Timothy Agoglia Carey (March 11, 1929 – May 11, 1994) was an American film and television

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

who was typically cast as manic or violent characters who are driven to extremes. He is particularly known for his collaborations with

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...

in the films '' The Killing'' (1956) and ''

Paths of Glory ''Paths of Glory'' is a 1957 American anti-war film directed by Stanley Kubrick, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Calder Willingham and Jim Thompson. It is adapted from the 1935 novel of the same name by Humphrey Cobb, which in turn was ...

'' (1957), and for appearing in the two

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self- ...

directed films '' Minnie and Moskowitz'' (1971) and '' The Killing of a Chinese Bookie'' (1976). Other notable film credits include '' Crime Wave'' (1954), '' East of Eden'' (1955), ''

One-Eyed Jacks ''One-Eyed Jacks'' is a 1961 American Western film directed by and starring Marlon Brando, his only directorial credit. Brando portrays the lead character Rio, and Karl Malden plays his partner, "Dad" Longworth. The supporting cast features Pin ...

'' (1961), '' Beach Blanket Bingo'' (1965), ''

Head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

'' (1968) and '' The Outfit'' (1973). Carey was also a writer and director, with the low budget

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...

'' The World's Greatest Sinner'' (1962) being his most noteworthy project.

Early life and career

Carey enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

at age 15, an experience he despised. He made his screen debut with a minor role in

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an American filmmaker and screenwriter. His career in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and ver ...

's 1951 movie ''Ace in the Hole'' (alternately titled ''The Big Carnival''). One of Carey's most recognized early roles is in the 1956

film '' The Killing'', in which he portrays a gunman hired to shoot a racehorse as a diversion from a

racetrack A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...

robbery. Kubrick then cast him in his next film, the World War I drama ''

'' (1957), as one of three soldiers accused of cowardice. During the filming of ''Paths of Glory'', Carey was reportedly disruptive and tried to draw more attention to his character. Due to this behavior, a scene in which Carey and the other actors were served a duck dinner as a final meal before execution, took 57 takes to complete. Carey then faked his own kidnapping to generate personal publicity, which prompted Kubrick and producer James B. Harris to fire him. As a result, the film does not depict the three condemned soldiers during the battle scene, and a

double Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Multiplication by 2 * Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length * A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1 * A ...

was used during a scene in which a priest hears Carey's character's confession. The scene was filmed with the double's back to the camera. The 1957 film ''

Bayou In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...

'' (later retitled ''Poor White Trash'') features one of Carey's few leading roles, as a demented Cajun shopkeeper named Ulysses. Carey also has roles in '' East of Eden'', ''

The Wild One ''The Wild One'' is a 1953 American crime film directed by László Benedek and produced by Stanley Kramer. The picture is most noted for the character of Johnny Strabler, portrayed by Marlon Brando, whose persona became a cultural icon of the ...

'', ''

'', '' The Boy and the Pirates'', '' Bikini Beach'', '' Beach Blanket Bingo'' and the

–directed films '' Minnie and Moskowitz'' and '' The Killing of a Chinese Bookie''.

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...

was eager to cast Carey as Luca Brasi in ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...

'', but Carey turned down the part so he could film a television pilot called "Tweet’s Ladies of Pasadena", which was never sold or broadcast. The proposed TV show starred Carey as a character named Tweet Twig, who could bring animals back from the dead. He plays a minor role as the Angel of Death in the comedy film '' D.C. Cab'', and appears in the

Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees'' television series, they were one o ...

self-parody musical comedy ''

''. His final appearance is in the 1986 movie ''

Echo Park Echo Park is a neighborhood in the east-Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles, California. Located to the northwest of Downtown Los Angeles, Downtown, it is bordered by Silver Lake, Los Angeles, Silver Lake to the west and Chinato ...

