Tim Truman (Sunset Beach)
Encyclopedia
Tim Truman was a fictional character
in the American
soap opera
Sunset Beach
, portrayed by American
actor
Dax Griffin
from January 6, 1997 to November 15, 1999. He returned to play his character in the final episode as a part of Meg's dream. He was, however, on contract during the entire series.
In episode 1, Meg Cummings
' was about to marry Tim, but it was clear she was having second thoughts due to her involvement with SB on the internet. Her mother Joan seemed to support the idea that Meg was settling for an easy, predictable life. In the church, Meg found Tim making out with her best friend, Connie. Meg escaped to 'Sunset Beach' to find SB. Tim, who decided to continue fighting for Meg, followed her to 'Sunset Beach', where he desperately tried to win her over by helping Annie Douglas to break off Meg and Ben, a new couple. However, eventually, their plan failed. Tim and Annie developed feelings for one another, but it was unclear whether or not it went beyond physical attraction for Tim. By the end of the Kansas debacle in the late 100 episodes, Annie seemed to be quietly smitten, but Tim's inability to let go of Meg prevented any further relationship.
Tim worked as a chauffeur for the Richards family, with a covert assignment to spy on Gregory's children. Gregory described him as "someone who knows how to keep his mouth shut" (episode 30). In episode 35, Caitlin Richards seduced Tim in the back of the limo in an attempt to lose her virginity. At first, Tim refused, but succumbed to Caitlin's advances, which she then revoked when she realized she was still in love with Cole. Before Tim's return to Kansas, he and Caitlin shared a playful kiss that Cole reacted to with jealousy. He realized that Tim was the man Caitlin "almost made love to" and told Caitlin: "A guy like that doesn't know how to be just friends."
At the end of 1997, Tim was one of the survivors of the Terror Island storyline. When under the influence of the drug-laced soup, Tim's worst fear was Meg's face covered in blood. When Mark Wolper, one of the series regulars, was killed off by Derek Evans
, Ben Evans
' evil twin, Tim was the one who heard Mark's final words: "It was Ben." However, nobody believed him. Tim left Derek with the only telltale sign that distinguished him from his twin—a knife scar on his calf, which Derek covered with prosthetic skin. Some weeks later, Tim wanted to prove that Ben was the killer and eventually followed him (Derek, thinking it was Ben) to his warehouse after Caitlin and Cole's wedding. They fought, and Derek tried to kill Tim by pushing him off a scaffolding.
Tim survived the fall, but was severely injured—notably with a broken jaw that prevented him from speaking. Derek (appearing to be an Evil Ben at the time) snuck into his room at South Bay and smothered him with a pillow, bringing about a coma. Tim was in coma for a long time, and moved to Cedar Oaks. Dax Griffin reported: "I thought after I stirred up a little trouble in Sunset Beach, it might be the end of my character right off the bat. And I was worried when I was in a coma for a month. But the producers reassured me everything would be fine." (SOD magazine, "Dax-terity", 6/9/98)
It was later discovered Derek was behind the entire thing. In the summer of 1998, when Tim realized that Ben was innocent, he confided in Sara: "Deep down, I guess I never thought I was good enough for Meg. It's almost like I had to prove that. To myself...Meg...everyone." (episode 371)
When Tim was recovering in the Cedar Oaks facility, a mysterious amnesia patient began to accost him in his room. Her name was Dana and she had no memory of her past—but Tim slowly realized it was the presumed-dead Maria Torres Evans. When Meg and Ben were meant to finally tie the knot, Tim plotted with Annie to reveal Ben's ex-wife with great fanfare and ruin the wedding. This ended up going even better than they'd planned—Maria walked into the reception and caught Meg's bouquet, shocking everyone. This wasn't without consequence—Gregory fired Tim as a result of his scheming.
From time to time, Tim comforted Meg, but she never fell for him again. They shared a brief kiss in episode 161—when Meg was trying to forget the pain of the cave-in incident—during which Tim persuaded her to "go ahead and use me, Meg." They kissed again upon their return to Kansas, but Meg was distressed by his assumption that they were getting back together.
In 1998-1999, Tim tried to manipulate Sara Cummings's insecurities about Casey in order to break up Ben and Meg once again. He taunted her with the notion that Casey was going to leave her for Meg if Sara didn't help reunite Meg and Tim. When Sara agreed to "sell her soul to the devil," (episode 513) she helped Tim hatch a plan to get him alone with Meg in Palm Springs while Ben was with Maria. When this plan backfired, Tim repeatedly blackmailed Sara, threatening to go to Casey with everything. He used Sara to get a job as a busboy at the Shockwave, to prevent losing ties to the Cummings family.
