Tom Berenger

Tom Berenger

Tom Berenger, 2013
Born Thomas Michael Moore
(1949-05-31) May 31, 1949
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Nationality United States
Alma mater University of Missouri, B.A. 1971[1]
Occupation Actor, producer, television writer
Years active 1968–present
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Religion Roman Catholic[3]
Spouse(s) Barbara Wilson (m. 1976; div. 1984), 2 children
Lisa Williams (m. 1986; div. 1997), 3 children
Patricia Alvaran (m. 1998; div. 2011), 1 child
Laura Moretti (m. 2012)

Tom Berenger (born Thomas Michael Moore; May 31, 1949[4]) is an American television and motion picture actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Staff Sergeant Bob Barnes in Platoon (1986). He is also known for playing Jake Taylor in the Major League films and Thomas Beckett in the Sniper films. Other films he appeared in include Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), The Dogs of War (1980), The Big Chill (1983), Eddie and the Cruisers (1983), Betrayed (1988), The Field (1990), Gettysburg (1993), The Substitute (1996), One Man's Hero (1999), Training Day (2001), and Inception (2010).

Berenger won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his performance as Jim Vance in the 2012 miniseries Hatfields & McCoys.

Early life and education

Berenger was born as Thomas Michael Moore in Chicago, on May 31, 1949, to a Roman Catholic family of Irish descent. He has a sister, Susan.[5] His father was a printer for the Chicago Sun-Times and a traveling salesman.

Moore graduated in 1967 from Rich East High School in Park Forest, Illinois.[6] He studied journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri but decided to seek an acting career following his graduation in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Career

He worked in regional theatre and in 1972, he worked as a flight attendant with Eastern Airlines, based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He transferred to New York in 1973.[7]

Moore selected "Berenger" as his professional name after he was forced to change his surname professionally, as there was already a "Tom Moore" in the Actors' Equity Association.[8]


Berenger worked in soap operas and had a starring role as lawyer Tim Siegel on One Life to Live. His feature film debut was the lead in Rush It (1976), an independent film. In 1977, he had a small role as the killer of the lead character (played by Diane Keaton) in Looking for Mr. Goodbar. In 1978, he had a starring role in In Praise of Older Women for Avco-Embassy Pictures. In 1979, he played Butch Cassidy in Butch and Sundance: The Early Days, a role he got in part because of his resemblance to Paul Newman,[9] who played the character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969).

Berenger starred in several significant films in the 1980s, including The Big Chill (1983), Eddie and the Cruisers (1983), Platoon (1986), Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), and Major League (1989). In 1986, he received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Staff Sergeant Barnes in Platoon (this performance won him a Golden Globe Award for "Best Supporting Actor"). A role for which he has become well known for is Thomas Beckett, the main character in the mid-1990s film Sniper (which would later be followed by four sequels, featuring Berenger in the starring role for three). Other notable films from that period in which he was featured include Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Shattered (1991), Sliver (1993), and Chasers (1994). When asked in a 1999 interview to name his favorite film out of those in which he had acted, Berenger said it was too difficult to choose but that the one he had watched most frequently was his 1993 film Gettysburg, where he played the role of General James Longstreet.[10]

He established the Tom Berenger Acting Scholarship Fund in 1988 to award theatre students for excellence in performance.

In more recent years, Berenger has continued to have an active acting career in film and television, although often at a supporting level. His most notable television appearance was on Cheers in its last season as Rebecca Howe's blue collar-plumber love interest, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series". He also began a career as a producer in the 1990s. Berenger also co-produced the 1997 miniseries Rough Riders, also starring as Theodore Roosevelt.

Berenger was also seen on the box art and promotional content for Novalogic's Delta Force: Black Hawk Down, as his roles in Sniper 2 and Sniper 3 were very similar to what was chosen for the game's artwork. He starred in the mini-series version of Stephen King's Nightmares & Dreamscapes, as a celebrated author who realizes the warped painting he recently purchased is alive with illustrations of impending doom for him in "The Road Virus Heads North". Berenger stars opposite Armand Assante and Busta Rhymes in the dramatic thriller Breaking Point, which had a limited release starting in December 2009.

He has most recently appeared in the science fiction thriller Inception with Leonardo DiCaprio and Cillian Murphy, where he played a business executive who served as a mentor to and was an associate of the father of Murphy's character. Inception was a box office success and was his first appearance in a mainstream theatrical movie since Training Day in 2001. In 2012 he appeared in the TV miniseries Hatfields & McCoys as Jim Vance, uncle of protagonist Devil Anse Hatfield (played by Kevin Costner). On September 23, 2012 Berenger earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for the role.[11]

