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| Tim as a Cylon, circa 1978 |
He lettered in football, basketball and baseball. But
while at the University of F lGainesville .
Over the next several years, he completed his studies, did a two-year Army
stint in Vietnam , worked a
variety of jobs — and chased his dream of being in movies and TV shows by
moving to Hollywood .
In 1976, he got his start as an extra in “Two Minute Warning.”
His IMDB.com listing doesn’t tell the whole story of
his experiences (many of which, due to the names involved and the activities
they got up to, you’ll have to ask him about yourself). But the highlights are
there: acting and/or stunts on two “Captain America ”
telefilms in 1979, “Hart to Hart,” “WKRP in Cincinnati ,” “The Love Boat,” “Bob Newhart” and
many more. He was in the finale of “Cheers,” and regularly played a Cylon on
the 1978-79 “Battle starGa lactica,” an MP on “Baa
Baa Blacksheep,” and a SWAT team member on “Hill St
“It’s been fun,” he said. “It’s anybody’s dream:
today, you’re a Cylon, tomorrow you’re a cowboy, next week a gangster in 1935.
As kids, we played all these kinds of things. Now you can be something
different every day.”
On the big screen, Tim appeared as one of Ricardo Mo ntMont alban,
in his early 60s when the movie was made, was all muscle.
“He worked out and worked out,” Tim said. Pointing
at a photo of him and Mont alban
in their movie costumes, he added, “That was all him. He was one solid guy.”
Culbertson also worked on “An Eye for an Eye,” “To
Live and Die in L.A. ,”
“The Man Who Loved Women,” “Cheech and Chong's Next Movie” and “Cannery Row.”
He was a Roman soldier in “History of the World Part 1” and claims Madeline Khan
was pointing at him when she hit her high note (“Yesss!”) while choosing
escorts.
“I’ve become friends with a variety of people with big
names over the years,” he said, mentioning Henry Winkler and Tom Hanks as two
of the “nicest, most genuine guys in the world.” He also praised Cindy Williams
and James Garner, but he was careful not to resort to name-dropping. He had
photos with nearly every one of these people while on sets.
As a background actor, much of his work went
uncredited, but you’ll recognize his face from role to role — at least,
whenever he’s not wearing a mask or body-doubling for other actors. For
instance: “I was the real father of (Chicken George) on ‘Roots,’” he revealed,
as he doubled for Chu ck Connors in a violent
scene Connors was reluctant to play.
Tim also appeared in numerous TV and print ads for products
like Salem
cigarettes, Schlitz beer and more. He joked with Tom Selleck that there would
have been no “Magnum, P.I.” if Salem
hadn’t let Selleck go and hired him.
Tim’s adventures have taken him across the globe,
with stories of fishing the Aleutian Island s, attempting a climb of Mount
E vTabletop Mo untainNew York State
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| Tim Culbertson, April 2014 |
Accompanied by his cat, Miss April, Tim is in the
area to look at real estate, both for a home and for investment. He’s also
looking up old friends and revisiting old haunts, remarking that the older he
gets, the more important those ties become.
“I’m always thinking about getting a couple of Cuba ns at Tally-Ho,”
he said, even as he finished a sandwich at the Captain’s Table. “I have nev er not stopped by —
got to get my Tally-Ho fix.”
He’s also looking for a way to contribute locally by
supporting area charities, as he has in years past with celebrity golf events:
“You try to give back, to find a way to make some money to help people who
don’t have the means. … I’m a Christian person, and I believe what I’ve been
doing — especially in the last ten years — is more or less God-directed,” he
said.
Peace.
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