Tim O'Kelly

Tim O'Kelly (variously O'Kelley; born Timothy Patrick Wright,^[1] March 12, 1941 – January 4, 1990) was an American actor best known for playing the sniper in Peter Bogdanovich's film Targets (1968).

Tim O'Kelly
O'Kelly in Targets (1968)
Born	Timothy Patrick Wright (1941-03-12)March 12, 1941 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	January 4, 1990(1990-01-04) (aged 48) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1965–1970

Career

O'Kelly first gained attention as a stage actor with the Santa Monica Group Theater.^[2][3][4] He later served as a director and acting coach with the group.^[5][6] Among the stage productions he appeared in was Peter Shaffer's The Private Ear/The Public Eye.^[7] Much of his television work was in Western series such as The Monroes,^[8] Cimarron Strip,^[9] The Big Valley,^[10] and The Guns of Will Sonnett,^[11] although he also made appearances in Batman.^[12][13] O'Kelly also played Detective Danny "Danno" Williams in the pilot episode of Hawaii Five-O, but was replaced by James MacArthur after a preview audience found O'Kelly "too young" for the part.^[14][15]

His one major film appearance was opposite Boris Karloff in Peter Bogdanovich's directorial debut Targets (1968), in which he played the spree killer Bobby Thompson, a character loosely based on Texas tower sniper Charles Whitman.^[16] His final confirmed acting role was the 1970 film The Grasshopper (as the boyfriend of Jacqueline Bisset's character),^[17] after which he faded from the public eye.

Personal life

O'Kelly was the son of Maurice Wayne Wright and Billie Jo Chew.^[1][18][19] He had a brief marriage to actress Evelyn Rudie, whom he married in 1968.^[1][20] Vital records indicate he died of cardiomyopathy in Los Angeles on January 4, 1990, aged 48.^[19][21][22]

Partial filmography

• For Pete's Sake (1966)
• The Big Valley (1966) - Will Marvin
• Gunsmoke (1966) - Sandy
• Cimarron Strip (1967) - Episode 3: Broken Wing - Jing McQueen
• Targets (1968) - Bobby Thompson
• Hawaii Five-O (1968) - Danny
• The Grasshopper (1970) - Eddie Molina

Notes