In 1999, Tim romanced Tess Marin, a person who came to Sunset Beach with Benjy Evans, Ben's and Maria's son. Tim's intention at first was to pump the nanny for information about the Ben/Meg/Maria battle, but he grew to like Tess genuinely. As a result, in episode 588, Tim stood up to Meg and declared he was over her for the first time. Tim blindly believed everything that Tess said, but things were much different than he thought. She claimed that she had a promissory note from Maria—a million dollars in exchange for breaking up Ben and Meg. Tess used sex and the looming possibility of the money to make Tim do her bidding. Tess was actually working with Derek Evans, who turned out to be alive. Benjy was actually Tess' son. While trying to warn Meg about Derek's return, Tim was killed. Derek strangled him in the Surf Central living room on October 30, and Tim returned a few episodes later to taunt Tess, who was feeling guilty for his murder. Tim eventually left Tess alone on November 15. In the very last episode, Meg had a dream and Tim was involved in it too. Dax Griffin, the character portrayer, agreed to return as a part of her fantasy.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Sunset Beach
Sunset Beach (TV series)
Sunset Beach was an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on January 6, 1997, and last airing on December 31, 1999. The show followed the loves and lives of the people living in a fictional coastal city named Sunset Beach, on the coast of California...
, portrayed by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Dax Griffin
Dax Griffin
-Career:Griffin is known for his role as Tim Truman on the NBC serial Sunset Beach from January 1997 until November 1999. He had one more appearance in the series finale in a dream sequence. He also played assistant district attorney Justin McCoy on All My Children in 2003.Griffin joined the cast...
from January 6, 1997 to November 15, 1999. He returned to play his character in the final episode as a part of Meg's dream. He was, however, on contract during the entire series.
Character history
Tim's Kansas backstory was vague and seemed to be altered at times for storyline purposes. In a background check performed by Gregory Richards, it was revealed that he was a college athlete involved in many activities. However, later episodes in the 500's and 600's allude to him being "not smart" and having little ambition. After the Ben/Meg cave-in, Meg talked about Tim's mother "making him carry a handkerchief to school everyday"--which seemed to indicate a well-mannered upbringing. However, in the mid-400 range of episodes, his family was described as "alcoholics" who neglected and abused him, and the Cummings were the "closest thing to a family he ever had." A more consistent element of his backstory was a lifelong devotion to Meg, "since kindergarten." In much of 1997-98, he was portrayed as having redeeming qualities. As the show progressed, he became more of a one-note, intolerable character that few people wanted anything to do with.In episode 1, Meg Cummings
Meg Cummings
Meg Cummings is a fictional character from the US NBC soap opera Sunset Beach, played by Susan Ward. Meg was the serial's main protagonist throughout the whole run. Sydney Penny temporarily took over the role while Ward was filming for the film The In Crowd.-Character development:Susan Ward was...
' was about to marry Tim, but it was clear she was having second thoughts due to her involvement with SB on the internet. Her mother Joan seemed to support the idea that Meg was settling for an easy, predictable life. In the church, Meg found Tim making out with her best friend, Connie. Meg escaped to 'Sunset Beach' to find SB. Tim, who decided to continue fighting for Meg, followed her to 'Sunset Beach', where he desperately tried to win her over by helping Annie Douglas to break off Meg and Ben, a new couple. However, eventually, their plan failed. Tim and Annie developed feelings for one another, but it was unclear whether or not it went beyond physical attraction for Tim. By the end of the Kansas debacle in the late 100 episodes, Annie seemed to be quietly smitten, but Tim's inability to let go of Meg prevented any further relationship.
Tim worked as a chauffeur for the Richards family, with a covert assignment to spy on Gregory's children. Gregory described him as "someone who knows how to keep his mouth shut" (episode 30). In episode 35, Caitlin Richards seduced Tim in the back of the limo in an attempt to lose her virginity. At first, Tim refused, but succumbed to Caitlin's advances, which she then revoked when she realized she was still in love with Cole. Before Tim's return to Kansas, he and Caitlin shared a playful kiss that Cole reacted to with jealousy. He realized that Tim was the man Caitlin "almost made love to" and told Caitlin: "A guy like that doesn't know how to be just friends."
