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Tom Atkins is a Actor American born on 13 november 1935 at Pittsburgh (USA)

Tom Atkins

Tom Atkins
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Birth name Tom Atkins
Nationality USA
Birth 13 november 1935 (88 years) at Pittsburgh (USA)

Tom Atkins (born November 13, 1935) is an American television and film actor. He is primarily known for his work in the horror film genre, having worked with writers and directors such as John Carpenter, Stephen King, and George A. Romero. He is also a familiar face to mainstream viewers, often playing police officers.

Biography

Early life
Atkins was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Dorothy E. (née Williams) and George C. Atkins. During his childhood, Atkins was a fan of horror and science fiction, one of his best loved films being the Howard Hawks classic The Thing from Another World. He initially had no desire to be an actor. His father worked in a Steel Mill in Pennsylvania and Atkins assumed that he would follow in his father's footsteps. He then enlisted in the United States Navy and "noticed that the officers lived great, but that was only because they had gone to college,"
and so, after leaving the Navy, Atkins signed up for college where he met a girl who was involved in a theatre group. Tom attended Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and was a member of the Gamma Phi Fraternity. He says: "I was in my 20s already when I got interested in acting and I liked it a lot."


Career
Atkins began his career in stage plays both on-and-off Broadway, before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and television. His first movie role was in The Detective, which starred Frank Sinatra. Talking of his experience working on his first feature film - and with Sinatra - Atkins says: "It was great! It was intimidating and frightening and scary but Frank was great. He was very easy to work with. He didn't like to do a lot of takes. But then it's not like we were doing Shakespeare."

After many appearances in TV series and movies - often playing police detectives - Atkins began working within the horror and science fiction genres. He starred in two films directed by John Carpenter: he appeared as Nick Castle in the 1980 ghost story The Fog and as Rehme in the 1981 science fiction thriller Escape from New York. He then took a leading role as Dr. Dan Challis in the sequel Halloween III: Season of the Witch directed by Tommy Lee Wallace and produced by John Carpenter. He did further work with George A. Romero, appearing in three of the latter's projects: in the Romero-Stephen King project, Creepshow (1982), in which he plays the overbearing father of a young Joe Hill (King's son) in the wraparound segment; then in another anthology, Two Evil Eyes (1990), based upon tales by Edgar Allan Poe; and Bruiser (2000). He portrayed Detective Ray Cameron in the 1986 cult horror film Night of the Creeps, a role Atkins calls his very favorite. He tells Classic-Horror magazine "It was the most fun film I've ever worked on. It was a pure giggle from beginning to end. The director Fred Dekker was very young and very talented and he went on to do The Monster Squad afterwards. I think he wrote a terrific film that was kind of a big put-on of 50s horror. And I had great lines in that movie!"

He has nevertheless continued to act in both the thriller and police procedural genre. He is well known to movie goers for his role as Michael Hunsaker in the Richard Donner hit film Lethal Weapon (1987), with Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, and Gary Busey; the film was produced by Donner and Joel Silver, written by Shane Black. He also took a role in the action-thriller, Striking Distance (1993), alongside Bruce Willis, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Tom Sizemore. In television, Atkins played Lt. Alex Diehl in the 1970s television series The Rockford Files with James Garner. He reprised his role of Commander Diehl for a series of Rockford Files movies in the 1990s.

Atkins has made numerous guest appearances on many popular television shows, including M*A*S*H, Baretta, Harry O, The Fall Guy, Xena: Warrior Princess, Walker, Texas Ranger, Oz, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

He is a frequent player in shows in the Pittsburgh theatre scene, most famously in the one-man show The Chief at Pittsburgh Public Theater, in which he depicted the late founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Art Rooney. Also at the Public, he played the title role in Macbeth, opposite Jean Smart as Lady Macbeth and Keith Fowler as Macduff. He was the star of A Musical Christmas Carol at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, portraying the character of Ebenezer Scrooge. He appeared on Broadway in David Storey's The Changing Room, for which he received the 1973 Drama Desk Award for Most Promising Performer.

In 2009, he had a supporting role as a retired sheriff in the remake My Bloody Valentine 3D and co-starred with Nicolas Cage in Todd Farmer's Drive Angry, in 2011. Atkins is scheduled to have a lead role in Patrick Lussier's Halloween 3D.


Personal life
Atkins' first wife was actress Garn Stephens, who appeared in Halloween III: Season of the Witch. Following the couple's divorce, he married Janis Lee Rodgers on March 15, 1986, with whom he has one child, Taylor.

