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 homicidal sniper in

Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. One of the " New Hollywood" directors, Bogdanovich started as a film journalist until he was hired to work on ...

's film ''

Targets ''Targets'' is a 1968 American crime thriller film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, produced by Roger Corman, and written by Polly Platt and Bogdanovich, with cinematography by László Kovács.Stephen Jacobs, ''Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster' ...

'' (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 Sir Peter Levin Shaffer (; 15 May 1926 – 6 June 2016) was an English playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. He wrote numerous award-winning plays, of which several were adapted into films. Early life Shaffer was born to a Jewish family in L ...

'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 ''Cimarron Strip'' is an American Western television series starring Stuart Whitman as Marshal Jim Crown. The series was produced by the creators of '' Gunsmoke'', and aired on CBS from September 1967 to March 1968. Reruns of the original show ...

'', ''

The Big Valley ''The Big Valley'' is an American Western drama television series that originally aired from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969 on ABC. The series is set on the fictional Barkley Ranch in Stockton, California, from 1884 to 1888. The one-hour ...

'', and '' The Guns of Will Sonnett'', although he also made appearances in ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

''. 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), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established ...

's directorial debut ''

'' (1968), in which he played the

spree killer A spree killer is someone who commits a criminal act that involves two or more murders or homicides in a short time, in multiple locations. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics defines a spree killing as "killings at two or more locations w ...

Bobby Thompson, a character loosely based on Texas tower sniper

Charles Whitman Charles Joseph Whitman (June 24, 1941 – August 1, 1966) was an American mass murderer who became known as the "Texas Tower Sniper". On August 1, 1966, Whitman used knives to kill his mother and his wife in their respective homes, then went to ...

. 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'', ''Bullitt'', and ''The Sweet Ride'', for which she rec ...

'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. Vital records indicate he died of

cardiomyopathy Cardiomyopathy is a group of diseases that affect 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. ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

on January 4, 1990, aged 48.

Partial filmography

*'' For Pete's Sake'' (1966) *''

'' (1966) - Will Marvin *''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'' (1966) - Sandy *''

'' (1967) - Episode 3: Broken Wing - Jing McQueen *''

'' (1968) - Bobby Thompson *'' Hawaii Five-O'' (1968) - Danny *'' The Grasshopper'' (1970) - Eddie Molina

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Okelly, Tim American male film actors American male television actors Western (genre) television actors 1941 births 1990 deaths