Tim Matheson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tim Matheson
Matheson in a Bonanza publicity photo, 1972
Born	Timothy Lewis Matthieson (1947-12-31) December 31, 1947 (age 77) Glendale, California, U.S.
Other names	Tim Matthieson (early credits)
Occupation	Actor, director
Years active	1961–present
Spouse(s)	Jennifer Leak ​ ​ (m. 1968; div. 1971)​ Megan Murphy Matheson ​ ​ (m. 1985; div. 2010)​ Elizabeth Marighetto ​ ​ (m. 2018)​
Children	3

Tim Matheson, born Timothy Lewis Matthieson on December 31, 1947, is an American actor and director. He is famous for many roles. These include voicing Jonny Quest in the 1960s cartoon. He also played Eric "Otter" Stratton in the 1978 comedy movie National Lampoon's Animal House. Later, he was Vice President John Hoynes in the TV show The West Wing. This role earned him two Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

Early Life and Beginnings

Tim Matheson was born in Glendale, California. His father, Clifford Matthieson, was a training pilot. His mother was Sally Matthieson. Tim also served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.

He started acting at age 13. In 1961, he appeared as Roddy Miller in the TV show Window on Main Street. He also had roles in Leave It to Beaver and My Three Sons.

Voice Acting Roles

In 1964, Tim became the voice of the main character in the cartoon series Jonny Quest. He also voiced Sinbad Jr. in Sinbad Jr. and his Magic Belt. Another voice role was Jace in Space Ghost.

Early Film and TV Appearances

In 1967, he played Joe Hardy in a TV pilot for The Hardy Boys. This show was based on the popular book series. In 1968, he was Mike Beardsley in the movie Yours, Mine and Ours. This film starred Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda.

Matheson as Jim Horn

In 1969, Tim joined the TV Western The Virginian as Jim Horn. He also appeared in an episode of Adam-12. In 1972, he played Griff King in the final season of Bonanza. Griff was a parolee who worked at the Ponderosa Ranch. In 1973, he played a police officer named Phil Sweet in the movie Magnum Force.

Big Screen Successes

In 1978, Tim was part of the cast of National Lampoon's Animal House. The next year, he worked with John Belushi again in Steven Spielberg's movie 1941. In 1980, he tried out for the role of Indiana Jones. However, Harrison Ford got the part.

Tim appeared in the 1983 film To Be or Not to Be. This movie starred Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft. He also starred in the comedy movies Up the Creek (1984) and Fletch (1985).

Matheson and Bruce Campbell at San Diego Comic-Con, July 22, 2010

In 1989, Tim and his business partner Daniel Grodnik bought National Lampoon magazine. They sold it in 1991.

Later TV and Film Roles

Tim had a recurring role as Vice President John Hoynes on The West Wing. This role earned him two Emmy nominations. In 1996, he played a con man in A Very Brady Sequel. He also appeared in the 2002 film Van Wilder. In this movie, he played the father of the main character. This character was inspired by his own role in Animal House.

Since 2011, Tim has played Dr. Brick Breeland on the show Hart of Dixie. Since 2019, he has starred as Doc Mullins in the Netflix series Virgin River. He also directs episodes of Virgin River.

Directing Work

Besides acting, Tim Matheson is also a director. He has directed episodes for many TV shows. These include Third Watch, Ed, Cold Case, Without a Trace, and The West Wing. He also directed episodes of Psych, White Collar, Criminal Minds, Suits, and Burn Notice. In 2009, he directed the pilot episode of Covert Affairs.

Personal Life

Tim Matheson has been married three times. His first marriage was to actress Jennifer Leak from 1968 to 1971. They met while working on the movie Yours, Mine, and Ours. In 1985, he married Megan Murphy. They had three children together before divorcing in 2010. He married Elizabeth Marighetto in March 2018. They live in Hollywood, California.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theme parks

As director

See also

In Spanish: Tim Matheson para niños