Best films

Lethal Weapon (1987)
(Actor)

Usually with

Debra Hill
Debra Hill
(3 films)
Tom Savini
Tom Savini
(2 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Tom Atkins (28 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

Drive Angry, 1h44
Directed by Patrick Lussier
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Fantasy, Action, Crime
Themes Transport films, Films about automobiles, Road movies, Chase films
Actors Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard, William Fichtner, Billy Burke, Charlotte Ross, Katy Mixon
Roles Cap
Rating54% 2.7008952.7008952.7008952.7008952.700895
John Milton (Nicolas Cage) is an undead criminal who has broken out of Hell to kill Jonah King (Billy Burke), a cult leader who tricked Milton's daughter into joining his followers in the wake of Milton's death 10 years prior, only to kill her and her husband and steal their daughter -Milton's granddaughter- to be sacrificed in a Satanist ritual, since King believes that if he kills the baby, he will unleash Hell over Earth. He also stole the Satan's personal gun, labeled The Godkiller.
My Bloody Valentine, 1h41
Directed by Patrick Lussier
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Horror, Slasher
Themes Serial killer films
Actors Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, Kerr Smith, Betsy Rue, Kevin Tighe, Tom Atkins
Roles Burke
Rating54% 2.701232.701232.701232.701232.70123
On the Valentine's Day of 1997, in a small town, a cave-in on the north side of a Hanninger mine trapped six miners. Six days later, rescue teams found five dead miners and the comatose Harry Warden (Richard John Walters), who survived by killing the other miners with a pickaxe, allowing himself to breathe. Tom Hanniger (Jensen Ackles), the mine owner's son, was blamed for the mine disaster because he forgot to vent the methane lines and caused a cave-in, but also Harry Warden for killing the miners.
Amazing Racer
Directed by Frank E. Johnson
Origin USA
Actors Julianne Michelle, Claire Forlani, Eric Roberts, Louis Gossett Jr., Daryl Hannah, Jason Gedrick
Roles Captain Martin
Rating55% 2.76392.76392.76392.76392.7639
A 17-year-old girl (Julianne Michelle) faces and overcomes hardship with the discovery of the mother she never knew and with her love for a hobbled horse named Rainbow. With her father dying in the earliest moments of the film Shannon has to learn from a friend of the family that her father participated in kidnapping her from her mother (Christine) moments after birth. Once the hospital therapist is through with her she ends up moving from Florida to Pennsylvania where Christine lives and works as a neo-natal pediatrician. She gets involved in the lives of Christine's boyfriend Eric and his nephew Brandon and niece Rio. They have a stables that works in harness racing and have been bringing along a filly named Rainbow who takes very strongly to Shannon. Eric and those around him are targets of a spiteful grudge held by the rich Mitchell Prescott who buys the filly for $15,000 in a claiming race she was entered in for experience. Mitchell runs Rainbow into the ground, having her beaten until nearly dead for the sin of having a mind of her own and an unshakable preference for Shannon, then sells her off to the knackers. Eric is alerted to this and tracks down the horse van en route to the location where Rainbow is due to be slaughtered and buys her back for $400. The filly is returned to Shannon's care and a trainer with a murky past (Max) is given the task to return her to health and soundness. They move Rainbow to a neighboring farm to train her to racing fitness while avoiding a spy at Parker stables. The culmination is at the Pennsylvania Cup harness race.
Turn of Faith, 1h36
Directed by Charles Jarrott
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Crime
Actors Charles Durning, Mia Sara, Costas Mandylor, Alan Gelfant, Tom Atkins, Tony Sirico
Roles Charlie Ryan
Rating53% 2.678932.678932.678932.678932.67893
The film follows three friends, a cop, a priest and a kid from the neighborhood who wants to handle the family business. Then a man named Philly enters the
Bruiser
Bruiser (2000)
, 1h39
Directed by George A. Romero
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Horror
Actors Jason Flemyng, Peter Stormare, Leslie Hope, Nina Garbiras, Tom Atkins, Boyd Banks
Roles Det. McCleary
Rating53% 2.6527252.6527252.6527252.6527252.652725
Henry Creedlow is a man who has always tried to fit in society. He keeps his mouth shut, follows the rules, and does what he is supposed to do. But one morning, he wakes up to find his face is gone, and it has been replaced by a white featureless mask. All the years of acquiescence have cost him the one thing he can't replace: his identity; now he's a blank, outside as well as in, an anonymous, featureless phantom. Bent on exacting revenge on those who bullied him, he explodes, deciding that he isn't going to follow the rules anymore.
