Megan Timothy
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Megan D'Ewes Timothy (born June 21, 1943)[1] is a Rhodesian-American actress, singer, and writer.
Background edit
The daughter of an architect,[2] Timothy was born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1943. At the age of 16, she began working for the Victoria Times and later pursued a career as a horse trainer.
In 1964, at the age of 21, Timothy relocated to California.[3][4][5] She initially worked as a switchboard operator[6] and later as a waitress at the Playboy Club.[3] She was dismissed from her position at Playboy due to an incident where she unintentionally caused a fire on a patron's beard while trying to light his cigarette and then attempted to extinguish it by throwing water in his face.[4] Following her departure from Playboy, Timothy embarked on a career as an actor and screenwriter.[7]
During the mid-1970s, Timothy acquired La Maida House, a bed and breakfast in North Hollywood, Los Angeles.[8] She successfully operated the establishment until the 1990s.[9] In 1999, Timothy decided to undertake a solo bicycle journey spanning approximately 12,000 miles. She sold her North Hollywood home, car, and several possessions in preparation for the journey. Her travels took her across Western Europe and parts of Africa.[4] In 2003, Timothy experienced a brain aneurysm that resulted in the loss of her ability to speak.[5] Her book Let Me Die Laughing!: Waking from The Nightmare of a Brain Explosion chronicles her injury and the subsequent journey to recovery.
Hiking edit
Timothy spent one year bicycling solo through 23 European nations, including Morocco and Turkey. Timothy circumnavigated the U.S. by bicycle. Timothy drifted down the Mississippi on a homemade craft and canoed down the Amazon, as well as hiked the Macchu Picchu trail in Peru. Timothy also hiked the Camino de Santiago from Paris to Santiago, and Spain, twice. During Timothy's youthful days as a vocalist, she made a trip to Viet Nam with the USO. Timothy lived in England, Costa Rica, Africa, and now Washington State.[10]
Film career edit
In 1967, Timothy made her debut with a credited film role in the Russ Meyer film Good Morning... and Goodbye!.[11] The following year she appeared in Hell's Chosen Few, her first of three films directed by David L. Hewitt.[12] Her second collaboration with Hewitt was The Mighty Gorga in which she portrayed April Adams, a trapper on a mission to locate a 50-foot gorilla.[13] Timothy's final film with Hewitt was The Girls from Thunder Strip,[14] which centered on three bootlegging sisters who confront a gang of bikers.
Filmography edit
| Title | Role | Director | Year | Notes # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good Morning... and Goodbye! | Lottie | Russ Meyer | 1967 | |
| Hells Chosen Few | David L. Hewitt | 1968 | ||
| The Mighty Gorga | April Adams | David L. Hewitt | 1969 | 2nd lead role |
| Charro! | Bit Part | Charles Marquis Warren | 1969 | Uncredited |
| The Girls from Thunder Strip | Jesse | David L. Hewitt | 1970 | |
| The Female Bunch | "Pug" | Al Adamson John 'Bud' Cardos | 1970 | [15][16][17] |
| Chicken | Documentary[18] |
Music edit
During the 1960s, Timothy showcased her folk music talents at various coffee houses and also participated in a USO tour to entertain troops in Vietnam.[4] In February 1967, she had a regular performance schedule at the Rainbow Room in Nashville, Tennessee.[19]
Around 2010, several years after experiencing a stroke, Timothy decided to receive vocal coaching. She received guidance from Michael Rivers. Despite facing challenges due to her brain injury,[20] Timothy released her first CD album four years later. In 2014, she unveiled the album "As I Wander: Songs of Christmas," which featured the vocals of Dan Cobb, the singer-guitarist/producer Rivers, and cellist Marlene Moore.[21]
Recordings edit
- As I Wander: Songs of Christmas
Stroke edit
