A few days ago I read that Tim Conway is suffering from dementia and is 'almost completely unresponsive!' This is heartbreaking to read about a man who was so quick witted! I grew up on classic TV and movies that is why they hold such a special place in my life. I like many was introduced to Tim Conway through his hilarious appearances on The Carol Burnett Show. Whether it was the old man, Mickey Hart with The Family or Mr. Tudball. I early on knew what a comedy genius Tim Conway was.
From there I would discover more of Tim Conway in the navy, McHale's Navy that is, as Ensign Charles Parker alongside Ernest Borgnine in the classic sitcom. For four seasons a young Conway honed his comedy craft and became the comedian we all came to know and love.
In the 70s Disney came calling for Tim Conway and he would make his way to feature films. The World's Greatest Athlete (1973), The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975), Gus (1976), and The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979). He also starred in the 1977 feature film The Billion Dollar Hobo for MGM.
After working together on Disney movies the comedy legends Don Knotts and Tim Conway reunited for two films written by Tim, 1979's The Prize Fighter and 1980's The Private Eyes.
On the mid 80's Tim would create one of his most creative and iconic characters with Dorf. A Scandinavian little person with a Mr. Tudball like accent. He would go on to appear in several videos including; Dorf on golf, Dorf's golf bible, Dorf goes fishing, Dorf and the first games of Mt. Olympus, Dorf on the Diamond and Dorf goes auto racing.
Tim Conway and Harvey Korman have became linked for years as the comedy duo because of their time together on The Carol Burnett Show. They would work together again on the 1986 film The Longshot and later the direct-to-video films Tim and Harvey in The Great Outdoors and Together Again with Tim and Harvey.
Tim Conway would go on to guest star in many Iconic shows later in his career including, Married with Children, Coach, Diagnosis Murder, 30 Rock, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Wizards of Waverly Place, and many more. He would also lend his voice to many shows including Sponge Bob Squarepants, The Simpsons, What's New, Scooby-Doo? just to name a few.
This is just some of the amazing work that Tim Conway has done in his career! To list it all would make this tribute way to long to read!
In 2002, Conway was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. It was a well deserved honor. He is an icon, a legend and has brought so much laughter and thanks to home video, DVD and Blu-ray new generations will be able to discover his comedy!
Our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family at this difficult time!
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