing - Jing McQueen
*'' Targets'' (1968) - Bobby Thompson
*'' Hawaii Five-O'' (1968) - Danny
*'' The Grasshopper'' (1970) - Eddie Molina
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okelly, Tim
American male film actors
American male television actors
Western (genre) television actors
1941 births
1990 deaths
Deaths from cardiomyopathy