After the passing of her mother and the loss of her belongings in a fire,[22] Timothy experienced a stroke in September 2003, at the age of 63. The stroke was a result of an arteriovenous malformation and led to severe aphasia,[23] rendering her unable to speak. With no family or financial means to support herself, she became a ward of the state and was temporarily housed in a rehabilitation facility for two weeks. Although the facility was described as a mental hospital in the September/October edition of Stroke Connection magazine, Timothy's friends intervened and secured her release.[24] Prior to the stroke, Timothy did not have medical coverage, but she later became enrolled in a California Medicaid program.[25] A documentary titled "Chicken," which chronicled her stroke and journey, was screened at the Fontaine Auditorium of Samuel Merritt University in Oakland on August 4, 2010.[26]
Publications edit
| Title | Publisher | ISBN | Year | Notes # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Let Me Die Laughing!: Waking from The Nightmare of a Brain Explosion | Crone House Publishing | 9781932905069 | 2006 | |
| 12,000 Miles For Hope's Sake | Crone House Publishing | 9781932905113 | 2009 |
References edit
- ^ RhodieMusic (2015-03-16). "MEGAN TIMOTHY". Rhodie Music. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
- ^ The Tennessean Sunday, March 19, 1967 Page 5 Club Singer Defends Native Rhodesia, Rips British
- ^ a b The Southern Herald April 6, 2006 Page 1 Author's Ride of Meaning by Coyette Stuart
- ^ a b c d Chicago Tribune May 19, 1999 Wild Ride Overseas, Solo Adventurer Is Turning 60 On Biking Odyssey - By Carol Bidwell, Los Angeles Daily News
- ^ a b Hildalgo County Herald Friday March 107, 2006 Author treks across nation promoting literacy
- ^ Wild Beyond Belief!: Interviews with Exploitation Filmmakers of the 1960s and 1970s By Brian Albright Page 202 - 204 The Girl From Thunder Strip, Megan Timothy
- ^ The Times News Sunday, April 23, 2006 2E Timothy signing at Accent on Books
- ^ The Indianapolis Star September 17, 1986 Page 34 - Bed and Breakfast
- ^ Los Angeles Times July 03, 1992 DISCOVERY : All the Comforts of Home - Cindy LaFavre Yorks
- ^ "Megan Timothy: books, biography, latest update". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
- ^ Russ Meyer--The Life and Films by David K. Frasier Page 97
- ^ Wild Beyond Belief!: Interviews with Exploitation Filmmakers of the 1960s and 1970s By Brian Albright Page 202 - 204 - The Girl From Thunder Strip, Megan Timothy
- ^ A Year of Fear: A Day-by-Day Guide to 366 Horror Films By Bryan Senn Page 189 - May 16. The Mighty Gorga
- ^ The Grindhouse Database The Girls from Thunder Strip
- ^ Imdb Megan Timothy
- ^ Rotten Tomatoes The Female Bunch
- ^ Cinema Montreal The Female Bunch
- ^ The Examiner July 28, 2010 - Stroke awareness and special outreach event with Megan Timothy - By Laurel Zien
- ^ The Tennessean Sunday, February 26, 1967 Page 151 At The Rainbow
- ^ Sequim Gazette Nov 24, 2014 Rediscovering her voice by Alana Linderoth
- ^ Peninsula Daily News November 09. 2014 Singer-writer tells of surviving brain injury; will fete CD release in Port Angeles today By Diane Urbani de la Paz
- ^ Virginia Grantier, "In search of confidence", Bismarck Tribune August 12, 2006.
- ^ Rob Ollikainen, "Author coming to Port Angeles to speak about brain injuries", Peninsula Daily News March 20, 2011.
- ^ Jon Caswell, "Let Me Die Laughing"Stroke Connection, September/October 2007, p. 20, Cover Story.
- ^ Long Term Rehabilitation for Stroke and TBI: Building a Community By Beverly Greer ACUTE REHABILITATION--WHO DOES WHAT?, Vocational Therapists ...
- ^ Laurel Zien, Stroke awareness and special outreach event with Megan Timothy], The Examiner July 28, 2010.
External links edit
- Megan Timothy at IMDb
- Out of Africa April 2000 article page 24 - Saddle-sore Megan’s 10,000-mile odyssey
- Youtube: Megan Timothy
- California Library Literacy Services - 26-07-07: Interview with Megan Timothy, Part 1
- California Library Literacy Services - 26-07-07: Interview with Megan Timothy, Part 2, Q&A