At the end of 1997, Tim was one of the survivors of the Terror Island storyline. When under the influence of the drug-laced soup, Tim's worst fear was Meg's face covered in blood. When Mark Wolper, one of the series regulars, was killed off by Derek Evans
Derek Evans (TV character)
Derek Evans was a fictional character on the American soap opera Sunset Beach portrayed by actor Clive Robertson, who also portrayed his identical twin brother Ben. Derek first appeared on December 30, 1997, when he was played by a stunt performer in a mask, being the killer on the boat...
, Ben Evans
Ben Evans (TV character)
Ben Evans was a fictional character in the US soap opera Sunset Beach portrayed by actor Clive Robertson during the show's entire run.-Character history:...
' evil twin, Tim was the one who heard Mark's final words: "It was Ben." However, nobody believed him. Tim left Derek with the only telltale sign that distinguished him from his twin—a knife scar on his calf, which Derek covered with prosthetic skin. Some weeks later, Tim wanted to prove that Ben was the killer and eventually followed him (Derek, thinking it was Ben) to his warehouse after Caitlin and Cole's wedding. They fought, and Derek tried to kill Tim by pushing him off a scaffolding.
Tim survived the fall, but was severely injured—notably with a broken jaw that prevented him from speaking. Derek (appearing to be an Evil Ben at the time) snuck into his room at South Bay and smothered him with a pillow, bringing about a coma. Tim was in coma for a long time, and moved to Cedar Oaks. Dax Griffin reported: "I thought after I stirred up a little trouble in Sunset Beach, it might be the end of my character right off the bat. And I was worried when I was in a coma for a month. But the producers reassured me everything would be fine." (SOD magazine, "Dax-terity", 6/9/98)
It was later discovered Derek was behind the entire thing. In the summer of 1998, when Tim realized that Ben was innocent, he confided in Sara: "Deep down, I guess I never thought I was good enough for Meg. It's almost like I had to prove that. To myself...Meg...everyone." (episode 371)
When Tim was recovering in the Cedar Oaks facility, a mysterious amnesia patient began to accost him in his room. Her name was Dana and she had no memory of her past—but Tim slowly realized it was the presumed-dead Maria Torres Evans. When Meg and Ben were meant to finally tie the knot, Tim plotted with Annie to reveal Ben's ex-wife with great fanfare and ruin the wedding. This ended up going even better than they'd planned—Maria walked into the reception and caught Meg's bouquet, shocking everyone. This wasn't without consequence—Gregory fired Tim as a result of his scheming.
From time to time, Tim comforted Meg, but she never fell for him again. They shared a brief kiss in episode 161—when Meg was trying to forget the pain of the cave-in incident—during which Tim persuaded her to "go ahead and use me, Meg." They kissed again upon their return to Kansas, but Meg was distressed by his assumption that they were getting back together.
In 1998-1999, Tim tried to manipulate Sara Cummings's insecurities about Casey in order to break up Ben and Meg once again. He taunted her with the notion that Casey was going to leave her for Meg if Sara didn't help reunite Meg and Tim. When Sara agreed to "sell her soul to the devil," (episode 513) she helped Tim hatch a plan to get him alone with Meg in Palm Springs while Ben was with Maria. When this plan backfired, Tim repeatedly blackmailed Sara, threatening to go to Casey with everything. He used Sara to get a job as a busboy at the Shockwave, to prevent losing ties to the Cummings family.
In 1999, Tim romanced Tess Marin, a person who came to Sunset Beach with Benjy Evans, Ben's and Maria's son. Tim's intention at first was to pump the nanny for information about the Ben/Meg/Maria battle, but he grew to like Tess genuinely. As a result, in episode 588, Tim stood up to Meg and declared he was over her for the first time. Tim blindly believed everything that Tess said, but things were much different than he thought. She claimed that she had a promissory note from Maria—a million dollars in exchange for breaking up Ben and Meg. Tess used sex and the looming possibility of the money to make Tim do her bidding. Tess was actually working with Derek Evans, who turned out to be alive. Benjy was actually Tess' son. While trying to warn Meg about Derek's return, Tim was killed. Derek strangled him in the Surf Central living room on October 30, and Tim returned a few episodes later to taunt Tess, who was feeling guilty for his murder. Tim eventually left Tess alone on November 15. In the very last episode, Meg had a dream and Tim was involved in it too. Dax Griffin, the character portrayer, agreed to return as a part of her fantasy.