Biography
Tommy Bayiokos is an actor, model, drummer, and percussionist with a diverse career, including performing as a band member for his late friend, Grammy-nominated singer Laura Branigan. Born Athanasios Bayiokos to Panagiotis and Eleftheria Bayiokos in Brooklyn, NY, his father owned the well-known Sugar Bowl restaurant near Brooklyn College, City University of New York, and his mother was a former "Miss Greek Independence" beauty queen. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1987 from Brooklyn College, where he participated in the Brooklyn College Conservatory Jazz Ensemble and acted on stage at the Walt Whitman Theatre. He also trained for eight years at Manhattan's Drummers Collective School of Music, attended New York Acting School for Film & Television, SAG Conservatory, and later studied with acclaimed acting coach Wynn Handman.
His musical accomplishments include drumming for the Miss America pageant from 1998 to 2001 and serving as the lead percussionist with Branigan's band from 2001 to 2004, performing at venues like Meyeroff Symphony Hall. He honored Branigan in the award-winning iPod series "Mobituaries" alongside CBS correspondent Mo Rocca. Bayiokos has also performed with notable artists such as Frankie Avalon, jazz pianist Lee Musiker, and rocker Richie Ramone.
Bayiokos’s acting career gained momentum after his 1999 appearance as an Elvis Presley tribute artist on WPIX-TV’s Morning News in New York City. He appeared on the show multiple times through 2006, including as a weather forecaster. His television credits include roles in "Deadbeat," "The Next Best Thing," "Blue Bloods," "Madoff," and the Oscar-winning series "FOSSE/VERDON." His film work encompasses titles such as "The Pigeon," "Blood Ties," "Act Of Vengeance," "The Taking of Pelham 123," and "The Amazing Floydini."
On stage, Bayiokos has participated in the Shakespearean Sonnet Slam, been a recurring cast member since 2014 in the Off-Broadway production "Murdered by the Mob," and received acclaim for his portrayal of a modern-day Benito Mussolini in the Off-Broadway play "Eleanora Duse Dies in Pittsburgh." He has also featured in national commercials, including as a college football coach in an ESPN ad and as a train conductor on a Bank of America billboard in Times Square.
His modeling work includes portraying a Secret Service agent in the global edition of "French Vogue" and serving as the face of Sweden-based Exuviance Men's Skin Care. Additionally, Bayiokos is a skilled Black Belt martial artist, inducted into the Martial Art Hall of Honors in 2009 and named "Ambassador of Goodwill" in 2011, 2014, and 2016.
His talents have been showcased in numerous major media outlets such as The New York Times, New York Post, New York Daily News, FOX News, People Magazine, and Backstage magazine.
