Timothy Farrell (June 26, 1922 – May 9, 1989) was an American film actor, best known for his roles in

Ed Wood Edward Davis Wood Jr. (October 10, 1924 – December 10, 1978) was an American filmmaker, actor, and pulp novel author. In the 1950s, Wood directed several low-budget science fiction, crime and horror films that later became cult cla ...

films such as '' Jail Bait'', ''

The Violent Years ''The Violent Years'' is a 1956 American exploitation film directed by William Morgan and starring Jean Moorhead as Paula Parkins, the leader of a gang of juvenile delinquent high school girls. The film is notable for having an uncredited Ed ...

'' and ''

Glen or Glenda ''Glen or Glenda'' is a 1953 American exploitation film directed, written by and starring Ed Wood (credited in his starring role as "Daniel Davis"), and featuring Wood's then-girlfriend Dolores Fuller and Bela Lugosi. It was produced by George W ...

''. He also worked for the County Marshal of Los Angeles, California.

Early life

Born as Timothy Sperl, he was a native of Los Angeles and graduate of Alexander Hamilton High School. During World War II Farrell served in the

Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps: * Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army * Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941) * United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...

. Farrell worked as a Bailiff for the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

Marshal's Department while also working in low-budget exploitation movies. In 1948 he portrayed a doctor in the film ''Test Tube Babies'', explaining to a young couple that there is no shame in test-tube fertilization (a similar role to that in the subsequent ''

''). Both films were produced by George Weiss, who used Farrell in a string of

exploitation films An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become hi ...

in the 1950s. In 1951, Farrell, along with everyone else on the film set of ''Paris After Midnight'', was swept up in a police

vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...

raid, which caused him professional embarrassment with his courtroom career.

Characters

Farrell's career was notable for its recurring roles: * He made three low-budget exploitation movies for George Weiss in which he played the part of sleazy gymnasium owner Umberto Scalli. These films, largely a vehicle for female-wrestling footage, include ''Devil's Sleep'', ''Racket Girls'', and ''Dance Hall Racket''. Scalli is gunned down at the end of ''Racket Girls'' but alive and well in ''Dance Hall Racket''. * His character of "Joe the Pimp" appeared in ''Girl Gang'' and ''Gun Girls''. * His character of "Dr. Wright" appeared in ''Hometown Girls'' and the aforementioned ''Test Tube Babies''. * In 1954, his legal and theatrical careers dovetailed in the

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor (; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO when David O. Selznick, the studio's Head ...

movie '' A Star Is Born'', in which he played a bailiff. It happened again in 1958, when he appeared as a bailiff in the short-lived television series ''Accused''.

L.A. County Marshal's Office

He went on to work 26 years for the Los Angeles County Marshal's Office, rising through the ranks and eventually was appointed the County Marshal in 1971. However, in 1975 he was fired after his conviction on

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

charges for "illegal use of deputy marshals in political activities". He was given a six-month sentence, but received

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...

due to poor health.

Personal life

His later years were spent in business, such as operating a lumber mill in

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

and rental properties in Los Angeles, California. He was extremely active in the "Animal Rights and Welfare Movement", begun by his wife, Shirley. He donated some of his estate to "The Sperl Family Foundation", a no-cost spay and neuter organization for animals.

Death

Farrell died on May 9, 1989, aged 66, at St. John's Hospital in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing t ...

of a heart attack. He was preceded in death by his wife who was an actress. His wife died of natural causes. His daughter, Timmie, was a bit part actress on the soap opera '' General Hospital'', and died from a drug overdose. His son, Anthony Kelly Sperl, runs the Sperl Family Foundation from his residence in Sun Valley, California. Anthony had briefly been a police officer in

Stanton, California Stanton is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The population was 37,962 at the 2020 United States Census. The city was incorporated in 1956 and operates under the council–manager form o ...

, until March 1983 when he fatally shot 5-year-old Patrick Andrew Mason in his home, mistaking the boy's toy gun for a real weapon. Sperl quit the force, claiming

post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats o ...

and was awarded a disability pension soon after being cleared of wrongdoing.

Filmography

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farrell, Timothy American male film actors Male actors from Los Angeles Businesspeople from California People from Greater Los Angeles 1922 births 1989 deaths Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American businesspeople United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II