Personal life

Berenger has been married four times and has six children. He has two children by his first wife, Barbara Wilson, to whom he was married from 1976 to 1984: Allison Moore (born 1977) and Patrick Moore (born 1979). He has three daughters by second wife Lisa Williams (to whom he was married from 1986 to 1997): Chelsea Moore (born 1986), Chloe Moore (born 1988) and Shiloh Moore (born in 1993). He has a daughter named Scout Moore (born 1998) with Patricia Alvaran, to whom he was married from 1998–2011. He married Laura Moretti in Sedona, Arizona in early September 2012.[12]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1976 Rush It Richard Moore
1977 Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye Billy Sutton Television movie
1977 The Sentinel Man at end
1977 Looking for Mr. Goodbar Gary
1978 In Praise of Older Women Andras Vayda
1979 Butch and Sundance: The Early Days Butch Cassidy / Robert Leroy Parker
1980 The Dogs of War Drew
1982 Beyond the Door Matthew Jackson
1983 The Big Chill Sam Weber
1983 Eddie and the Cruisers Frank Ridgeway
1984 Fear City Matt Rossi
1985 Rustlers' Rhapsody Rex O'Herlihan
1986 Platoon Sergeant Barnes Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
1987 Someone to Watch Over Me Det. Mike Keegan
1988 Shoot to Kill Jonathan Knox
1988 Betrayed Gary Simmons
1988 Last Rites Michael
1989 Major League Jake Taylor
1989 Born on the Fourth of July GySgt. Hayes
1990 Love at Large Harry Dobbs
1990 The Field The American
1991 Shattered Dan Merrick
1991 At Play in the Fields of the Lord Lewis Moon
1993 Sniper Thomas Beckett
1993 Sliver Jack Landsford Nominated—Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor
1993 Gettysburg Lt. Gen. James Longstreet
1994 Major League II Jake Taylor
1994 Chasers Rock Reilly
1995 Last of the Dogmen Lewis Gates
1995 Body Language Gavin St.Claire
1995 The Avenging Angel Miles Utley
1996 The Substitute Jonathan Shale
1996 An Occasional Hell Dr. Ernest Dewalt
1997 Rough Riders Theodore Roosevelt Television movie
1998 The Gingerbread Man Pete Randle
1998 Shadow of Doubt Jack Campioni
1999 A Murder of Crows Clifford Dubose
1999 One Man's Hero John Riley
1999 Diplomatic Siege Gen. Buck Swain
2000 Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying Sikes
2000 Takedown McCoy Rollins
2000 Cutaway Red Line
2001 Training Day Stan Gursky
2001 The Hollywood Sign Tom Greener
2001 Johnson County War Cain Hammett
2001 True Blue Rembrandt "Remy" Macy
2001 Watchtower Art Stoner a.k.a. Cruel And Unusual
2002 Eye See You Unknown
2002 The Junction Boys Paul "Bear" Bryant
2002 D-Tox Hank
2003 Sniper 2 Thomas Beckett Direct to video
2004 Sniper 3 Thomas Beckett Direct to video
2005 Detective Sgt. Malcolm Ainslie Television movie
2006 Nightmares and Dreamscapes Richard Kinnell Television movie
2007 The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey Jonathan Toomey
2008 Desperate Hours: An Amber Alert Larsan Television movie
2008 Stiletto Virgil Vadalos
2009 Silent Venom Admiral Bradley Wallace
2009 Charlie Valentine Becker
2009 Breaking Point Steven Luisi
2010 Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball Walter Weed
2010 Sinners and Saints Captain Trahan
2010 Last Will (film) Frank Emery
2010 Firedog Einstein Voice only
2010 Inception Peter Browning Nominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
2010 Faster Warden
2011 Right Angle Jerry
2011 Bucksville The Patron of Justice
2012 Brake Agent Ben Reynolds
2012 War Flowers General McIntire
2012 Fighting to Forgive General McIntire
2014 Sniper: Legacy Thomas Beckett Direct to video
2014 Reach Me Teddy
2014 Bad Country Lutin
2014 Lonesome Dove Church John Shepherd

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1975–1976 One Life to Live Tim Siegel Unknown episodes
1979 Flesh & Blood Bobby Fallon Television movie
1986 If Tomorrow Comes Jeff Stevens 3 episodes
1993 Cheers Don Santry 2 episodes
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
2000 Law & Order Dean Tyler Episode "Panic"
2002 Ally McBeal Harrison Wyatt Episode "Nine One Nine"
2003 Third Watch Aaron Noble 4 episodes
2003 Peacemakers Marshal Jared Stone 9 episodes
2005 Into the West Colonel J. Chivington Episode "Hell on Wheels"
2007–2008 October Road The Commander 19 episodes
2012 XIII: The Series Rainer Gerhardt 6 episodes
2012 Hatfields & McCoys Jim Vance 3 episodes
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
2013–2015 Major Crimes Jackson Raydor 4 episodes
2014 Hawaii Five-0 Eddie Williams (Danno's father)

References

  1. ↑ Berenger's alma mater
  2. ↑ Berenger's height
  3. ↑ Berenger's religion
  4. ↑ Berenger's birth date
  5. ↑ Walker, Janet (November 1975). "Tom Berenger: "I've Starved Before…I Can Again!"". Day TV Gossip. Archived from the original on 2009-10-22. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  6. ↑ Profile, biography.com; accessed October 8, 2014.
  7. ↑ Profile, theatre.missouri.edu; accessed October 8, 2014.
  8. ↑ Profile, biography.com; accessed October 8, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Interview with William Katt". Chicago Sun-Times.
  10. ↑ America Online Chat with Tom Berenge. AOL. Retrieved August 18, 1999.
  11. ↑ Pennington, Gail (September 24, 2012). "'Homeland' wins big; Hamm loses again at Emmys". St. Louis Post-Dispatch via website. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  12. ↑ America Online Chat with Tom Berenge, tomberengeronline.com; retrieved August 18, 1999.
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