"His enormous drive comes partly from his fighting ancestry and partly from his discovery of Greek mythology." Tar was born to Alice Mary and John Doyle Barnes at St. Anthony's Hospital in Amarillo, Texas on April 14, 1940 at 7:35 a.m. His parents named him Howard Kenneth -- a name Tar rejected as soon as his mind was able to think! The middle child and only son, he has two sisters, Neva and Shelley. When he was 9, his family moved to a 1000 acre cattle and horse ranch, east, north and south of Rattlesnake Hill (the highest point in the front range to the mountains of Pikes Peak) between Colorado Springs and Black Forest, Colorado. Years later, Tar would be awarded one foot of Pikes Peak and made an Honorary Citizen Of The State Of Colorado for life. Fans would get Tar this honor in Nebraska and other states. "I saw a lot of life there on the ranch. I saw my father work hard and never have very much for all the sweat he spilled." He then became engrossed in Greek mythology. He loves Greek literature. "I love old Greek tales of heroes and superhumans and gods." While attending St. Mary's High School in Colorado Springs, he became a top athlete, becoming first rate in javelin and discus throwing, boxing, football and weight lifting. When he and a schoolmate wanted to go on to a third year of Mechanical Drawing and there was none, their teacher suggested they produce a large number of drawings and he'd present them to the school board. So they did and the board accepted them and a third year was created. (Click here to view one of Tar's designs). He was class president in his junior year, winning because of these lines in his speech: "I am the horse and you are my legs. Both of us together can succeed at anything we want to do." Life changed for him at 18 when his father sold his herd of Black Angus cattle. With ranch life changing -- he was riding a car instead of a horse -- he got involved in car racing and converted a 1934 Plymouth into a hot rod. Adventure and excitement were typical of living for Tar. During his youth he was constantly being reckless and daring. He raced motorcycles and hot rods on back country roads, and swam in snake-infested ponds. These were regarded as more than just adventures by many of Tar's friends. They looked upon him as a fearless nut at times. "I guess," he said, "it's the thrill of getting as close as you can to oblivion and coming back in one piece and alive that gets me." His parents were always trying to keep him home, safe from his own recklessness. At 19, after spending one year at Colorado State University and Air Force ROTC, he decided to leave school and become a commercial pilot. The Air Force wouldn't let him be a pilot because his vision wasn't 20/20, so John Doyle, Tar's father, drove him to Tulsa, Oklahoma to The Spartan School of Aeronautics. They were shocked to learn he needed $3,600. for the course. They returned to the ranch and Tar then worked at a variety of jobs in order to be able to go to that flying school. One of the jobs he worked at was as a high-fashion hair designer. Amazingly, though he simply planned to use the job as a means to earn money, he became so accomplished and successful, he won the MASTERS National Championship trophy, the state of Colorado Parade of Units and was voted in as youngest president of Unit 4 (Colorado) of the N.H.C.A. (National Hairdressers and Cosmetologists Association). He had thirteen models with thirteen different high color toners and thirteen different high fashion hairstyles. The last of these models was Maria Elena whom Tar married. And on January 19, 1963, Achilles was born to them. It was a tempestuous year and their relationship suffered mainly because of Tar's father's death ten days before the birth of Achilles. It was also during this time that he had to abandon his plans to become a pilot. "I like the name Tar... beats Wid... beats Howie." Tar first considered acting when his father died. In his grief, he yelled at a nurse and later saw James Dean yell at a nurse in "East Of Eden" on TV during "James Dean Week". During that "James Dean Week", 8 years after Dean's death, Tar saw each of the films shown at least three times. He was entranced with Dean, and he then started to read everything he could about Dean and about acting. In one story he read that Dean had studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Tar boldly told his friends he could become an actor because he'd yelled at a nurse in the hospital just like Dean did. They bet him fifty grand he wouldn't have a contract in his hands ten years after the death of James Dean. They decided he needed a stage name... a "hot" name. The beer poured, the minds rattled. Someone yelled "asphalt". Someone yelled back, "that's a girl's name." Tar looked the word up in the dictionary... "a tar-like substance... for paving..." Tar