Striking Distance, 1h37
Directed by Rowdy Herrington
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Action, Adventure, Crime
Themes Transport films, Films about automobiles, Serial killer films, Road movies, Chase films
Actors Bruce Willis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dennis Farina, Tom Sizemore, Robert Pastorelli, Timothy Busfield
Roles Sgt. Fred Hardy
Rating58% 2.900372.900372.900372.900372.90037
In 1991, Thomas Hardy (Bruce Willis), a Pittsburgh Police homicide detective, has just broken the Blue Code of Silence by informing on his partner and cousin, Jimmy Detillo (Robert Pastorelli), for using excessive force on a suspect. He attends the Policemen's Ball with his father, Vince Hardy (John Mahoney). However, the ball is postponed after a police scan goes out indicating a serial killer nicknamed the Polish Hill Strangler has been spotted on the 31st Street Bridge. While pursuing the killer, Tom gets into an accident and is knocked unconscious. When he regains consciousness, he learns his father has been shot dead and the killer has escaped. Police make an arrest based on the testimony of Chick Chicanis (Gareth Williams). Meanwhile, rather than go to prison, Jimmy climbs to the top of the 31st Street Bridge and jumps off. His body is never found.
Bob Roberts, 1h42
Directed by Tim Robbins
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy
Themes Films about films, Films about music and musicians, Documentary films about politics, Musical films, Political films
Actors Giancarlo Esposito, Ray Wise, Gore Vidal, John Cusack, Peter Gallagher, Alan Rickman
Roles Dr. Caleb Mneck
Rating69% 3.4973753.4973753.4973753.4973753.497375
Bob Roberts takes place in Pennsylvania in 1990. It depicts a fictitious senatorial race between a conservative Republican folk singer, Bob Roberts (Tim Robbins), and the incumbent Democrat, Brickley Paiste (Gore Vidal). The film is shot through the perspective of Terry Manchester (Brian Murray), a British documentary filmmaker who is following the Roberts campaign. Through his lens we see Roberts travel across the state, performing songs about drug users, lazy people and the triumph of traditional family values over the rebelliousness of the 1960s. As the campaign continues, Paiste remains in the lead until a scandal arises involving him and a young woman who was seen emerging from a car with him. Paiste claims that she was a friend of his granddaughter who he was driving home, but he cannot shake the accusations.
Cry in the Wild: The Taking of Peggy Ann, 1h30
Directed by Charles Correll
Genres Drama, Thriller
Actors Megan Follows, David Morse, Tom Atkins, David Soul, Jack Kehler, Taylor Fry
Roles Jamieson
Rating61% 3.0954753.0954753.0954753.0954753.095475
L'histoire vraie de l'enlèvement d'une jeune femme par un forcené isolé qui mena à la plus grande traque de l'histoire de la Pennsylvanie.
Two Evil Eyes, 2h
Directed by George A. Romero, Dario Argento, Luigi Cozzi
Origin Italie
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, Slasher
Themes Films about animals, Medical-themed films, Films about cats, Serial killer films, Zombie films, Films about viral outbreaks, Disaster films
Actors Adrienne Barbeau, E. G. Marshall, Harvey Keitel, Chuck Aber, Madeleine Potter, John Amos
Roles Det. Grogan
Rating60% 3.049673.049673.049673.049673.04967
"The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" Jessica Valdemar, an attractive 40-year-old woman, rides in a taxi to the downtown Pittsburgh office of Steven Pike, her elderly husband’s lawyer with some paperwork for Mr. Pike approval. Pike sees that Jessica’s 65-year-old husband named Ernest Valdemar, who is dying from an unnamed terminal illness, is liquidating a number of his assets for cash and suspects Jessica of having undue influence on him. Jessica denies the allegations that she’s any negative influence over her husband, while Pike makes a phone call to the house to talk with Ernest Valdemar, who speaks over the phone in a weak but coherent voice explaining about his decision to let Jessica take control of his money and assets from his personal signature on the written documents that she has. Pike reluctantly agrees to let Jessica have access to the money, but warns her that if anything were to happen to Mr. Valdemar within the next three weeks before the transfer of his estate over to Jessica is finalized, she will be investigated by the authorities.
The Heist
The Heist (1989)
, 1h37
Directed by Stuart Orme
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Action
Themes Heist films
Actors Pierce Brosnan, Tom Skerritt, Wendy Hughes, Noble Willingham, Tom Atkins, Robert Prosky
Roles Det. Leland
Rating59% 2.995362.995362.995362.995362.99536
Un escroc piégé cherche à se venger en planifiant un braquage dans un hippodrome.
Lemon Sky
Lemon Sky (1988)

