Tim McIntire(1944-1986)

Tim McIntire was a remarkably fine, versatile and underrated actor-composer-singer-songwriter-musician who gave consistently strong, impressive and charismatic performances in both movies and TV shows alike. The son of character actor John McIntire and actress Jeanette Nolan, McIntire was born on July 19, 1944. He was the brother of actress Holly McIntire. McIntire first began acting in plays while attending high school. He worked in gas stations and men's stores in order to finance his early theatrical career. Handsome and husky, with a deep, rich and commanding voice of exceptionally exquisite sonority, McIntire made his film debut as James Stewart's son in Shenandoah (1965). MicIntire was superb in a rare substantial starring part as passionate pioneering '50s rock -'n'-roll disc jockey Alan Freed in the hugely enjoyable American Hot Wax (1978). McIntire's other notable movie roles include a raucous party hearty college student in The Sterile Cuckoo (1969), an illegal cross-country car race participant in the funny The Gumball Rally (1976), a wild-man cop in The Choirboys (1977), a shrewd top con in the offbeat prison drama Fast-Walking (1982), and a rugged mountain man in Sacred Ground (1983). McIntire supplied the deliciously dry, growly and sardonic voice of the cruel and cunning canine Blood in the terrific post-nuke sci-fi cult classic A Boy and His Dog (1975). McIntire also composed the score for the picture and even sings the catchy ending-credits theme song. McIntire also composed the scores for The Killer Inside Me (1976), Win, Place or Steal (1974), Kid Blue (1973), and Jeremiah Johnson (1972) (McIntire beautifully sings the lovely folk ballad which plays during the ending credits). Among the TV shows McIntire did guest spots on are Harry O (1973), Soap (1977) (the voice of the Devil), Kung Fu (1972), The F.B.I. (1965), Ghost Story (1972), The New Perry Mason (1973), Bonanza (1959), All in the Family (1971), The Fugitive (1963), Gunsmoke (1955), Lassie (1954), Ben Casey (1961), and Wagon Train (1957). Outside of acting, McIntire did voice-overs for numerous TV commercials and was a prolific studio session musician. Alas, Tim McIntire had problems with drug addiction and alcoholism which led to his untimely death from heart failure at the tragically young age of 41 on April 15, 1986.