Tim Conway
Associated Press
South side of the 6700 block of Hollywood Boulevard
Tim Conway

Tim Conway

Born Thomas Daniel Conway on Dec. 15, 1933 in Willoughby, OH

Tim Conway had a knack for making Harvey Korman laugh. And Carol Burnett. And just about anyone else who played opposite him in a skit on “The Carol Burnett Show” in the 1960s and '70s. He was, in fact, a comedian's comedian — and audiences laughed too.

Conway, who was born in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, majored in speech and radio at Bowling Green State University. After having worked in Cleveland radio and TV and having a stint on “The Steve Allen Show” in New York, Conway came to prominence as a bumbling ensign in “McHale's Navy” opposite Ernest Borgnine from 1962 to 1966, The next year, “The Carol Burnett Show” premiered with Conway as a frequent guest star. The series, which ran to 1978, redefined his career as he played such characters as the Swedish American Mr. Tudball, but it took a long time for Conway to become a regular.

“All of a sudden in the ninth season of the show, we said, 'Why don't we have Tim on every week?' ” Burnett told The Times in 2010. “He was already on about every other week. It was like ‘duh.' “

“This lady is responsible for my career,” Conway said in response.

Conway, who changed his first name from Thomas to Tim so as to avoid confusion with actor Tom Conway, also had his own short-lived sitcom in 1970, starred in the “Apple Dumpling Gang” movies in the 1970s and made a string of DVDs, starting in the 1980s, as the 4-foot-tall athlete Dorf. He later gained fame with a new generation as the voice of Barnacle Boy on “SpongeBob SquarePants.”

During his career, Conway has won six Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe.

Related stars

Points of interest

Click for more information
     Permalink  Delicious  Digg  Facebook  Twitter

    One thought about Tim Conway

    TIM CONWAY WAS A LARGE PART OF THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW, HE FAR EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS ON THAT SHOW, THERE WASNT A PERSON THERE THAT DIDNT LIKE HIM, HE WAS A CONSUMATE PERFORMER AND INDIVIDUAL THAT GAVE 200% ALL THE TIME

    — BILL LACKNER
    April 7, 2010 at 3:38 p.m.

    Share a thought about Tim Conway

    • Did you ever meet Tim Conway? Share your memory.

    • Which other stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame have connections to Tim Conway?

    • Are other places in the world important to Tim Conway?

    • Does Tim Conway deserve this star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

    :
      Required
    :
      Optional
    :
    Email addresses are not republished or used for marketing purposes.

    Tour the Hollywood Star Walk »

    Or Find a Star in the Database:

    Search a name

    Choose one of our lists

    Advertisement

    Available for iPhone »

    Los Angeles Times iPhone App

    available in the App Store Tour the fam­ous Hol­ly­wood Walk of Fame with an ex­pert.

    Most Connected Stars

    New To The Walk

    Patricia Heaton for TV

    May 22, 2012

    Ellen K for Radio

    May 10, 2012

    John Cusack for Film

    April 24, 2012

    Adam West for TV

    April 5, 2012

    About This Project
    Hollywood Star Walk is the Los Angeles Times’ interactive database of the nearly 2,400 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, chronicling the lives of many of the most influential figures in the entertainment world through more than a century of work in the Times’ archives.
    About the Data Desk

    This page was created by the Data Desk, a team of reporters and Web developers at The Times.