Tim Conway (born December 15, 1933, in Willoughby, Ohio) is an American comedic actor. Conway was born Thomas Daniel Conway, but changed his first name to "Tim" to avoid confusion with actor Tom Conway. He was born in the Cleveland, Ohio suburb Willoughby and grew up in nearby Chagrin Falls. He attended Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, majoring in speech and radio. After graduating, he joined the Army, following which he took a job answering mail for a Cleveland radio station, where he went on to become a writer in the promotional department. He later worked with Cleveland broadcasting legend Ernie Anderson on WKYC TV and WJW TV and recorded a comedy album with Anderson. Tim Conway is Roman Catholic.
Conway gained a national following from his appearance in the 1960s sitcom McHale's Navy. Afterwards, he starred in a string of series. 1967's Rango starred Conway as an incompetent Texas Ranger. In the 1970s, The Tim Conway Show paired Tim with Joe Flynn of McHale's Navy in a sitcom set in the confined set of a DC-3. Having "nowhere to run", this pressurized situation was ideal for the fast repartee of the lead actors. Tim got his own hour-long variety show, oddly named "The Tim Conway Razzle Dazzle Hour," which, as his other series had, folded quickly. Typical of his self-effacing humor, he ordered his car's license plate to reflect the usual duration of a Conway TV series: "13 WEEKS."
He was often paired with fellow funnyman Don Knotts in family films from Disney, including the popular The Apple Dumpling Gang series.
In 1983, he starred in Ace Crawford, Private Eye, a parody of detective shows; it only lasted five episodes.
Conway most recently created a Collector's Edition DVD of new comedy sketches with friend, Harvey Korman; titled, "Together Again" (2006), available on his official Web site.
The Tim Conway Comedy Hour was a variety and sketch comedy show broadcast in the United States by CBS as part of its 1970 fall lineup.
The Tim Conway Comedy Hour was one of several attempts to develop a starring vehicle for Tim Conway, who had been very popular as a sidekick in McHale's Navy and in several Disney films but who had never had much success in developing an audience for programming in which he was the main star (see Rango).
This program was no different. Despite Conway's best efforts, and those of the Nelson Riddle Orchestra and cast members such as Sally Struthers (soon to go on to fairly major stardom in the important supporting role of Gloria Bunker on the hit sitcom All in the Family, this program was cancelled after 13 weeks (a fate which was to befall Conway so frequently that at one point TV Guide ran a picture of his car sporting a California vanity license plate reading "13 WKS").
First name was changed to Tim to avoid confusion with Tom Conway (I)
Comedienne Rose Marie (I) discovered him and arranged for him to audition for "Steve Allen Show, The" (1956). He so impressed Allen that Conway wound up with a regular spot on the show.
Has been called "the best second-banana in the business".
He became notorious on "Carol Burnett Show, The" (1967) for making the cast members - especially co-star Harvey Korman - break up with laughter during taping, while he remained in character. Unlike most shows, these bits were usually left in the routines when the episodes were aired.
His car's license plate reads "13 WKS", a reference to the fact that all of his solo television projects have been cancelled after 13 weeks.
Father of Tim Conway Jr. and Kelly Conway (I).
Earned a degree in television and radio from Bowling Green State University.
He is a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity
Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith. Pg. 115-116. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387
(2004) Named a Disney Legend.
Is of Irish descent on his father's side.
Was local TV comedy team partner with Ernie Anderson (father of director Paul Thomas Anderson) until Conway moved away from Cleveland.
