Growing Up with Tim Conway: A Daughter’s Loving Look at Life with a Comedy Legend
To the world, Tim Conway was a comedy icon — a man of a hundred faces, best remembered for his unforgettable work on The Carol Burnett Show, and beloved characters like the clumsy, lovable “Dorf.” But to his daughter Kelly Conway, he was something far more special: Dad.
In her heartfelt memoir, My Dad’s Funnier Than Your Dad: Growing Up With Tim Conway in the Funniest House in America, Kelly opens the door to a childhood filled with laughter, humility, and unforgettable memories. Raised in the then-rural San Fernando Valley, Kelly describes a home that was anything but “Hollywood.”
A Humble Home in a World of Fame
“My dad was so low-key that I don’t think we realized he was famous until we got older,” Kelly reflects. With roots in Cleveland and Detroit, Tim and his wife Mary raised their children with Midwestern values. “Nobody ever got a car on their 16th birthday,” she says with a smile.
Still, growing up Conway came with perks. Thursdays were magical — dress rehearsals at CBS, mingling with other showbiz kids like the children of Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman. “We’d drop in on the sets of The Sonny & Cher Show and Three’s Company. I had the luckiest, best childhood,” she recalls.
Tim at Home: A Quiet Genius
Despite his on-screen antics, Tim was a thinker at heart. “He spent a lot of time in his den at the typewriter,” Kelly says. “His mind was always writing — always observing the world to find the funny in it.” But he wasn’t just a writer. A skilled carpenter and tailor, Tim built props, costumes, and even furniture for their home, teaching his children how to create with their hands in a workshop out back.
When it came to parenting, Tim happily played the role of the “fun dad.” “He left the discipline to my mom,” Kelly admits. “He’d sneak us out of school for opening day at Santa Anita Park, just before Christmas — and Mom wouldn’t even know!”
Hawaii, Fans, and Family Legacy
One of Tim’s favorite traditions was the annual cast trip to Hawaii with The Carol Burnett Show team. “He loved the Kahala Hotel,” Kelly remembers. “It’s where he seemed the most relaxed.”
And even while spending time with his family, Tim never turned away a fan. “He was exactly who you thought he was — warm, approachable,” Kelly says. “People would compliment us for being well-behaved. My dad would joke, ‘Them? They’re not! They’re wild!’”
Though the world lost Tim Conway in 2019 at age 85, his legacy lives on — not only in the sketches that continue to make generations laugh, but in the loving memories of a daughter who knew him best.
“He had a brilliant, brilliant mind,” Kelly says. “But more than anything, he was a dad who showed us how to laugh, how to build, and how to be kind.”