Who is Roy Thinnes? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Stephanie Batailler (m. 2005), Barbara Ainslee (m. 1962 - div. 1967), Katherine Smythe (m. 1987 - div. 2001), Lynn Loring (m. 1967 - div. 1984)

children: Casey Thinnes, Christopher Dylan Thinnes

Born Country: United States

Actors American Men

Height: 5'10" (178 cm), 5'10" Males

City: Chicago, Illinois

Notable Alumni: Los Angeles City College

U.S. State: Illinois

More Facts

education: Los Angeles City College

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Childhood & Early Life

Roy Thinnes was born on April 6, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois, United States, into a German-origin family. During his youth, he wanted to become either a doctor or a football player. He served a hitch in the US Army as a Military Policeman.

He initially began working at a radio station where he did everything: engineering, DJ shows, news and dramatizations, which sparked his interest in acting. After leaving army, he moved to California and attended Los Angeles City College before becoming an actor.

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Career

In 1957, Roy Thinnes made his professional acting debut as a teen-aged firebug in the unsold pilot for the television series 'Chicago 2-1-2', which was later included into the anthology series 'Cavalcade of America'. The next few years, he often did odds jobs due to lack of roles.

He got his first primetime role in an episode of 'The Untouchables' in 1962. The following year, he bagged his first regular television role, that of Phil Brewer, on the daytime soap opera 'General Hospital', which he portrayed until 1965.

In 1965-66, he starred as Ben Quick in the short-lived ABC series 'The Long Hot Summer', which made him so popular that he received around 1500 letters each week from female fans. He also graced the cover of an issue of the bi-weekly magazine 'TV Guide' in 1966.

He bagged the lead role of architect David Vincent in the sci-fi series 'The Invaders' in 1967, in which his character witnesses the arrival of aliens from another planet and attempts to stop them. The series became a cult classic and spawned several other alien-focused films and television shows.

In 1969, he starred in the British science-fiction film 'Doppelgänger', and the following year, he was cast in another short-lived series, 'The Psychiatrist', in the lead role of Dr. James Whitman. He subsequently acted in the British-American film 'Charley One-Eye' and the disaster films 'Airport 1975' and 'The Hindenburg', apart from several telefilms.

In 1979, he appeared as Capt. Dana Holmes in the three-part miniseries 'From Here to Eternity', and the following year, reprised the role in the spin-off series of the same name. He appeared as Nick Hogan in 20 episodes of the CBS soap opera 'Falcon Crest' in 1982-83 and as series regular Alex Smith in ABC's 'One Life to Live' in 1984-85.

He had a recurring role in '1st & Ten' in 1987 and appeared in the pilot episode of 'Law & Order' the next year, even though he missed the actual series due to scheduling conflicts. In 1988, he starred in the slasher film 'Rush Week' and played a main role in the series 'Dark Shadows' in 1991.

In 1992, he returned to 'One Life to Live' as a series regular, even though he played a different role this time. He also returned as a much older David Vincent in the 1995 miniseries 'The Invaders'.

He appeared as Jeremiah Smith in three episodes of 'The X-Files' in 1996-2001, and continued to make guest appearances on several other TV shows. At the turn of the century, he acted in films like 'A Beautiful Mind' and 'Broken English'.

Family & Personal Life

Roy Thinnes was married to Barbara Edna Ainslee from 1962 to 1967, and they had one child together.

He married actress Lynn Loring on May 28, 1967, and fathered two children, Christopher Dylan Thinnes and Casey Thinnes. The marriage ended in a divorce in 1984.

In 1985, he married a woman named Katherine Smythe, with whom he had two more children. However, his third marriage also ended in divorce in 2001.

He is currently married to film editor Stephanie Batailler since 2005.

Trivia

Roy Thinnes was cast in Alfred Hitchcock's final film 'Family Plot' as nefarious jeweler Arthur Adamson after the director found his first choice William Devane busy. However, as Devane suddenly became available, Hitchcock unceremoniously fired Thinnes without explanation, which resulted in a public confrontation between the two in a crowded restaurant.

Roy Thinnes Biography