Tom Tully

This article is about the film actor. For the graphic artist, see Tom Tully (comic writer).

Tom Tully
Born	Thomas Kane Tulley August 21, 1908(1908-08-21) Durango, Colorado, U.S.
Died	April 27, 1982(1982-04-27) (aged 73) Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1932-1973
Spouse	Frances McHugh (1938 - 1953) Ida Johnson (1954 - April 27, 1982)

Tom Tully (August 21, 1908 – April 27, 1982) was an American actor.

Biography

Born in Durango, Colorado, Thomas Kane Tulley served in the United States Navy, was a private pilot and worked as junior reporter for the Denver Post before going into acting because he felt the pay was better. Tully started out on stage before eventually acting in Hollywood films in 1943. He changed his surname for professional reasons, from Tulley to Tully.

He received an Academy Award nomination for the role of the first commander of the Caine in 1954's The Caine Mutiny, with Humphrey Bogart. From 1954 through 1960, he played the role of Inspector Matt Grebb on the CBS television detective series The Lineup, with co-star Warner Anderson. He made two appearances as Rob Petrie's (Dick Van Dyke) father on The Dick Van Dyke Show in 1964 and 1966.

Later years

Tully's Hollywood film career spanned from the early 1940s until 1973. In November 1969, Tom Tully went to Vietnam for the USO. Tom was on a "handshake tour" that included travel to visit hospitals, radio interviews and flying behind enemy lines (courtesy of the 173rd Airborne Brigade) to visit strategic military outposts like the "Hawks Nest" in the Phum Valley. While in Vietnam entertaining troops, Thomas Tully protracted a filarial worm, similar to the worm that causes elephantiasis. After returning to the U.S. his condition was diagnosed after a blood clot in a major vein in his leg cut off circulation and his leg was amputated very close to the hip. The amputation was performed in Laguna Beach, California close to his home in San Juan Capistrano. Not to be held down, Tully continued his acting in Television dramas like "Mission: Impossible" and The Rookies. His last feature film role was as a crooked gun dealer in Don Siegel's thriller Charley Varrick (1973), with Walter Matthau. His gritty portrayal in a seedy storefront, made more realistic by Tully wheeling around his cramped shop in his wheelchair.

Death

Complications to this surgery caused pleuritis, deafness and serious debilitation. Tully died of cancer on April 27, 1982 in Newport Beach, California, aged 73. His death was due, in great part, to these serious medical conditions. He should be remembered as a patriot who sacrificed his life to entertain our troops in Vietnam. At the time of death, Tom had completed a manuscript about his grandmother and grandfather David F. Day Civil War Medal of Honor winner, newspaper man and owner of The Solid Muldoon in Ouray, Colorado.

Selected filmography

• Destination Tokyo (1943)
• I'll Be Seeing You (1944)
• The Town Went Wild (1944)
• The Virginian (1946)
• Lady in the Lake (1947)
• Blood on the Moon (1948)
• Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948)
• June Bride (1948)
• Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
• Tomahawk (1951)
• The Turning Point (1952)
• The Caine Mutiny (1954)
• Soldier of Fortune (1955)
• Ten North Frederick (1958)
• The Carpetbaggers (1964)
• Coogan's Bluff (1968)
• Charley Varrick (1973)

Hollywood Walk of Fame

Tom Kane Tully has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (which has been misattributed to Thomas Lee Tully) The star (Thomas L Tully) was one of the original group and is located at 6119 Hollywood Boulevard. Tom Tully's birth name was Thomas Kane Tulley. Tom shortened the last name by removing the (e) thus creating his professional name "Tom Tully". Tom did not use his middle name because of its Biblical connotation. This may have contributed to the mistake in the Hollywood Star or just a simple typographical error.

External links

• Tom Tully at the Internet Movie Database
• Tom Tully at the Internet Broadway Database