Diomedes and Tar Diamond were names under consideration. (Diomedes was the King of Thrace in ancient days who had immortal horses that would eat his enemies). Tar Diamon was the name decided on and a wire was sent to The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. Tar too late learned Dean had never studied at AADA, but rather "hung out" at Actor's Studio, though learned Dean never studied there either. Dean was "a natural". Despite his family's discouragement, Tar sold his hot rod and went to New York. He had never tried to act in his life except for a high school production but he was accepted into the academy. Untried as he was, he was soon labeled the rebel. Seeking fame and fortune rather than acting experience, he challenged the teachers of the drama school. But still, some of the top names in the theatre took notice. His performance in "The Prodigal Son" won him his second year at AADA and a scholarship. One famous director said... "He's got that rare and wonderful gift. A mystique. A charisma." "I've got to fight for everything I want. Maybe I won't win friends... But I won't lose any battles with my own self-respect." Tar received his contract September 30, 1965 from Mirisch-Rich Television -- ten years after the death of James Dean. And the pilot for Rat Patrol was shot October 11, 1965 near Yuma, Arizona and Cinema 100 in Hollywood. This all happened for Tar in a three month period. He had been on Broadway in "On The Town" (Gabe's dream sequence), "The Wizzard Of Oz" (Children's Theatre) and "The Rainmaker" (Neighborhood Playhouse), which he took around New York auditioning. It was from this audition that he got hired for Rat Patrol. He did the screen test as Tar Diamon, but Henry Wilson was hired by producers to change his name to Justin Tarr. In 1966, Rat Patrol went to Almeria, Spain, on location for the first batch of films. Although he wasn't a stunt driver, it's Tar's spectacular jeep jump stunt (shown twice) at the beginning of the show, that became the show's trademark. In a recent interview, Larry Casey explained, "That was Tar and Chris in the intro with Tar doing the real jump. They duplicated his jump. I always thought that shot sold the show." Tar quickly became known as somewhat difficult. "I know I've been called a troublemaker," he concedes. "But I am not really that. I talk a lot, but I think I know what I'm saying. When a thing is not right, I don't just accept it. I'm not passive." He would often rewrite his lines, and the director would say, "No, you did it wrong." Then Tar would make the same "mistake" again. After three or four times, the director would give up and leave Tar's version in, or cut out the scene entirely. Despite the difficulties, he enjoyed working on Rat Patrol. He said, "Chris George and I work very well together. He's great to work with. I look him right in the eyes when we work together. I know just what he's thinking and he knows just what I'm thinking." "I knew we'd have a great series from the very first day." (I wonder if he realized, we'd still be enjoying the show 40 years later!) Information taken from TV Picture Show, 1967, TV Radio Show, 1968, Larry Casey Interview 2002, And many thanks to Tar's family (Achilles, Shelley and Nefertari) for their contributions! |
Biography |
"His enormous drive comes partly from his fighting ancestry and partly from his discovery of Greek mythology." Tar was born to Alice Mary and John Doyle Barnes at St. Anthony's Hospital in Amarillo, Texas on April 14, 1940 at 7:35 a.m. His parents named him Howard Kenneth -- a name Tar rejected as soon as his mind was able to think! The middle child and only son, he has two sisters, Neva and Shelley. When he was 9, his family moved to a 1000 acre cattle and horse ranch, east, north and south of Rattlesnake Hill (the highest point in the front range to the mountains of Pikes Peak) between Colorado Springs and Black Forest, Colorado. Years later, Tar would be awarded one foot of Pikes Peak and made an Honorary Citizen Of The State Of Colorado for life. Fans would get Tar this honor in Nebraska and other states. "I saw a lot of life there on the ranch. I saw my father work hard and never have very much for all the sweat he spilled." He then became engrossed in Greek mythology. He loves Greek literature. "I love old Greek tales of heroes and superhumans and gods." While attending St. Mary's High School in Colorado Springs, he became a top athlete, becoming first rate in javelin and discus throwing, boxing, football and weight lifting. When he and a schoolmate wanted to go on to a third year of Mechanical Drawing and there was none, their teacher suggested they produce a large number of drawings and he'd present them to the school board. So they did and the board accepted them and a third year was created. (Click here to view one of Tar's designs). He