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Timothy Carey

One of the most eccentric characters to ever wind up in Hollywood, tough guy actor Timothy Carey rarely had more than bit roles, yet over the course of his career, he crossed paths with an astonishing number of iconic artistic figures. At 6'4," Carey was cast for his imposing presence, and in uncredited early roles, he roughed up both Marlon Brando and James Dean. Two of his most substantial roles came in the early works of Stanley Kubrick, playing a man who shoots a race horse in Kubrick's 1956 heist drama, "The Killing," and playing a soldier unfairly singled out for execution in Kubrick's '57 anti-war film, "Paths of Glory." He cavorted with Frankie and Annette in two of the '60s "Beach Party" sequels and also appeared in The Monkees' big screen vehicle, "Head." Carey appeared in Elvis Presley's last film as an actor, '69's "Change of Habit." Carey's likeness was amongst the faces gracing the cover artwork of the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" LP, but George Harrison stood in front of his image in the final shot. In the '70s, Carey's most substantial work was in two films by independent director John Cassavetes: '71's "Minnie and Moskowitz" and '76's "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie." Carey died of a stroke in '94, leaving behind only one starring role: as the rocker-turned-preacher in his self-directed '62 satire, "The World's Greatest Sinner," featuring a soundtrack by fellow iconoclast Frank Zappa.