Tim Behrens comes from an acting family. His dad, Frank Behrens, was a well known radio and TV actor. Frank also wrote material for several comedians, including Tony Randall and Don Knotts.
Tim’s mom was a working actress for 60 years! Her stage name was Amzie Strickland, and if you watched TV from 1955 to 2001, then you’ve seen Amzie. Originally from Oklahoma, Amzie began acting in radio in New York City, and became sought after for comic roles. As radio waned, she moved to Hollywood.
Amzie guest starred on more than 600 TV shows, everything from I Love Lucy to the Andy Griffith Show (Miss Rosemary plus 3 other appearances) to ER. Indeed, her resume reads like a history of television. She also appeared in 15 feature films including Doc Hollywood, Krippendorf’s Tribe and Pretty Woman. Plus, she had feature roles in more than 35 made-for-TV movies and pilots.
Having been raised in a household of two actors, Tim avoided acting like the plague…until some moment of deranged alchemy got him onto the stage for the first time at age 32.
Tim was the managing/artistic director of Centre Theatre Group for 6 years, and the founder (along with his beautiful jazz songstress wife, Leslie Ann Grove) and artistic director of CenterStage and Ella’s Supper Club, all in Spokane, WA. He is currently the Marketing Director and a performer at Rockin’ B Ranch near Liberty Lake, WA, during the summers.
All along, Tim has consistently toured and continues to tour the McManus Comedies, his second love. (Tim’s wife Leslie is his first love, of course.)
Tim and Pat look forward to celebrating 20 years of McManus Comedies in October of 2012! Pat will celebrate by phoning Tim from an easy chair, and Tim will probably be in Winnemucca trying to find the theatre in an early but devastating snow storm.
When not touring, Tim and his wife are avid gardeners, having cultivated several new species of avids.