''. Carey also did a select amount of acting on television from the 1950s through the 1980s. According to director

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

, Carey auditioned for the role of Joe Cabot in Tarantino's ''

Reservoir Dogs ''Reservoir Dogs'' is a 1992 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino in his feature-length directorial debut. It stars Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen, Tarant ...

''. Although Carey did not get the role, the screenplay is dedicated to him, among others. Carey's face (from the movie ''The Killing'') is positioned behind

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

on the cover of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

album ''

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (often referred to simply as ''Sgt. Pepper'') is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept ...

''. Although Carey's image does not appear on the commercially released version of the cover, it can be seen on outtake photos from the ''Sgt. Pepper'' session. Carey first appeared on ''

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 ...

'' in 1958, playing “Tiller Evans”, a wild, abusive & jealous cowboy in the episode “The Gentleman”, alongside Jack Cassidy (S3E39). He later portrayed the character Charles Buster Rilla, a deranged gunman, in the 1966 episode “Quaker Girl” (S12E12). He has a minor role as Bert in "Ransom for a Dead Man", a

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

for the series ''

Columbo ''Columbo'' is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Columbo (character), Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originall ...

'', which guest-stars

Lee Grant Lee Grant (born Lyova Haskell Rosenthal; October 31, during the mid-1920s) is an American actress, documentarian, and director. In a career spanning over seven decades, she won an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Directors Guil ...

and originally aired on March 1, 1971. Carey reprised that role in the Columbo episode "Dead Weight", which guest-stars Eddie Albert and

Suzanne Pleshette Suzanne Pleshette (January 31, 1937 – January 19, 2008) was an American actress. Pleshette was known for her roles in theatre, film, and television. She was nominated for three Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. For her role as Emily Hart ...

and was first broadcast on October 27, 1971.

''The World's Greatest Sinner''

Carey wrote, produced, directed, and starred in the 1962 feature '' The World's Greatest Sinner'', whose music soundtrack was scored by a young, pre-

Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as the Mothers) were an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B band ...

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

. Although it did not have wide commercial release, the film achieved cult status through repeated screenings at the "midnight movies" in Los Angeles in the 1960s. During a 1963 appearance on ''

The Steve Allen Show ''The Steve Allen Show'' is an American variety show hosted by Steve Allen from June 1956 to June 1960 on NBC, from September 1961 to December 1961 on ABC,

'' during which he generated musical sounds on bicycles, Zappa talked about scoring the soundtrack for ''The World's Greatest Sinner'', which he called "the world's worst movie." The movie was featured as a midnight show at the TCM Festival in Hollywood in April 2018. His son Romeo Carey introduced the film.

Personal life

Carey was born in

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Bay Ridge is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by Sunset Park, Brooklyn, Sunset Park to the north, Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, Dyker Heights to the east, the Nar ...

, to a family of Italian and Irish descent. Carey and his wife Doris had six children: Romeo, Mario, Velencia, Silvana, Dagmar, and Germain. Carey died of a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

in 1994 at the age of 65 in Los Angeles."Timothy Carey, 65, A Character Actor,"
obituary, ''The New York Times'', May 17, 1994 His body is interred at Rose Hills Memorial Park in

Whittier, California Whittier () is a city in Los Angeles County, California, and is part of the Gateway Cities. The city had 87,306 residents as of the 2020 United States census, an increase of 1,975 from the 2010 United States census, 2010 census figure. Whittier ...

Partial filmography

* '' Ace in the Hole'' (a.k.a. ''The Big Carnival'') (1951) - Construction Worker (uncredited) * '' Across the Wide Missouri'' (1951) – Baptiste DuNord (uncredited) * '' Hellgate'' (1952) – Wyand (uncredited) * '' Bloodhounds of Broadway'' (1952) – Crockett Pace (uncredited) * '' White Witch Doctor'' (1953) – Jarrett * '' Crime Wave'' (1953) – Johnny Haslett (uncredited) * ''

'' (1953) – Chino's Boy #1 (uncredited) * '' Alaska Seas'' (1954) – Wycoff * '' East of Eden'' (1955) – Joe (uncredited) * '' Finger Man'' (1955) – Lou Terpe * '' Francis in the Navy'' (1955) – Auctioneer's Helper (uncredited) * ''

I'll Cry Tomorrow ''I'll Cry Tomorrow'' (1955) is a biopic that tells the story of Lillian Roth, a Broadway star who rebels against the pressure of her domineering mother and struggles with alcoholism after the death of her fiancé. It stars Susan Hayward, Rich ...

