Timothy Busfield has had a non-stop career as an actor and director. He first came on the small screen as a regular on Trapper John, MD. He followed that show with long stints on the acclaimed television programs thirtysomething and West Wing. In between, Busfield hit the big screen in over 30 films, including Revenge of the Nerds and Field of Dreams.

Busfield was born in Lansing, Michigan, and made the Midwest his home much of his life.

It certainly hasn’t hurt his blossoming career in directing as well as acting.

Timothy Busfield sat down at the Field of Dreams 25^th Anniversary Celebration to talk about why he completely left California behind to live in Howell, Michigan, and how he told now wife, actress Melissa Gilbert, that she’d have to learn to love the Midwest.

Marcia Frost: What does it mean to you to do a movie in the Midwest vs. a Hollywood film?
Timothy Busfield: I’m a Midwesterner. My wife and I live in Michigan. I’ve never really lived in LA. I’m not an LA type of person. I’ve lived there when I’m working there. The only time I sort of lived there and didn’t work there was for a few months after I shot Revenge of the Nerds and didn’t have anything going on. I said, ‘I never want to do this again.’

I wasn’t really working in LA, even though I had a place down there where my kids graduated from Malibu High. I was only in LA when I had to work there, so for me, I made Sacramento my home, which felt very Midwestern and not Hollywood, and then I’ve lived now in the Midwest for a few years.

My wife loves it and I love it.

There are those people who knew me before I was famous, and there’s the altered view of me after I was famous. We feel more safe and comfortable with those who have known us forever because they treat you that way. That’s always been the Midwest for me.

MF: Where in Michigan are you?
TB: I’m in Howell, Michigan.  I was living on a house on a lake, and I met my wife, Melissa Gilbert, and I said, ‘there’s good news and maybe bad news, I don’t know. The good news is, I’m really into you. I totally think you’re the coolest woman of all time, but I live in Michigan.‘

She said, ‘Well, let me go there.’  And, we went over Christmas and she fell in love with it. Then Michael, her son, and now my son, loved it and he’s going to school there. We made the move. I couldn’t be happier there. It’s just really great.”

MF: Where exactly is Howell?
TB: It’s between Lansing and Detroit. It’s about 35 miles east of Lansing and about 40 miles west of Detroit. I wanted to be between the two so I could get to the airport in 45 minutes and get to all my greatest friends in 45 minutes.

MF: What is your favorite part of living there?
TB: The change of seasons. The elements change and allow you a chance to reboot. My fear of melanomas has gone down.

MF: When you are looking to go out for an evening, what are your favorite places in Howell?
TB: We like to walk downtown. We live in a little town of 9,000 people with restaurants we like. We like Diamond’s Steakhouse and we like Mexicali Allies for Mexican food. We go to the local Coney Dog for breakfast and there are spots that are tried and true. We can go in and grab a steak and a glass of wine.

We can walk downtown and nobody bothers us. We live in an 1890 restored Victorian in the sort of downtown grid where most of the houses are from another time. It’s just special for us. I’m now in Wilmington, North Carolina, producing a show, and I just rented us a house down there.

She finishes a play in Pennsylvania, Steel Magnolias, and now she’s driving up. It broke all the box office records at the Totem Pole Playhouse and she was just brilliant in it and got great reviews. Now, she’s on her way to Michigan and gets to spend two weeks at home. I’m jealous.

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