Tim Daly
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Biography
A stage-trained performer who hailed from an acting family which included father James Daly and sister Tyne Daly, actor Tim Daly came into his own as one of the stars of the long-running sitcom "Wings" (NBC, 1990-97). Prior to his turn as the button-downed Joe Hackett, Daly had an auspicious beginning with a starring role in Barry Levinson's directorial debut, "Diner" (1982), only to find himself languishing in numerous made-for-televisions movies and failed series. But "Wings" finally allowed the actor to breakthrough and find an audience, which helped open the doors to more prominent small screen projects like in "In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco" (NBC, 1993), "Witness to the Execution" (NBC, 1994) and "From the Earth to the Moon" (HBO, 1998). Though prominent on television, Daly struggled to find his footing, though he delivered solid performances in "The Object of My Affection" (1998) and "Seven Girlfriends" (2000). But television proved to be the best fit for Daly, who found a home with stints on "The Sopranos" (HBO, 1999-2007) and "Private Practice" (ABC, 2007-13), while still holding out hope for equal success on the big screen.
Born on March 1, 1956 in Suffren, NY, Daly was raised in a performing household by his father, James Daly, an actor who was a regular on "Medical Center" (CBS, 1969-1976), and his mother, Hope Daly, also an actress. Adding to his later desire to follow in his parent's footsteps was his sister, Tyne Daly, of "Cagney & Lacey" (CBS, 1982-88) fame, who was ten years his senior and on her way to becoming a professional actor before he was even in the first grade. Just like his sister, Daly performed alongside his father as a child, appearing in a production of Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People. After beginning to take acting more seriously at The Putney School, he began performing in summer stock productions like "Fifth of July" (1981) and Sam Shepard's "Buried Child" (1981), while studying theater and literature at Bennington College in Vermont. Upon his graduation, Daly spent a couple of seasons at the Trinity Square Repertory in Providence, R.I., where he met his wife, actress Amy Von Nostrand. The two married in 1982, which happened to be the same year Daly made his feature debut as the best man for his old pal (Steve Guttenberg) in Barry Levinson's acclaimed coming-of-age dramedy, "Diner" (1982).
Soon thereafter, Daly moved to New York City, where he made his off-Broadway debut in "Fables for Friends" (1984). After appearing on the short-lived series "Ryan's Four" (ABC, 1983) and in the television movie "I Married a Centerfold" (NBC, 1984), he had a small role in "Just the Way You Are" (1984) before making his Broadway debut as Annette Bening's love interest in Tina Howe's "Coastal Disturbances" (1986). Despite this promising beginning, he had little luck in subsequent films. A small role in Alan Rudolph's off-beat "Made in Heaven" (1987) came next, which was followed by his first starring role in the unimpressive horror fantasy "Spellbinder" (1988). After appearing in the large cast of the four-part miniseries "I'll Take Manhattan" (CBS, 1987), Daly starred in the politically-charged, made-for-television movie "Red Earth, White Earth" (CBS, 1989). He appeared in the barely-watched sitcom "Almost Grown" (CBS, 1988-89) and logged an episode of "Midnight Caller" (NBC, 1988-1991) before his starring turn in the forgettable comedy "Love or Money?" (1990), in which he played a yuppie struggling to choose between a lucrative real estate deal and an affair with the boss' daughter.
Just when it looked as though his career had stalled, Daly landed a starring role on what turned out to be the hit sitcom, "Wings" (NBC, 1990-97). On the show, he was one of two brothers (the other played by Steven Weber) who own a fledgling commuter airline in Nantucket that is staffed by an eccentric and rather opinionated group (including Crystal Bernard, Thomas Hayden Church and Tony Shalhoub). Daly co-starred as amiable pilot Joe Hackett alongside Weber's prankish ne'er-do-well Brian Hackett. Portraying the naive, obsessive character allowed Daly the opportunity to polish his comic skills, and his down-to-earth appeal helped to round out the eccentric ensemble cast and helped the show remain alive for so long. While the show was a ratings winner, Daly maintained a film career that was lukewarm at best. He was the rugged lead in Peter Yates' little-seen adventure "Year of the Comet" (1992) and starred in two notable flops, the erotic thriller "Caroline at Midnight" (1993) and the dubious comedy "Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde" (1995), with Sean Young as his alter ego. The actor fared slightly better in the indie comedy "Denise Calls Up" (1995), and had a few good moments as Whoopi Goldberg's smarmy co-worker in "The Associate" (1996).