Directed by Jan Egleson
Genres Drama
Actors Kevin Bacon, Tom Atkins, Lindsay Crouse, Kyra Sedgwick, Casey Affleck, Welker White
Roles Douglas
Rating63% 3.15143.15143.15143.15143.1514
Un adolescent récemment sorti du lycée déménage à San Diego, en Californie, dans les années 1950 pour vivre chez son père et son étrange famille.
Maniac Cop
Maniac Cop (1988)
, 1h25
Directed by William Lustig
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Action, Horror, Crime, Slasher
Themes Films about sexuality, Serial killer films, Zombie films
Actors Tom Atkins, Robert Z'Dar, William Smith, Bruce Campbell, Laurene Landon, Richard Roundtree
Roles Frank McCrae
Rating60% 3.0012653.0012653.0012653.0012653.001265
In New York City, a waitress on her way home is assaulted by two muggers and seeks aid from a police officer, who breaks her neck. Over the next two nights, this "Maniac Cop" commits more murders, prompting Lieutenant McCrae (Tom Atkins), who was told by his superiors to suppress eyewitness accounts that the killer was wearing a police uniform, to pass on information to a journalist, in an attempt to protect civilians. Unfortunately, this causes panic and dissent among the city and results in innocent patrolmen being shot to death by paranoid people.
Lethal Weapon, 1h50
Directed by Richard Donner
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Comedy thriller, Action, Adventure, Crime
Themes Christmas films, Buddy films
Actors Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Mitch Ryan, Tom Atkins, Lycia Naff
Roles Michael Hunsaker
Rating75% 3.797563.797563.797563.797563.79756
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Homicide Sergeant Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), having recently celebrated his 50th birthday, worries about the troubles of older age. He receives a message from Michael Hunsaker (Tom Atkins), an old Vietnam War friend turned banker who Murtaugh realizes he has not seen in over 12 years. Murtaugh is called to investigate a suicide and learns, to his surprise, that the victim is Hunsaker's daughter, Amanda.
Night of the Creeps, 1h29
Directed by Fred Dekker
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Comedy, Horror comedy, Horror
Themes Medical-themed films, Comedy science fiction films, Zombie films, Films about viral outbreaks, Comedy horror films, Films about extraterrestrial life, Disaster films
Actors Jason Lively, Jill Whitlow, Tom Atkins, Allan Kayser, David Paymer, Dave Alan Johnson
Roles Det. Ray Cameron
Rating66% 3.349773.349773.349773.349773.34977
In 1959, on board a spacecraft, two aliens race to keep an experiment from being released by a third member of the crew. The seemingly possessed third alien shoots the canister into space where it crashes to Earth. Nearby, a college man takes his date to a parking spot when they see a falling star and investigate. It lands in the path of an escaped criminally insane mental patient. As his date is attacked by the axe-wielding maniac, the boy finds the canister, from which a small slug-like thing jumps out and into his mouth.
Blind Justice, 1h40
Directed by Rod Holcomb
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Actors Tim Matheson, Mimi Kuzyk, Philip Charles MacKenzie, Lisa Eichhorn, Tom Atkins, John Kellogg
Roles Kramer
Rating58% 2.914812.914812.914812.914812.91481
The average world of an average man turns upside down when he is arrested as the prime suspect in a series of rapes and robberies. In a gripping tale, professional photographer Jim Anderson (Tim Matheson) becomes trapped in a web of circumstantial evidence. After a zealous policeman arrests Anderson for indecent exporsure for taking an impromptu leak during his morning run, he is soon fingered by witnesses as the criminal in relation to the rapes and robberies, despite his innocence. For the next 14 months, his life is hell. The case against him is so strong and his resemblance to the criminal is so exact, he begins to question his own innocence. Wrongly-accused and suffering the growing suspicions of his loyal wife (Mimi Kuzyk), Anderson begins to crack under the strain of clearing his name. He is forced to endure the ruthlessness of a police and legal system that becomes convinced that they have the right man. It also examines the personal impact that comes from such an assault. Too much circumstantial evidence surrounds the case, and too much information leaks out to the public; even if Matheson beats the rap, he'll be ruined in his community. Police Officer Kramer (Tom Atkins) is determined to bring him to justice, whilst Carolyn Shetland (Lisa Eichorn) is Anderson's defense attorney.