Early life
Carhart was born Timothy Grunig in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Evanston, Illinois, attending junior and senior high school there. Before committing fully to theater he traveled internationally, spending time in Izmir and Ankara, Turkey, and in Verdun, France. After returning to the United States he studied theater formally, then relocated to Chicago, where he worked as a teacher and began acting in local productions. A move to New York followed, and he secured an agent after appearing in an off-Broadway play.1
Career
Carhart's professional television work began with the NBC miniseries The Awakening Land (1978). Over the following decade he built a reputation as a reliable dramatic actor in both film and on stage. He appeared in Witness (1985), the Harrison Ford thriller, and Sweet Liberty (1986). His stage work during this period was notable: he appeared in Don DeLillo's The Day Room (1987) on Broadway, earning a Drama Desk Award nomination for his performance.1
He landed a starring role in the CBS medical drama Island Son (1989-90), playing Dr. Anthony Metzger. The same year he appeared in Clint Eastwood's Pink Cadillac (1989). His most prominent film role came in Ridley Scott's Thelma & Louise (1991), in which he played Harlan Puckett, the predatory acquaintance whose assault on Thelma triggers the protagonists' fateful road journey. The role required him to anchor one of American cinema's most discussed inciting incidents, and it remains the role for which he is most widely recognized.1
Additional film work through the 1990s included The Hunt for Red October (1990), Red Rock West (1993), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), and Air Force One (1997). He also performed in the 1992 Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, where he played Harold "Mitch" Mitchell.1
On television, guest appearances included Star Trek: The Next Generation, Quantum Leap, and The X-Files (1995). He had a recurring role as Eric Rayburn in the second season of 24 (2002). His most sustained television credit was a recurring role as Eddie Willows in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation across four seasons (2000-2003). Later television work included an appearance in Yellowstone.1
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters (1984)
Carhart plays the Violinist, an unnamed musician who is Dana Barrett's companion. The character appears in Chapter 14 of the film ("Welcome Aboard"), in a scene at Lincoln Center where Dana and the Violinist discuss their reservations about a guest conductor after a rehearsal. Peter Venkman, who encounters Dana outside the fountain area, dismissively calls the man "the Stiff." The Violinist is portrayed as refined and somewhat aloof, and his brief exchange with Dana conveys their quiet mutual respect.
The Violinist does not appear by name in the film itself. In Ghostbusters: The Supernatural Spectacular, the novelization of the first film, the character is given the name Andre Wallance.
Carhart was cast after moving to New York and landing an agent through an off-Broadway production. He was sent to audition with director Ivan Reitman, read a few lines in front of him, and was offered the role on the spot.
Ghostbusters II (1989) and the Oscar question
The Violinist does not appear on screen in Ghostbusters II, but the film raises the question of Oscar's paternity without answering it directly. The connection to the Violinist became part of Ghostbusters lore through several primary sources:
- Sigourney Weaver, on the June 14, 1989 episode of The Arsenio Hall Show, said she believed the Violinist was Oscar's father.
- Producer Joe Medjuck and director Ivan Reitman, on the 1999 Ghostbusters DVD audio commentary, both stated that Oscar's father is the Violinist.
- In July 2016, Reitman revised his position, suggesting Oscar's father was probably Peter Venkman.
The Violinist appears in IDW Comics (Ongoing Series, Volume 1, Issues 8 and 13), keeping the character in the expanded universe canon.
References
Some content on this page was researched using the Ghostbusters Wiki on Fandom.
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Wikipedia, "Timothy Carhart," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Carhart.