During his eight-season run on "Wings," Daly had better luck with small screen movies, delivering impressive turns as cult leader David Koresh in "In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco" (NBC, 1993) and as a death-row convict in the anti-death penalty drama "Witness to the Execution" (NBC, 1994). He was later featured as astronaut Jim Lovell in the acclaimed miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon" (HBO, 1998), while also voicing Clark Kent/Superman for the animated series "Superman" (CBS, 1996-99). After "Wings" went off the air, Daly continued trying with features, adding added charm to the role of Dr. Robert Joely, the arrogant boyfriend of Paul Rudd's nice guy lead opposite Jennifer Aniston in the skewed romantic comedy "The Object of My Affection" (1998). He next executive produced the fact-based drama "Execution of Justice" (Showtime, 1999), in which he starred as homicidal San Francisco politician Dan White, a conservative who assassinated Mayor George Moscone (Stephen Young) and groundbreaking openly gay Supervisor Harvey Milk (Peter Coyote). Meanwhile, he capably played a perennial bachelor who ultimately seeks out his many former girlfriends for dating advice in the independent comedy "Seven Girlfriends" (2000).
After the event miniseries "Stephen King's Storm of the Century" (ABC, 1999), Daly returned to series television as Dr Richard Kimble, the titular man on the run in the remake series "The Fugitive" (CBS, 2000-01). Exhibiting his physical capabilities for action sequences while earning the crucial sympathy of the audience, Daly proved a good choice to play the wrongly accused escaped convict, though the series failed to survive past its first season. He next played Charles Dubose, an attorney who helps the daughter (Jennifer Beals) of a slave mother and plantation owner father (Sam Waterston) get her rightful inheritance in the drama "A House Divided" (Showtime, 2000). Following a brief return to features with an appearance in the critically-maligned military thriller "Basic" (2003), Daly logged an episode of "Judging Amy" (CBS, 1999-2005), which co-starred sister Tyne Daly as the widowed mother of the titular Amy (Amy Brenneman). He next played a sports journalist in the boxing-themed "Against the Ropes" (2004), before earning an Emmy Award nomination in 2007 for playing the TV writer friend of Christopher (Michael Imperioli) on "The Sopranos" (HBO, 1999-2007). Daly laded the leading role of Detective Nick Cavanaugh on the short-lived series "The Nine" (ABC, 2006), before guest-starring on a two-hour episode of "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC, 2005- ), which set-up the spinoff show "The Practice" (ABC, 2007- ). Daly's role carried over to the series, on which he played Dr. Peter Wilder, a practitioner of alternative medicine who engages in an on-again, off-again romance with Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh).
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Producer (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1982
Made feature acting debut in Barry Levinson's "Diner"
1983
TV series debut, ABC's "Ryan's Four"
1984
TV-movie debut in "I Married a Centerfold" (NBC)
1986
Starred in the original and Broadway productions of "Coastal Disturbances" with Annette Bening
1986
Co-starred in an adaptation of Peter Parnell's off-Broadway play "The Rise and Rise of Daniel Rocket"; aired on PBS as a presentation of "American Playhouse"
1987
Featured in the CBS miniseries "I'll Take Manhattan"
1988
Cast as a regular on the CBS series "Almost Grown"
1989
Featured in the CBS TV-movie "Red Earth, White Earth"
1990
Played pilot Joe Hackett, who ran a commuter airline in Nantucket with his more laid-back brother Brian (Steven Weber) on the NBC sitcom "Wings"
1993
Played cult leader David Koresh in TV-movie "In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco" (NBC)
1993
Co-starred in the CBS miniseries "Queen," based on Alex Haley's novel
1994
Cast as a condemned man in the controversial NBC TV-movie "Witness to the Execution"
1996
Provided the voice of Clark Kent/Superman on the animated series "Superman" (The WB)
1996
Featured in the Whoopi Goldberg vehicle "The Associate"
1997
With J. Todd Harris, formed Daly-Harris Productions (date approximate)
1998
Played supporting role in the romantic comedy "The Object of My Affection"
1998
Played real-life Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell in the HBO miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon"
1999
Executive produced and starred in the Showtime movie "Execution of Justice"
1999
Starred in the ABC miniseries "Stephen King's Storm of the Century"
2000
Delivered pivotal role as the lawyer helping a biracial woman win her claim from the estate of her late plantation owner father in the Showtime movie "A House Divided"
2000
Landed lead role in the independent comedy "Seven Girlfriends"
2000
Played Dr. Richard Kimble in the CBS fall series remake of "The Fugitive"
2003
Appeared with John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in "Basic"
2003
Guest starred on "Judging Amy," the CBS drama, which starred his sister Tyne Daly
2004
Played a sports journalist in "Against the Ropes," a fictional story inspired by the famous female boxing promoter Jackie Kallen
2004
Appeared in season four and five of the HBO mob drama "The Sopranos" as a TV writer friend of Christopher's (Michael Imperioli) from drug rehab; earned an Emmy nomination in 2007 for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
2006
Cast as officer Nick Cavanaugh on the ABC series "The Nine"
2007
Cast as Dr. Pete Wilder, the alternative medicine specialist on the "Grey's Anatomy" spin-off "Private Practice" (ABC)
2007
Guest starred on a special two-hour episode of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" to set up spin-off series "Private Practice"
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