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Tom Reese, born Tom Allen in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on August 8, 1928, grew up in a musical family; his father and uncle performed as "The Chattanooga Boys," a country-western bluegrass group that toured with the family, including young Tom. Around 1940, the Allens moved to New York, where Tom's father worked as a steelworker by day and a singing waiter by night to support the family. Tom took on various odd jobs such as busboy at an Automat and usher. At 17, he completed two tours in the Marine Corps. Afterwards, he studied dramatics at the American Theater Wing through the G.I. Bill and spent 15 years touring nightclubs as an emcee and stand-up comedian. He trained under Lee Strasberg, appeared in off-Broadway productions and local television, and made his film debut in John Cassavetes' Shadows (1958), filmed in New York. Cassavetes later brought Reese to Hollywood for a role in his detective series Johnny Staccato (1959), marking Reese's debut in Hollywood. Although he initially planned to return to New York after the show, an agent signed him, and Reese has remained in California since. His first major film role was in Flaming Star (1960), an Elvis Presley western, which launched his extensive career in westerns on both big and small screens, including appearances in Gunsmoke (1955), Bonanza (1959), The Virginian (1962), Rawhide (1959), and Branded (1965).
