Biography
Born in Framingham, Massachusetts, and raised in the Roxbury, South Boston, and Dorchester neighborhoods of Boston, Tom left home at 18 to serve 21 years in the US Army. Twelve of those years were as a Paratrooper, including two tours in Vietnam: 1965-66 with the renowned First Cavalry Division and 1969-70 with the First Infantry Division. He advanced through the enlisted ranks to Sergeant First Class, earned an appointment as a Warrant Officer, and retired as a Chief Warrant Officer in 1973.
A latecomer to acting, Tom began his stage career after retiring while attending Ohio Dominican College in Columbus, Ohio, under the G.I. Bill. He performed in The Sound of Music, starred in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Hogan's Goat, and appeared in numerous community theatre productions throughout Ohio. In 1980, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a film and television acting career. Within six months, he joined SAG, AFTRA, and AEA.
His most notable film role was Oly, the repo yard owner, in the cult classic Repo Man. In 1992, Tom starred in a FedEx commercial titled "Secretary," which Entertainment Weekly named the best commercial of the year and Time magazine recognized as runner-up. His greatest aspiration now is to play Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman on stage.
In 2013, Tom earned a Master’s Degree in Theatre Arts from California State University, San Bernardino. Now retired from SAG/AFTRA, he lives quietly on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, writing plays, poetry, and his memoirs.
