Megan D'Ewes Timothy (born June 21, 1943)[1] is a Rhodesian-American actress, singer, and writer.
Background
The daughter of an architect,[2] Timothy was born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1943. At the age of 16, she began working for the Victoria Times and later pursued a career as a horse trainer.
In 1964, at the age of 21, Timothy relocated to California.[3][4][5] She initially worked as a switchboard operator[6] and later as a waitress at the Playboy Club.[3] She was dismissed from her position at Playboy due to an incident where she unintentionally caused a fire on a patron's beard while trying to light his cigarette and then attempted to extinguish it by throwing water in his face.[4] Following her departure from Playboy, Timothy embarked on a career as an actor and screenwriter.[7]
During the mid-1970s, Timothy acquired La Maida House, a bed and breakfast in North Hollywood, Los Angeles.[8] She successfully operated the establishment until the 1990s.[9] In 1999, Timothy decided to undertake a solo bicycle journey spanning approximately 12,000 miles. She sold her North Hollywood home, car, and several possessions in preparation for the journey. Her travels took her across Western Europe and parts of Africa.[4] In 2003, Timothy experienced a brain aneurysm that resulted in the loss of her ability to speak.[5] Her book Let Me Die Laughing!: Waking from The Nightmare of a Brain Explosion chronicles her injury and the subsequent journey to recovery.
Hiking
Timothy spent one year bicycling solo through 23 European nations, including Morocco and Turkey. Timothy circumnavigated the U.S. by bicycle. Timothy drifted down the Mississippi on a homemade craft and canoed down the Amazon, as well as hiked the Macchu Picchu trail in Peru. Timothy also hiked the Camino de Santiago from Paris to Santiago, and Spain, twice. During Timothy's youthful days as a vocalist, she made a trip to Viet Nam with the USO. Timothy lived in England, Costa Rica, Africa, and now Washington State.[10]
Film career
In 1967, Timothy made her debut with a credited film role in the Russ Meyer film Good Morning... and Goodbye!.[11] The following year she appeared in Hell's Chosen Few, her first of three films directed by David L. Hewitt.[12] Her second collaboration with Hewitt was The Mighty Gorga in which she portrayed April Adams, a trapper on a mission to locate a 50-foot gorilla.[13] Timothy's final film with Hewitt was The Girls from Thunder Strip,[14] which centered on three bootlegging sisters who confront a gang of bikers.
During the 1960s, Timothy showcased her folk music talents at various coffee houses and also participated in a USO tour to entertain troops in Vietnam.[4] In February 1967, she had a regular performance schedule at the Rainbow Room in Nashville, Tennessee.[19]
Around 2010, several years after experiencing a stroke, Timothy decided to receive vocal coaching. She received guidance from Michael Rivers. Despite facing challenges due to her brain injury,[20] Timothy released her first CD album four years later. In 2014, she unveiled the album "As I Wander: Songs of Christmas," which featured the vocals of Dan Cobb, the singer-guitarist/producer Rivers, and cellist Marlene Moore.[21]
Recordings
As I Wander: Songs of Christmas
Stroke
After the death of her mother and the loss of her belongings in a fire,[22] Timothy experienced a stroke in September 2003, at the age of 63. The stroke was a result of an arteriovenous malformation and led to severe aphasia,[23] rendering her unable to speak. With no family or financial means to support herself, she became a ward of the state and was temporarily housed in a rehabilitation facility for two weeks.[24] Prior to the stroke, Timothy did not have medical coverage, but she later became enrolled in a California Medicaid program.[25] A documentary titled "Chicken," which chronicled her stroke and journey, was screened at the Fontaine Auditorium of Samuel Merritt University in Oakland on August 4, 2010.[26]
Publications
List
Title
Publisher
ISBN
Year
Notes #
Let Me Die Laughing!: Waking from The Nightmare of a Brain Explosion
