Tim Daly

As a rule, Timothy Daly hates adventure movies with a passion and avoids them like the plague. Amazing computer-generated images of enormous explosions and ear-splitting sound effects don`t quite make up for the lack of story and character, according to the discerning 44-year-old Hollywood veteran. But there are exceptions to the rule: Daly loved the 1993 feature film version of "The Fugitive" starring Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble and Tommy Lee Jones as U.S. Marshal Philip Gerard.

Executive produced by Arnold Kopelson with Roy Huggins (who created the characters and the 1963-67 series of the same title), the film enthralled the former star of lighter-than-air sitcom "Wings" (1990-97).

"What I really like about `The Fugitive` movie is getting really involved with an ordinary man caught up in extraordinary circumstances - the thing Harrison Ford does supremely well in most of his films," says Daly. "As a doctor, the character has the skills to cure people`s injuries and illnesses, but he isn`t a superhero. This isn`t a former Navy SEAL who can tear your head off with a spoon."

A wily television performer/producer, Daly has scores of tube credits, including the series "Ryan`s Four" (1983) and "Almost Grown" (1988). Tons of miniseries include "Stephen King`s Storm of the Century" (1999) and "From the Earth to the Moon (1998). And he has been seen in such telefilms as "Execution of Justice" (1999) and "In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco" (1993).

Brainy and brought up in the family business, he is the son of actress Hope Newell and actor James Daly ("Medical Center," 1969-76) and little brother of Tyne Daly ("Cagney & Lacey," "Judging Amy").

He learned long ago that a relatively easy way of picking up extra money is to make a series development deal with one of the major U.S. television networks. Already financially secure, he just wanted a good job. Looking for something that would take off like a rocket or crash and burn, Daly spent months yawning behind his desk at his home in Providence, R.I. - only occasionally stepping outside long enough to complete a miniseries such as "A House Divided" (2000) or a telemovie such as "Seven Girlfriends" (1999). Suddenly, he got a whiff of "The Fugitive," a remake of the David Janssen show of the 1960s with a cultlike following.

"When I told my wife (actress Amy Van Nostrand) about it, she said it was the project to go for - if the producers were nice people," Daly says, sipping a glass of icy sparkling water in the posh saloon of a Los Angeles luxury hotel. He convinced executive producer John McNamara that he was the man for the job relatively early on, then gradually won over Arnold Kopelson.

"I think it was a matter of making both realize that I was extremely passionate about the series."

Staying close to the tried-and-true original formula, "The Fugitive" is the most highly anticipated show of the 2000-01 season (premiering Oct. 6; regularly showing Fridays, 8-9 p.m., CBS). Dr. Kimble (Daly) returns to his Chicago home to find his heiress wife bleeding to death on the bedroom floor. A one-armed man (Stephen Lang) armed with a bloodied baseball bat gets away, leaving the hapless physician to be convicted of first-degree murder. Kimble escapes when his prison bus crashes, only to be hounded by police lieutenant Philip Gerard (Mykelti Williamson).

Cable channels are already lined up to take advantage of "The Fugitive`s" great buzz, including TV Land, which is running 48 original episodes - starring Janssen, Barry Morse as Gerard and Bill Raisch as the One-Armed Man (portrayed by Andreas Katsulas in the motion picture-version - prior to the premiere of the new series.

"The only scary thing about this whole project is trying to meet the high expectations," says Daly.

"But with Roy Huggins and Arnold Kopelson around to galvanize our efforts, I don`t see how we can let people down," the dark, clean-cut actor continues. "I also have a personal interest in the show because my father guest-starred on the original show - he did all the great TV series of that era - and it was a big deal. I don`t remember the specific episode, but one of the producers has every segment on (video) tape, and it`s just a matter of time before we find it."

Daly is genuinely excited about "The Fugitive," despite the long hours on the set in far-flung locales. Initial plans call for shooting relatively short scenes in cities and communities all over the country, then taking the footage back to Seattle - which was chosen for its cosmopolitan center that can double for just about any major Eastern city and its proximity to coast lines, mountain ranges and forests. But wherever he happens to be at the time, Daly will be on a plane for home in Rhode Island only minutes after the director yells, "It`s a wrap!" on Friday nights.

"It`s going to be challenging," says the dedicated husband and father of two, "but I`ve gotten smarter over the years about how to shorten the time between (family) visits. The key is never to relax and just do it. And if all of us can`t be together on a weekend for some reason, at least one of the kids comes to me."

He was spared such agony during eight years of doing "Wings," when the family stayed and played together in Los Angeles for nearly nine months during the production season.

"Besides working and making good dough, I was home for dinner every night," says Daly wistfully. "I coached Little League baseball, basketball and soccer. I didn`t miss a thing and thank God for that."

With his 16-year-old son in high school and 10-year-old daughter getting there fast, Daly is not relocating. Particularly as he anticipates occasional holidays and weeks off.

"My favorite thing in the world is to drive my daughter to school," says the shy, soft-spoken actor. "She`s an extraordinary human being, and we have an amazing time in the five minutes it takes us to get there. Philosophical and funny, I learn from her all the time. My son is phenomenal, too. Of course."

Born in New York along with three sisters, Daly got with the acting program after earning a bachelor`s degree in theater and literature at Bennington College in Vermont. Two years later, he received a major break when big sister Tyne got him through the door to audition for director Barry Levinson`s theatrical picture "Diner" (1982) - which also spotlighted Kevin Bacon, Ellen Barkin, Paul Reiser, Steve Guttenberg, Mickey Rourke and Daniel Stern. Now that he and Los Angeles-based Tyne both star in a CBS series, they see each other more frequently than ever.

"I love hanging out with her," says Daly, smiling. "We`ve always been real supportive and fans of each other. And it`s kind of cool that we`re working for the same company at the same time."

(c) Copley News Service

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Author: Eirik Knutzen