William Tynan

William (Bill) Tynan Jr. November 25, 1930 - May 2, 2016 William (Bill) Tynan, Jr. , age 85, died in his home in North Hollywood, California on May 2, 2016. Born in Los Angeles on November 25, 1930 to William Tynan and Aletha (Fletcher) Tynan, he is survived by his sister Anne Tynan Cross of San Jose, CA; niece Aletha Anne Kornacher of Aptos, CA and nephews -Todd Alan Murray of San Jose, CA and William Scott Murray of Sonoma, CA. Although fiercely independent, William (Red Dog) Tynan was cherished and loved by his decades-long close friends - including Jack Nicholson, John Hackett, Annie Marshall, Tom M., Helena Kallianiotes, Ellen Blake and his friend and loyal assistant, Marianne Brown - among others too numerous to mention. William was a lifelong adventurer and an extravagant story-teller. Intending to see the world, he enlisted in the Army after graduating from Alexander Hamilton High School in 1949 and spent the next three years in Europe during the Korean War as part of the 7796 Signal Photo Company. There he earned a reputation as a top photojournalist and became one of General Eisenhower's personal photographers during Eisenhower's time as head of NATO. After the Army, an Army friend, Don Iwerks, assisted in getting William recruited to the camera department at Disney Studios. His technical skills and wide ranging talents set him on a path to a successful future at Disney. He also worked in camera departments at MGM, Technicolor and Delux. William was a member of SAG on and off from 1957. He appeared in several 1950's television series, including "Navy Log" as one of the sailors and in several Court TV shows - "A Day in Court", "Divorce Court" and "Night Court" - and the movie "I Buried the Living". While in the camera department at Disney he also worked for Mark 7 Television Production on "Dragnet", performed in Disney plays and was a member of the Shakespeare Club. He was personally hired by Walt Disney to do voice-overs for Disney Productions. William was also dialogue director in "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." in the early 60's and in 1989 did parts for Jack Nicholson in westerns set in Utah and in "The Two Jakes". Despite his promising start at Disney, William wasn't interested in the prospect of doing the same thing every day. He rebelled against the idea of doing what many of his friends were doing: getting married, having kids and moving to the San Fernando Valley. William dreamed of a grand adventure: walking totally on foot from Los Angeles to Mexico City. The more that he was told it was impossible, the more he was determined to do it. So in 1958 he embarked on a 7 month, 2,500 mile journey with a companion named Bill Bates. William documented this adventure with his Rolleicord camera, capturing compelling images of the journey and the Mexican people. "The Walk from Los Angeles to Mexico City" was the first of many trips William made to the Yucatan and Central America, including the ancient city of Tikal in the Guatemalan rainforest, where he photographed Mayan hieroglyphs and other artifacts. William was honored as a member of the elite Adventurer's Club on January 21, 1960; he subsequently carried the Club's flag into the Yucatan on several visits to Mexico. Photographs from this adventure of a lifetime were among the few things that survived a total loss fire at William's home in the Hollywood Hills on September 9, 2011. He presented these photographs of the "Walk from Los Angeles to Mexico City, 1958-59" in several outstanding exhibits across the Los Angeles area. In February 2015 William's photographs were displayed by curator Lisa Ames of Art Meets Architecture at the Fine Arts Building in downtown Los Angeles. In July 2015 the photos, also curated by Lisa Ames, were shown to a record 3,000 visitors at the Historic El Pueblo National Monument in the Pico House. A third show was held at the Conejo Valley Art Museum in Thousand Oaks in October 2015. "The Walk from Los Angeles to Mexico City, 1958-59" is also mid-production for a documentary called "Red Dog and Bates" produced by Xochi Blymyer. This soon to be released film, as well as future memorial exhibits of William's photographic work in Mexico and California are planned to continue William's legacy. For friends and family a Memorial/Celebration of Life is planned for mid July. For information email Marianne Brown at [email protected]