Thomas Haden Church
| Thomas Haden Church | |
|---|---|
|
Church at the 2009 premiere of Don McKay | |
| Born |
Thomas Richard McMillen June 17, 1960 Woodland, California, USA |
| Occupation | Actor, director, writer |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouse(s) | Mia Zottoli[1] |
| Children | 1 |
Thomas Haden Church (born Thomas Richard McMillen;[2][3] June 17, 1960) is an American actor, director and writer. After co-starring in the 1990s sitcom Wings, Church became known for his film roles, including his Academy Award-nominated performance in Sideways and his role as the Sandman in Spider-Man 3. He also made his directorial debut with Rolling Kansas.
Early life
Church was born in Woodland, California, the son of Maxine (née Sanders) and Carlos "Carl" Richard McMillen,[2][4] who served for eight years in the Marines and saw action in the Korean War; after 1962, Carlos worked as a surveyor for Yolo County, California.[5] Church's parents divorced and his mother moved to Texas. She remarried in 1969, to widower George A. Quesada, a veteran of an Army Air Forces reconnaissance unit which served in Guam in World War II.[6] Church took his stepfather's surname for a time.[2] He was raised in Texas: first in Laredo, then in Harlingen. He left high school in 1977 to work in the oil fields of Louisiana, but he returned to graduate from Harlingen High School in 1979. He attended the University of North Texas while living in Dallas.[2]
Career
Church started in the entertainment business as a radio personality and doing voice-over work.[7] He changed his name to "Thomas Haden Church", taking "Haden" and "Church" from his ancestry.[2] A part in an independent film convinced him to move to California to pursue an acting career. He played the part of slow-witted aircraft mechanic Lowell Mather for six seasons (1990–1995) on the NBC sitcom Wings.
He worked in television for two more seasons with a lead role on Ned & Stacey opposite Debra Messing. He has had supporting roles in films such as Tombstone, George of the Jungle, and The Specials. Church often plays villains or comic relief in films, most evident by turns in Demon Knight and Over the Hedge. Church bought a ranch in Texas in 1998. In late 2000 he took a break from films.[7] After having small roles in films such as Monkeybone and 3000 Miles to Graceland, he made his directorial debut with Rolling Kansas in 2003. He has voiceover work in commercials, such as for Merrill Lynch and Icehouse beer.
In 2003, director Alexander Payne called him regarding the role of "Jack", the selfish best friend to Paul Giamatti's character, in Sideways. During the audition, Church stripped naked to read the audition scene, later saying "To me it was painfully obvious... I was reading the scene where Jack comes in naked and there has to be in-born vulnerability in the scene."[7] (He later found that he was the only actor to strip down for the audition).[8] Sideways earned acclaim for Church. He won an IFP Independent Spirit Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
He has since appeared in films such as Idiocracy, done voice-over work on films such as Over the Hedge and starred in one of AMC's highest rated television productions, Broken Trail, with Robert Duvall, in 2006, for which he won an Emmy. In 2007, he appeared as the villain Sandman in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst.
In 2005, he was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. On September 16, 2007, he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his role of Tom Harte on AMC's Broken Trail. In October 2008, Church appeared as "Joe Six-Pack" in a video on funnyordie.com, challenging Joe the Plumber by drinking more beer.[9] Church starred in the FEARnet webseries, Zombie Roadkill, alongside David Dorfman.[10]
Personal life
Church lives on his 2,000-acre (810 ha) ranch in Kerrville, Texas.[7][11] Church and wife Mia have a daughter.[11] Church's biological father died in 2008,[5] and his stepfather in 2012.[6]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Cheers | Gordie Brown | Episode: "Death Takes A Holiday on Ice" |
| 1990–95 | Wings | Lowell Mather | 123 episodes |
| 1995–97 | Ned & Stacey | Ned Dorsey | 35 episodes |
| 1998 | Mr. Murder | Drew Oslett Jr. | Movie |
| 2004 | Teen Titans | Killer Moth | Episode: "Date with Destiny" |
| 2006 | Broken Trail | Tom Harte | TV miniseries Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie |
| 2012 | Regular Show | Quillgin | Voice; Episode: "Christmas Special" |
| 2016–present | Divorce | Robert Dufresne | 10 episodes |
References
- ↑ http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-church10apr10-story.html
- 1 2 3 4 5 Buck, Jerry (August 3, 1992). "'Wings' Character Stumbles, But He's Not Stupid, Star Says". Deseret News. Associated Pres. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
His birth name was McMillen, but he took his stepfather's name of Quesada. He changed it to Thomas Haden Church 'because nobody could spell Quesada or pronounce it.'
- ↑ "Thomas Haden Church". TV Guide. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
- ↑ "Thomas Haden Church Profile". E! Online. 2007. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- 1 2 "Carl Richard McMillen, 71". Bonner County Daily Bee. April 11, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- 1 2 "George A. Quesada". Denton Record-Chronicle. July 18, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 Ed Pilkington (May 16, 2008). "Naked ambition". The Guardian. Retrieved May 17, 2008.
- ↑ Rebecca Ascher-Walsh (April 10, 2008). "Thomas Haden Church's choice career". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 17, 2008.
- ↑ "Thomas Haden Church vs Joe the Plumber"
- ↑ "FEARnet Goes to Church for Zombie Roadkill", dreadcentral.com; accessed June 10, 2014.
- 1 2 Goldman, Andrew (May 23, 2007). "Church's Doctrine: Thomas Haden Church tells us why he loves older women and making out". Elle. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
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