Biografia
Raised in Philadelphia, PA, known as the "City of Brotherly Love," Tomas Boykin grew up with a musician father and a stay-at-home mother. His path as a creative was shaped early on, with encouragement to participate in plays starting in third grade. "I was lucky to have teachers in the Philly public school system who were also involved in the local theatre scene. With my parents supporting my artistic expression, performing in school productions felt like a natural step," he recalls. By the time he completed college—where he studied pre-law with a major in criminal justice—Boykin had performed in productions such as "A Chorus Line," "Pippin," "Finian's Rainbow," "Oklahoma," and "The Little Foxes," among many others. He trained and performed professionally in both Philadelphia and New York City, appearing in children's theatre, community theatre, theatre in the park, dinner theatre, regional and national tours, as well as numerous Off-Broadway shows.
After working on several avant-garde and experimental short films in New York, Boykin made a strategic move to Los Angeles through the Actors Equity Association's (LORT) lottery. His stage career flourished with acclaimed performances including originating the role of Albert Brickhouse in Sheri Bailey's adaptation of Nella Larsen's "Passing" at LA's Towne Street Theatre in 1997/98, and later portraying Crooks in John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" at Theatre Banshee in Burbank, CA. Always evolving, Boykin's screen work includes his feature film debut in 1999's "Among Thieves," followed by roles in "Haunting of Winchester House," 20th Century Fox's "I Am," "Voodoo Possession," "Lazarus Rising," "Junkie," the award-winning anti-apartheid thriller "Elegy for a Revolutionary," Rob Zombie's "3 From Hell," and 2022's "The Munsters." His latest feature is the critically praised SXSW 2024 film "Dead Mail." Television appearances include Fox Network's "Lucky Chance," NBC's "Parenthood," and ABC's "How To Get Away with Murder.
