Timothy Bottoms was the eldest of four siblings, born on August 30, 1951, in Santa Barbara, California, to James "Bud" Bottoms, a sculptor and high school art teacher, and his wife Betty. As the children of an artistic family, Timothy and his brothers were encouraged to express themselves creatively from a young age.
Timothy's interest in performing began during his preschool years, and he went on to join the Youth Theater Productions at school. In 1967, he toured Europe with the Santa Barbara Madrigal Society, which further solidified his aspirations to become an actor.
After high school, Timothy was spotted by Universal and chosen for a lead role in director Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun (1971). His performance earned him excellent reviews and a Golden Globe nomination as "Most Promising Newcomer."
Timothy's breakout role came when he was cast as Sonny, the aimless Texas-boy in Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show (1971). The film became a critical and commercial success, making full-fledged stars of Timothy, Jeff Bridges, and Cybill Shepherd.
The early 1970s were a time of great personal accomplishments for Timothy in film. He appeared in a string of successful films, including Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing (1973),The Paper Chase (1973),The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder (1974),and Rollercoaster (1977).
However, as the decade progressed, Timothy's film career began to decline. He struggled to find roles that matched his earlier success and eventually shifted to television to secure more challenging parts.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Timothy continued to work steadily, appearing in a range of films and television shows. He also made appearances on popular series such as "The Governor's Wife," "Grey's Anatomy," "Private Practice," and "The Bridge."
In the 2000s, Timothy experienced a brief resurgence in popularity thanks to his uncanny impersonation of President George W. Bush in the comedy series "That's My Bush!" (2001). He went on to appear in a range of films, including The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (2002),DC 9/11: Time of Crisis (2003),and Shanghai Kiss (2007).
Timothy has been married twice, first to folk singer Alicia Cory from 1975 to 1978, and then to Marcia Morehart since 1984. He has four children and divides his time between his acting work and his love of training wild horses at his two ranches near Big Sur, California.
Today, Timothy continues to work in film and television, appearing in a range of projects, including the dramedy Welcome to the Men's Group (2016),the horror opus The Shed (2019),and the adventure thriller Tar (2020).