was class president in his junior year, winning because of these lines in his speech: "I am the horse and you are my legs. Both of us together can succeed at anything we want to do." Life changed for him at 18 when his father sold his herd of Black Angus cattle. With ranch life changing -- he was riding a car instead of a horse -- he got involved in car racing and converted a 1934 Plymouth into a hot rod. Adventure and excitement were typical of living for Tar. During his youth he was constantly being reckless and daring. He raced motorcycles and hot rods on back country roads, and swam in snake-infested ponds. These were regarded as more than just adventures by many of Tar's friends. They looked upon him as a fearless nut at times. "I guess," he said, "it's the thrill of getting as close as you can to oblivion and coming back in one piece and alive that gets me." His parents were always trying to keep him home, safe from his own recklessness. At 19, after spending one year at Colorado State University and Air Force ROTC, he decided to leave school and become a commercial pilot. The Air Force wouldn't let him be a pilot because his vision wasn't 20/20, so John Doyle, Tar's father, drove him to Tulsa, Oklahoma to The Spartan School of Aeronautics. They were shocked to learn he needed $3,600. for the course. They returned to the ranch and Tar then worked at a variety of jobs in order to be able to go to that flying school. One of the jobs he worked at was as a high-fashion hair designer. Amazingly, though he simply planned to use the job as a means to earn money, he became so accomplished and successful, he won the MASTERS National Championship trophy, the state of Colorado Parade of Units and was voted in as youngest president of Unit 4 (Colorado) of the N.H.C.A. (National Hairdressers and Cosmetologists Association). He had thirteen models with thirteen different high color toners and thirteen different high fashion hairstyles. The last of these models was Maria Elena whom Tar married. And on January 19, 1963, Achilles was born to them. It was a tempestuous year and their relationship suffered mainly because of Tar's father's death ten days before the birth of Achilles. It was also during this time that he had to abandon his plans to become a pilot. "I like the name Tar... beats Wid... beats Howie." Tar first considered acting when his father died. In his grief, he yelled at a nurse and later saw James Dean yell at a nurse in "East Of Eden" on TV during "James Dean Week". During that "James Dean Week", 8 years after Dean's death, Tar saw each of the films shown at least three times. He was entranced with Dean, and he then started to read everything he could about Dean and about acting. In one story he read that Dean had studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Tar boldly told his friends he could become an actor because he'd yelled at a nurse in the hospital just like Dean did. They bet him fifty grand he wouldn't have a contract in his hands ten years after the death of James Dean. They decided he needed a stage name... a "hot" name. The beer poured, the minds rattled. Someone yelled "asphalt". Someone yelled back, "that's a girl's name." Tar looked the word up in the dictionary... "a tar-like substance... for paving..." Tar Diomedes and Tar Diamond were names under consideration. (Diomedes was the King of Thrace in ancient days who had immortal horses that would eat his enemies). Tar Diamon was the name decided on and a wire was sent to The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. Tar too late learned Dean had never studied at AADA, but rather "hung out" at Actor's Studio, though learned Dean never studied there either. Dean was "a natural". Despite his family's discouragement, Tar sold his hot rod and went to New York. He had never tried to act in his life except for a high school production but he was accepted into the academy. Untried as he was, he was soon labeled the rebel. Seeking fame and fortune rather than acting experience, he challenged the teachers of the drama school. But still, some of the top names in the theatre took notice. His performance in "The Prodigal Son" won him his second year at AADA and a scholarship. One famous director said... "He's got that rare and wonderful gift. A mystique. A charisma." "I've got to fight for everything I want. Maybe I won't win friends... But I won't lose any battles with my own self-respect." Tar received his contract September 30, 1965 from Mirisch-Rich Television -- ten years after the death of James Dean. And the pilot for Rat Patrol was shot October 11, 1965 near Yuma, Arizona and Cinema 100 in Hollywood. This all happened for Tar in a three month period. He had been on Broadway in "On The Town" (Gabe's dream sequence), "The Wizzard Of Oz" (Children's Theatre) and "The Rainmaker" (Neighborhood