Biography: Tim Abell is a man of contrasts. An exciting and passionate actor, Tim is an expert horseman, a martial artist, a firearms professional, an artistic wood worker and yet possesses an equal expertise on the dance floor whether he is performing the Tango, Cha Cha, Waltz or Swing. This former Army Ranger is able to draw on his diverse blend of skills and experience for his chosen profession.
From t ... show all Tim Abell is a man of contrasts. An exciting and passionate actor, Tim is an expert horseman, a martial artist, a firearms professional, an artistic wood worker and yet possesses an equal expertise on the dance floor whether he is performing the Tango, Cha Cha, Waltz or Swing. This former Army Ranger is able to draw on his diverse blend of skills and experience for his chosen profession.
From the Maryland and Virginia area, as a young man Tim took up martial arts and boxing. He found a respect for wildlife conservation and a love for the land while hunting and fishing with his elders. At the age of 17 Tim joined the Army and owing to outstanding leadership skills was promoted during basic training. He advanced quickly, attending AIT, Airborne School and Ranger School, all at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was assigned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion, Ft. Lewis, Washington, as a US Army Ranger after enduring the Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP).
Gaining further promotions, Tim also achieved a substantial number of awards due to his expertise in many varied fields. During his final year in the Army he served with the 3rd US Infantry, 'The Old Guard', Caisson Platoon. Here he excelled as a horseman and played Robert E. Lee and Andrew Jackson, charging into battle on his trusty steed, in the US Army dramatic re-enactment of the History of the United States Torch Light Tattoo, at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC, and a longer version called 'The Spirit of America' performed in various places.
After five years of active service Tim left the Army to go to College. Once there he was encouraged to join the Arthur Murray Dance Studio and was soon teaching class to support himself through College. It was here that Tim first got involved with the theatre. Just short of graduating he took the decision to leave College and head to Los Angeles where he took classes with Jeff Corey while searching for that all important break. Early on, after a series of low budget films and many theatre projects, Tim was brought in by Casting Director, April Webster, and was chosen by Jerry Bruckheimer to play Benny Ray Riddle, a former USMC Scout/ Sniper and Master Armourer in a team of spec ops experts, in the Simpson/Bruckheimer/ Rysher TV series "Soldier of Fortune, Inc. (1997)". Tim's portrayal of the no nonsense, hard-nosed, flat-topped, tobacco-chewing Southerner was an immediate success. Men loved his intensity, loyalty and skill. He was as dangerous as hell and THE man you would want on your side when things got down and dirty, and the women found him irresistible, courteous to the point of being a gentleman and although divorced, a doting father.
Exuding sexuality, with a wicked dry sense of humour and stunning good looks, Tim balanced sensitivity and being sexy in equal parts. Tim got to make the most of his military experiences during " Soldier of Fortune, Inc." and as Sergeant Gammon in "The Base (1999)". An accomplished performance as the misunderstood, frustrated, fiercely loyal, but ultimately doomed Sergeant, Tim received many great reviews for his performance and was compared to a young Willem Dafoe. Mark Dacascos, who played opposite Tim in 'The Base' was to experience Tim's attention to detail, as hours were spent beforehand perfecting the choreography of the final fight scene to ensure its authenticity. Dacascos and Tim renewed their on screen antagonism in the film of Lisa Gardner's best selling book, 'The Perfect Husband'. Renamed "Instinct to Kill (2001)", many consider this Tim's finest performance to date. He played the psychotic killer Jim Beckett, who escapes from prison and sets out on a killing spree in search of his wife, which ends in a final showdown with Dacascos and Beckett's wife, played by Missy Crider.
A thoughtful insight into the ordinary face of the killer amongst us, 'Instinct to Kill' gave Tim a chance to spread his acting wings with startlingly realistic effect. The film also starred Kadeem Hardison. Much of 'Instinct to Kill' had Tim in one disguise or another, displaying his ability to inhabit and become other characters and master their accents. An ear for languages, throughout 'Strategic Command' he spoke in German and produced a flawless Southern accent for Benny Ray Riddle in 'SOF'. Joining Treat Williams and Angie Everhart in "Substitute 4: Failure is not an Option (2000)", Tim's martial arts expertise was again on show. It was here though that Tim was given the opportunity to show another of his talents, ballroom dancing. A more than accomplished dancer, Tim has taken this particular skill and put it into practice in a number of ballroom dance competitions, from Tango to Salsa to Waltz to Swing to Cha Cha to...
2001 was a very busy year for Tim. He starred in a feature length episode of "Murder, She Wrote (2001) " for CBS. The 'Angela Lansbury' project had Tim playing the jilted lover of actress, Elizabeth Lackey. 'The Last Free Man' was set against the background of the deep South during the Civil War and with a story line that dealt with racism at its most ugly, Tim's performance was sympathetic and understanding of the attitudes prevalent at the time, though quite controversial and archaic by today's standards. Michael Jace, Mack Davis and Phylicia Rashad also starred.
Later that same year Tim appeared in Jason Bloom's award-winning black comedy 'Dead Simple', a.k.a. "Viva Las Nowhere (2000)". The electrifying part was perfectly performed with a fine comedic touch. Starring Daniel Stern, James Caan, Sherry Stringfield and Patricia Richardson, the film won the 2001 New American Cinema Special Jury Prize at the Seattle International Film Festival. It was a movie which Director Jason Bloom could not turn down. "Some of the jokes are very uncomfortable. It's not a 'pleasing' joke. You're kind of guilty for laughing at a guy getting electrocuted. You're (sic) shocked, you're guilty and then you laugh and that kind of uncomfortableness is really interesting to me." The Special Jury agreed and Tim is rightfully proud of his part, which captured the ironic essence of the whole film. Early in 2002 saw Tim cast as the dedicated Intelligence Officer who knowingly passes ambiguous intelligence information to Mel Gibson's character, and then monitors the ensuing carnage from the Saigon war room, via his 'intelligence' over the radio, in the Randall Wallace directed epic war film "We Were Soldiers (2002)" which starred Mel Gibson, Sam Elliott and Greg Kinnear. The remainder of 2002 has seen Tim filming in Europe on different projects.
Whilst much of Tim's work has been in films or on TV, he also has an impressive record on the stage to his credit. Tim has studied at Arena Stage, the Studio Theatre and The Shakespeare Theatre at the Folger in Washington DC. He has appeared in such productions as 'Edward II', 'Bus Stop', 'Romeo and Juliet', as well as many others. Tim has also trodden the boards in Los Angeles with appearances in 'Rocks' at The Room Upstairs, 'Beltway Roulette' at Le Cafe, 'Pearly's' and 'Heavens Den' at The Complex, 'The White Biting Dog' at The Odyssey Theatre, Eddie in Sam Sheppard's 'Fool for Love' at The Power House Theatre, and the very antithesis of that role, Oberon in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Most recently, Tim, played an on the edge 'super-hyper, type A, tweaked' New York Director, dealing with acting styles and prima donnas in 'Method to the Madness' directed by Kevin Kennedy at The Jewel Box Theatre in Los Angeles. hide |
