Tim Matheson
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| Tim Matheson | |
 Tim Matheson as Vice President John Hoynes on The West Wing |
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| Birth name | Timothy Lewis Matthieson |
| Born | December 31, 1947 (age 59) Glendale, California |
| Notable roles | Otter, Animal House (1978) Vice President John Hoynes, The West Wing |
Tim Matheson, an American actor, was born Timothy Lewis Matthieson on December 31, 1947, in Glendale, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the smooth talking, sex-obsessed Otter in the 1978 comedy Animal House, but he has had a variety of other well-known roles both before and since.
[edit] Career
As a teenager, Matheson provided the voice of Jonny Quest in the original animated series of the same name as well as the voice of Jace in the original animated series of Space Ghost. During the final season of the TV western Bonanza in 1973, Matheson played Griff King, a parolee who tries to reform his life as a ranch hand at the Ponderosa Ranch under Ben Cartwright's watch. He also played a memorable role as a motorcycle cop, Sweet, in Magnum Force (1973). Matheson also appeared in the TV series My Three Sons and Leave it to Beaver.[1]
Following his high-profile role in the ensemble cast of Animal House, he also starred in the 1984 comedy movie Up the Creek with Animal House co-star Stephen Furst. He later starred in the Chevy Chase comedy Fletch.
Matheson, along with partner Dan Grodnik, bought National Lampoon in 1989 when the magazine was facing financial decline. They were unable to reverse the decline and sold it in 1991.
He went on to act in over a hundred film and television projects. From 1999 until 2003, Matheson had a recurring role as Vice President John Hoynes on The West Wing. In addition to playing Sheriff Matthew Donner in the shortlived Wolf Lake, he has also directed episodes of Third Watch, Ed, The Twilight Zone, Cold Case, Without a Trace, at the end of The West Wing, and Shark.
Matheson appeared in the movie Van Wilder in 2002, playing the father of the title character, who was inspired by his own character in Animal House 24 years earlier; Matheson's character even makes a veiled reference to the fun times he had had at Dartmouth, where the fraternity upon which Animal House is based is rumored to have "had a strong tradition of existence." He also appears in the auto-racing film Redline.
Matheson is married to Megan Murphy Matheson, with whom he has three children. He was previously married to actress Jennifer Leak.
