Sac History Happenings: In History's Spotlight: Timothy Busfield

Sac History Happenings

News and developments in Sacramento and California history

April 3, 2011

In History's Spotlight: Timothy Busfield

Born: June 12, 1957

Known for: Emmy-winning actor Timothy Busfield founded the Fantasy Theatre in Sacramento and with his older brother, Buck, the B Street Theatre. He has appeared in more than 40 films, including "Field of Dreams," and 20 television shows, including most recently "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." He has directed many plays and more than 50 TV episodes.

Background: A Lansing, Mich., native, Busfield attended East Tennessee State University. His early film roles included "Stripes" and "Revenge of the Nerds," along with television roles in "The Paper Chase" and "Trapper John, M.D." In 1986, he created Fantasy Theatre, a touring group that performs for 200,000 students annually in Northern California. In 1991, he and Buck opened the B Street Theatre, where he has appeared in and directed numerous contemporary works. The theater has premiered original or West Coast productions by Aaron Sorkin, Kenneth Lonergan and other noted playwrights.

A highlight: Timothy Busfield has been nominated four times for television's Emmy Award, winning in 1991 for his work in "thirtysomething."

In History's Spotlight profiles of Sacramento newsmakers were published originally in 2007 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of The Sacramento Bee. They were written by Anthony Sorci. Look for them every Sunday in Sac History Happenings.

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California and Sacramento have a long, rich, vibrant history. And our region is blessed with an abundance of historical resources maintained by museums, libraries, archives and societies. This blog aims to alert readers to the latest developments in local/state historical education and research.

Send tips concerning upcoming exhibits, tours, lectures and meetings, as well as new books, magazine articles and online collections to the blog's contributors.

The Contributors:

Michael Dolgushkin

Michael Dolgushkin is Manuscript Librarian at the California State Library History Section. He is co-author of San Francisco's California Street Cable Cars and is a frequent contributor to the California State Library Foundation Bulletin. Contact him at mdolgushkin@library.ca.gov.

Amanda Graham is a Certified Archivist working in the Sacramento Room of the Sacramento Public Library. She earned a BS in History from Southern Oregon University and a MS in Information Studies with an emphasis in archives from The University of Texas at Austin. Contact her at agraham@saclibrary.org.

Pete Basofin is Director of Editorial Research at The Sacramento Bee. He previously worked at The St. Petersburg Times and Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune. Contact him at pbasofin@sacbee.com.

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