Tim Matheson is an American actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his portrayals of the smooth-talking Eric "Otter" Stratton in the comedy filmNational Lampoon's Animal House and of Vice PresidentJohn Hoynes in the NBC drama The West Wing, which earned him 2 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Matheson has had a variety of other well-known roles, including providing the original voice of the lead character in the animated series Jonny Quest 1964–1965, and for playing President Ronald Reagan in a television film adaptation of the 2015 novel Killing Reagan that premiered on October 16, 2016 on the National Geographic Channel.
Career
At age 13, Matheson appeared as Roddy Miller in Robert Young'sCBS nostalgia comedy series Window on Main Street during the 1961–1962 television season. In the 1962–1963 season he appeared in two episodes of Leave It to Beaver, cast as Mike Harmon, a friend of Beaver. In 1964, he provided the voice of the lead character in the animated series Jonny Quest. He also supplied the voices of Sinbad Jr. the Sailor in the 1960s Hanna-Barbera animated series Sinbad Jr. and his Magic Belt and Jace in the original animated series Space Ghost. In addition, he played the role of the oldest son, Mike Beardsley, in the film Yours, Mine and Ours, which starred Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda. In 1969, Matheson joined the cast of NBC's television westernThe Virginian in the eighth season as Jim Horn. He had a guest role in the 14th episode of the second season of Night Gallery, in the story "Logoda's Heads". In the final season of the television westernBonanza in 1972–1973, Matheson played Griff King, a parolee who tries to reform his life as a worker at the Ponderosa Ranch under Ben Cartwright's tutelage. He portrayed a young motorcycle cop, Phil Sweet, in the film Magnum Force. Matheson also appeared earlier in the CBS situation comedyMy Three Sons. In 1975, he guest starred in CBS's short-lived family drama Three for the Road. In 1976, Matheson appeared with Kurt Russell in the 15-episode NBC series The Quest, the story of two young men in the American West seeking the whereabouts of their sister, a captive of the Cheyenne. In 1978, he co-starred in National Lampoon's Animal House opposite John Belushi; the following year, he appeared opposite Belushi again in Steven Spielberg's 1941. In 1980 he auditioned for the role of Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, for which Harrison Ford won the part. Matheson appeared in the film To Be or Not to Be starring Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft. He and Catherine Hicks played Rick and Amanda Tucker, who operate a detective agency in Laurel Canyon in CBS' Tucker's Witch, which aired during the 1982–1983 season. Then Matheson starred in the comedy filmsUp the Creek and Fletch. In 1989, he starred in the short-lived sitcom Nikki and Alexander produced by Reinhold Weege. Matheson, along with business partner Dan Grodnik, bought National Lampoon in 1989. The partners sold the Company in 1991. He also had a recurring role as Vice President John Hoynes on The West Wing. His work on The West Wing earned him two Primetime Emmy award nominations. In addition to playing Sheriff Matthew Donner in the short-lived Wolf Lake, he has directed episodes of Third Watch, Ed, The Twilight Zone, Cold Case, Without a Trace, The West Wing, Psych, The Good Guys, Shark, White Collar, Criminal Minds, Suits and Burn Notice. In 1996, Matheson took on the role of a con man who claims to be Carol Brady's thought-to-be-dead husband in A Very Brady Sequel. He appeared in the movie Van Wilder, playing the father of the title character, who was inspired by his own character in Animal House; 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 rumored to have "had a strong tradition of existence". He appeared in the auto-racing film Redline. He also appeared in a Volkswagen commercial in 2008. In 2009, Matheson directed the pilot episode of Covert Affairs, premiered on USA Network in 2010. Matheson also directed the pilot episodes of The Good Guys for the Fox Network, Criminal Behavior for Lifetime, and Wild Card for USA Network. He played Dr. Brick Breeland on Hart of Dixie from 2011 to 2015.
Personal life
Matheson was born in Glendale, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, the son of Sally and Clifford Matthieson, a training pilot. In 2010, he was divorced from Megan Murphy Matheson after a 25-year marriage and three children. He was previously married for three years to actress Jennifer Leak, whom he met on the set of Yours, Mine, and Ours. Matheson served a tour of duty in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. He speaks fluent French. He currently lives in Hollywood, California, with Elizabeth Marighetto. The two were married in March 2018.
