Tim Daly – Dust in the Wind

PopEntertainment
Oct 5
2 min read

Updated: Oct 7

Tim Daly

Dust in the Wind

By Ronald Sklar

"It's essentially a family story — specifically about a father," says actor Tim Daly of his latest film Dust to Malibu. "It's an interesting, meandering, sometimes funny, sometimes very moving journey about rebuilding a relationship."

In the film, a father (Daly) and his daughter (Alex Sgambati) drive Route 66 from Missouri to Malibu, carrying the ashes of his ex-wife and her mother, fulfilling her wish to rest in the Pacific.

Daly drew partly on his own bond with his adult daughter, Emelyn. "Father–daughter relationships can be beautiful but complicated," he says.

Dust to Malibu is already making waves – it won the Audience Award at the Burbank International Film Festival and heads next to the Woodstock Film Festival.

Daly is no stranger to memorable roles: Joe Hackett on the long-loved NBC sitcom Wings; the voice of Superman in Superman: The Animated Series; Pete Wilder on Private Practice; J.T. Dolan on The Sopranos (earning him an Emmy nod); and Elizabeth McCord's husband on CBS's Madam Secretary alongside real-life partner Téa Leoni.

But film work still feels different. "Seeing myself on the big screen is usually horrifying," he admits, laughing. "This time, I just tried to be rather than act – and I'm proud of what I saw."

Alex Sgambati and Tim Daly in Dust to Malibu

Though acting runs in his family (father James Daly, sister Tyne Daly), Tim says his career path wasn't handed to him. "I arrived in New York clueless about headshots and résumés," he recalls. "You need stubbornness to survive the rejection."

That determination extends beyond the screen. As longtime president of the Creative Coalition, Daly champions arts education and public arts funding.

"Exposure to art makes lives better," he says. "The National Endowment for the Arts funds programs in every congressional district – not just Broadway or Hollywood. I've fought to keep that support alive."

His personal mantra? Simple but powerful: "Kindness and gratitude. They take the edge off everything hard or uncertain."