'' (1955) – Derelict (uncredited) * '' The Killing'' (1956) – Nikki Arcane * '' Francis in the Haunted House'' (1956) – Hugo * '' The Last Wagon'' (1956) – Cole Harper (uncredited) * '' Flight to Hong Kong'' (1956) – Lagarto * '' Rumble on the Docks'' (1956) – Frank Mangus * ''

'' (a.k.a. ''Poor White Trash'') (1957) – Ulysses * '' House of Numbers'' (1957) – Frenchy – Arnie's Cell Mate (uncredited) * ''

'' (1957) – Private Maurice Ferol * '' Unwed Mother'' (1958) – Doctor * ''

Revolt in the Big House ''Revolt in the Big House'' is a 1958 American film noir directed by R. G. Springsteen and starring Gene Evans, Robert Blake (actor), Robert Blake and Timothy Carey. Portions of the film were shot on location at Folsom State Prison in California. ...

'' (1958) – Ed 'Bugsy' Kyle * '' The Gunfight at Dodge City'' (1959) – Forbes, Regan's Deputy (uncredited) * '' The Boy and the Pirates'' (1960) – Morgan * ''

'' (1961) – Howard Tetley * '' The Second Time Around'' (1961) – Bonner * '' The World's Greatest Sinner'' (1962) – Clarence Hilliard * '' Mermaids of Tiburon'' (1962) – Milo Sangster * '' Convicts 4'' (1962) – Nick * '' Shock Treatment'' (1964) – Hulking Patient (uncredited) * '' Bikini Beach'' (1964) – South Dakota Slim * '' Rio Conchos'' (1964) – Chico (uncredited) * '' Beach Blanket Bingo'' (1965) – South Dakota Slim * '' Duel at Diablo'' (1966) – Deputy Clem (uncredited) * '' A Time for Killing'' (1967) – Billy Cat * '' Waterhole No. 3'' (1967) – Hilb * ''

'' (1968) – Lord High 'n Low * '' Change of Habit'' (1969) – Ajax Market Manager (uncredited) * '' Tweet's Ladies of Pasadena'' (1970) – Tweet Twig * '' What's the Matter with Helen?'' (1971) – The Tramp * '' Minnie and Moskowitz'' (1971) – Morgan Morgan * '' Get to Know Your Rabbit'' (1972) – Policeman (uncredited) * '' The Outfit'' (1973) – Jake Menner * '' Peeper'' (1976) – Sid * '' The Killing of a Chinese Bookie'' (1976) – Flo * '' Chesty Anderson, USN'' (1976) – Vincent * '' Speedtrap'' (1977) – Loomis * ''Tarzana'' (1978) – Old War Buddy Benny * '' Hard Knocks'' (1979) * '' Fast-Walking'' (1982) – Bullet * '' D.C. Cab'' (1983) – Angel Of Death * ''

'' (1985) – Vinnie

References

External links

* *
''Psychotronic Video Magazine'' 1990 interview with Timothy Carey

''Cashiers du Cinemart'' profile

"The Brooklyn Cajun: Timothy Carey in ''Poor White Trash''"
by Jim Knipfel, at ''The Chiseler'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Carey, Timothy 1929 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors American people of Irish descent American people of Italian descent Burials at Rose Hills Memorial Park Male actors from Los Angeles Male actors from Brooklyn Military personnel from New York City Military personnel from New York (state) People from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II