Playhouse), which he took around New York auditioning. It was from this audition that he got hired for Rat Patrol. He did the screen test as Tar Diamon, but Henry Wilson was hired by producers to change his name to Justin Tarr. In 1966, Rat Patrol went to Almeria, Spain, on location for the first batch of films. Although he wasn't a stunt driver, it's Tar's spectacular jeep jump stunt (shown twice) at the beginning of the show, that became the show's trademark. In a recent interview, Larry Casey explained, "That was Tar and Chris in the intro with Tar doing the real jump. They duplicated his jump. I always thought that shot sold the show." Tar quickly became known as somewhat difficult. "I know I've been called a troublemaker," he concedes. "But I am not really that. I talk a lot, but I think I know what I'm saying. When a thing is not right, I don't just accept it. I'm not passive." He would often rewrite his lines, and the director would say, "No, you did it wrong." Then Tar would make the same "mistake" again. After three or four times, the director would give up and leave Tar's version in, or cut out the scene entirely. Despite the difficulties, he enjoyed working on Rat Patrol. He said, "Chris George and I work very well together. He's great to work with. I look him right in the eyes when we work together. I know just what he's thinking and he knows just what I'm thinking." "I knew we'd have a great series from the very first day." (I wonder if he realized, we'd still be enjoying the show 40 years later!) Information taken from TV Picture Show, 1967, TV Radio Show, 1968, Larry Casey Interview 2002, And many thanks to Tar's family (Achilles, Shelley and Nefertari) for their contributions! |
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Tar at the '62 National Convention |
Tar's sister, Shelley remembers: "Our family is Alsatian, which means our grandfather came from Alsace-Lorraine, which is variously in Germany or (currently) in France, depending on who won the last war. We (Alsatians) are the inventors of quiche, and our grandpa had a wonderful recipe for that. We are also wheat farmers and if you visit Alsace-Lorraine today, you will see miles and miles of wheat fields interspersed with cow pastures filled with Charolais cattle, the enormous off-white or cream colored cows very popular among US breeders today. We are among the most independent people God ever created, and aren't known for respecting authority. Rugged individualists are part and parcel of Alsatians, and Tar is one of those in spades. We came from farming stock, and I remain tied to the land. This manifests itself in Tar as a marvelous green thumb. He can literally grow anything. While he was here, the ranch never looked so good -- he got on our tractor and mowed the whole 100 acres regularly so that it looked like a lawn. If we ate Juan Canary melons from the market, he dried the seeds and planted them everywhere -- we were tripping over melons all the way to the barn. He grew a whole tree from flaxseed I used to put in my bread. What an amazing guy! I wish I had his gift. We used to custom cut wheat from Hays, Kansas to Gillette, Wyoming, every year in the summer, and Tar was driving a wheat truck in the field when he was 9 years old. We were raised Roman Catholic and Tar was the Sodality president, which means he attended mass every day when he was in high school. I know because I used to have to get there with him at some ungodly hour and wait in the car until grade school opened for me -- Zzzzzz! Then I waited after school while he went to the gym and learned to lift weights, to overcome his rather lean cowboy physique. He was class president while at St. Mary's High School, a really popular guy. I remember when he went to New York to acting school (American Academy Of Dramatic Arts), I told him he was crazy. I couldn't see him as an actor. Well, he showed me, didn't he? He got a girl who was going to the school, and they would push their way into offices and audition before they threw them out. So what he lacked in skill, he made up for in determination. When they hired him for Rat Patrol, it was from a pool of nearly 7,000 actors. They flew him and all his possessions out to Hollywood. He went straight to Rat Patrol in a very short time after he graduated -- less than a year, as I recall. It really was a Cinderella story. That's Tar's jump twice at the beginning of Rat Patrol. He wasn't even a stunt man. Those jeeps were fairly powerless, but Tar had his ways. He said he had to make a long approach and get the jeep up to 50 mph to get over the dune, but never realized it was going to cause the signature jump that occurred. Yee-ha!" Thank you to Shelley! |
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Tar at age two |
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Tar and Maria Elena |
