Tim Conway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tim Conway
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Conway in a 1966 publicity photo
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| Born |
Thomas Daniel Conway
December 15, 1933 Willoughby, Ohio, U.S.
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| Died | May 14, 2019 (aged 85) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Other names | Thomas Daniel Conway, Tim Daniel Conway, Thomas Conway |
| Alma mater | Bowling Green State University |
| Occupation | Actor, writer, director, comedian |
| Years active | 1956–2016 |
| Spouse(s) |
Mary Ann Dalton
(m. 1961; div. 1978)Charlene Fusco
(m. 1984) |
| Children | 6 biological, 1 step-daughter |
| Military career | |
| Service/ |
 United States Army |
| Years of service | 1956–1958 |
Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway (December 15, 1933 – May 14, 2019) was a super funny American actor, writer, and comedian. He was famous for making people laugh with his quick wit and ability to make up jokes on the spot.
You might know him as the clumsy Ensign Parker in the 1960s TV show McHale's Navy. He was also a regular on The Carol Burnett Show in the 1970s, where he won many awards for his comedy. Tim Conway also teamed up with Don Knotts in several movies. Later, he voiced the character Barnacle Boy in the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants.
Tim Conway was especially good at making up funny things on the spot, which meant he often went off script! He won six Primetime Emmy Awards during his career. Four of these were for The Carol Burnett Show, including one for his writing. In 2002, Tim Conway was honored by being added to the Television Hall of Fame.
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Tim Conway's Early Life and Start in Comedy
Tim Conway was born in Willoughby, Ohio, which is near Cleveland. He grew up in a town called Chagrin Falls. His family background was Irish on his father's side and Romanian on his mother's side.
He went to Bowling Green State University in Ohio. There, he studied television and radio. He was also a disc jockey and part of a college club called Phi Delta Theta. After college, Conway joined the United States Army and served from 1956 to 1958.
After leaving the Army, Tim Conway went back to Cleveland. He worked at a TV station called KYW-TV in 1958 and 1959. From 1960 to 1962, he worked at another TV station, WJW-TV. He helped write funny skits that were shown during movie breaks. He even made a comedy album with a friend named Ernie Anderson.
Tim Conway's Acting Career
In 1961, a famous actress named Rose Marie saw some of Tim Conway's comedy skits. She was very impressed and helped him move to New York City. There, he got a spot on The Steve Allen Show as a regular performer. He stayed with the show for its whole run.
Tim Conway became well-known for playing Ensign Charles Parker in the 1960s TV show McHale's Navy. In this show, he played a clumsy and innocent officer on a World War II patrol boat. He worked alongside actors like Ernest Borgnine and Joe Flynn. Ernest Borgnine became a close friend and mentor to Conway.
In 1970, Tim Conway had his own TV show called The Tim Conway Show. He starred with Joe Flynn from McHale's Navy. They played owners of a small airline with just one plane. This show was short-lived. Later that year, Conway also had an hour-long variety show called The Tim Conway Comedy Hour, which lasted for 13 weeks.
Starting in 1975, Tim Conway often worked with Don Knotts in family movies made by Disney. These included The Apple Dumpling Gang and its sequel. They also starred in other movies together like The Prize Fighter and The Private Eyes.
From the 1975–76 TV season, Conway became a regular on The Carol Burnett Show. He had been a frequent guest before that. His work on this show was amazing, and he won four Emmy Awards for it. Conway stayed on The Carol Burnett Show until it ended in 1978.
In 1980, Tim Conway got another one-hour variety show, also called The Tim Conway Show. It was similar to The Carol Burnett Show, with many funny skits and a regular cast. In 1983, he starred in a funny detective show called Ace Crawford, Private Eye. In 1990, he hosted Tim Conway's Funny America, where he played pranks on people with hidden cameras.
In the 1980s, Conway created a series of funny "how-to" videos where he played a character named Dorf. All the Dorf films were later put together in a DVD collection.
Tim Conway made many guest appearances on other TV shows. He won another Emmy Award for his role on the show Coach. He also won an Emmy for his guest role as Bucky Bright in the 30 Rock episode "Subway Hero."
He also lent his voice to many cartoon characters. You might have heard him in The Simpsons, Hercules, Lloyd in Space, The Wild Thornberrys, What's New, Scooby-Doo?, The Proud Family, and SpongeBob SquarePants as Barnacle Boy. He also narrated a story on Reading Rainbow.
Starting in 2003, Conway worked with his good friend Don Knotts again. They provided voices for a children's video series called Hermie and Friends. Tim Conway continued working on the series after Knotts passed away in 2006.
Tim Conway's Personal Life
Tim Conway was married twice. His first marriage was to Mary Anne Dalton from 1961 to 1978, and they had six children together. He then married Charlene Fusco on May 18, 1984, and they were married until his death. One of his children, Tim Conway, Jr., is a radio host in Los Angeles. Tim and Charlene lived in Encino, California.
Conway loved thoroughbred horse racing and sometimes owned racehorses. He also helped start and was a leader of the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund, which helps jockeys.
In late 2013, Tim Conway wrote a book about his life called What's So Funny?: My Hilarious Life. It became a best-seller on The New York Times list in its first week.
Tim Conway's Later Years and Death
In 2018, Tim Conway was diagnosed with dementia, a condition that affects memory and thinking. He also had brain surgery around this time and began using a wheelchair. Tim Conway passed away in a care facility in Los Angeles on May 14, 2019, at the age of 85.
Images for kids
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Tim Conway in McHale's Navy in 1963
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Tim Conway, Carol Burnett, and Dick Van Dyke on The Carol Burnett Show in 1977
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The DVD cover for McHale's Navy
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The cover for Dorf's Golf Bible, a comedy film starring Tim Conway
