I think what makes us human - is our interconnectedness among people. It`s our ability to form and maintain relationships.
It`s the barometer by which we call ourselves human.
~Thomas Jane~
Thomas Jane Biography and Filmography
An impossibly handsome, blond actor, with piercing green eyes and a strong cleft chin, Thomas Jane first caught the attention of moviegoers in 1997 as Beat writer Neal Cassady in the Sundance-screened, Cinemax-aired indie "The Last Time I Committed Suicide" and a memorable supporting role as a cocaine addict who concocts a plot to rob a drug dealer in "Boogie Nights". By that time, though, the actor had already amassed an intriguing and eclectic resume. Having been raised in Virginia and his native Maryland, Jane was a 17-year-old high school senior when he was "discovered" by two Indian producers searching for a light-haired young man to star in a Romeo and Juliet inspired love story to be shot in Madras, India. Offered the part, he dropped out and took the gig. Although he reportedly could have pursued his career in Bollywood, Jane returned to the USA, reportedly to reunite with his girlfriend in Maryland.He didn't stay put for long, though. Bitten by the bug, the aspiring thespian relocated to Los Angeles the following year.
Once in Southern California, he found the going a bit tough, reportedly enduring homelessness in pursuit of his art. Gradually, Jane landed roles with local theater companies (going on to co-found The Space Theater).
He broke into American films with a small role in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (billed as Tom Janes). Other bits followed (including the 1993-filmed "At Ground Zero" in which he was billed as Tom Elliott, which some sources indicate may be this private performer's real name).
Following a three-year hiatus, he resumed his career with a role in "The Crow: City of Angels" (1996), now billed as Tom Jane.
After his breakthrough parts in 1997 (including a turn as a prisoner in "Face/Off"), Jane saw his stock in Hollywood begin to rise.
1998 found him playing an ex-drug dealer whose past catches up with him in "Thursday" (which featured a difficult-to-watch sequence in which he is raped by Paulina Porizkova's demented moll) and a gay man who falls in love with a bisexual porn star in the triangular romance "The Velocity of Gary (Not His Real Name)". A part in Terrence Malick's lyrical epic "The Thin Red Line" (also 1998) ended up mostly edited out of the final cut.
Jane next landed his first high profile studio lead as a shark wrangler in "Deep Blue Sea" (1999).
Suddenly, his attractive visage was being featured in magazines and he was being touted as the next big thing. While he demonstrated he could handle a romantic lead opposite Elisabeth Shue in "Molly" (also 1999), few bothered to check out that opus when it played at the multiplexes. He barely registered in a cameo as the young incarnation of Philip Baker Hall's game show host in "Magnolia" (1999), but the actor delivered a nice turn as a hotheaded detective assisting the cool Morgan Freeman in a murder investigation in "Under Suspicion" (2000).
The small screen actually provided Jane with one of his best roles, real-life Yankee baseball legend Mickey Mantle in "61*" (HBO, 2001). Writer-director Billy Crystal told TV writer Bart Mills of the New York Daily News (April 22-28, 2001):
"Tom couldn't play baseball - not even close. He couldn't catch or throw, and left-handed he couldn't hit an underhand toss." Crystal hooked the actor up with Reggie Smith and in less than two weeks, his abilities were up to par.
Continuing his ascent to stardom, Jane next graced the big screen as part of a romantic triangle opposite Antonio Banderas and Angelina Jolie in the period thriller "Original Sin" (2001).
He followed up with starring roles opposite Samantha Morton in "Plain Jane" (lensed 2001), based on a short story by playwright Arthur Miller, and Cameron Diaz in the romantic comedy "The Sweetest Thing" (2002). After a stint in the ensemble of the dreadful Stephen King-Lawrence Kasdan collaboration "Dreamcatcher" (2003),
Jane was cast in the role that seemed poised to define him as a major movie star, as the lead in the comic book adaptation "The Punisher" (2004). As former cop Frank Castle, whose family is obliterated before his eyes by a vengeful money launderer (John Travolta), Jane was the ultimate Extreme Superhero, toting a gun, a skull t-shirt and an anguished scowl.
The actor, who went on a liquid diet and hard-core exercise regime to bulk up for the role, played the part with extreme seriousness and intensity despite some campy trappings and ultimately delivered a tremendously watchable performance that was better than the otherwise flimsy storyline deserved. Jane was set to star in "The Mutant Chronicles" (lensed 2006), a sci-fi action thriller based on the role-playing board game about a 23rd-century soldier who must save humanity from an army of underworld necromutants.
| | | Birth Name: Thomas Elliott III | Eye color: Light Brown
| | Height: 5' 10¾ (1.80 m) | | Nickname(s): Tom Jane | Notable feature(s):
| Education:
- Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School, Rockville, MD
| Family:
- Father:: Michael Elliott
- Mother:: Cynthis Elliott
Wife: Patricia Arquette 2006: Present
- daughter Harlow Olivia Calliope,
| | Resides in: | Religious affiliations:
| | Political affiliation: | Personal interests/hobbies:
- Enjoys playing guitar, Is a fan of the alternative band The White Stripes.
- Enjoys Romantic comedies of 30s and 40s
| | Charities/Causes: | Heritage:
- Is half Irish, a quarter Italian and a quarter German.
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| Zodiac Sign:
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On his approach to acting.
I try to work with people who are better than me. I for a long time considered myself a journeyman actor where I was learning my skills and honing my craft and waiting for the opportunity for something like this (The Punisher (2004)) to come along. I'm not good at vocalizing what my exact approach is, but I believe in using whatever works and making a sort of amalgamation of a number of different styles or methods to get the job done. I think that's what a lot of film acting is about. It's sort of a mongrel like approach these days. We use a number of different theories or beliefs to get you where you need to go. It's a personal experience. I don't believe in one particular system or method or another."
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| - On his physical training for The Punisher (2004).
 "It was about six months of brutal training, twice a day at the gym, a Navy Seal guy would come over to my house and take me to the firing range, firing live rounds down the range, primary and secondary weapons. Learning edge weapons training, one man military incursions, hand to hand combat, Filipino martial arts as well as Israeli martial arts. It was brutal." -
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On the Movie 61*:
"When I played Mickey Mantle in 61* (2001) (TV). We were operating on a real high level. All the athletic training that we had to go through was something that you had to condition your body at a high level of athletic skill and we were playing baseball for three months. I was constantly getting injured, pulling muscles in my shoulder, muscles in my back, muscles in my groin, leg muscles. I was always having electric stimulation going at some point in my body. And the swings that we were taking were real. There's just a high amount of injury when you're playing a sport at that level".
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On his Career:
There was a time when I just did [movies] to get the experience and training. Now I only do them because they are so good that I have no choice, and Stander was a prime example. I feel strongly that I shouldn't get involved with anything unless I'm 100 per cent committed. I don't need to go out and work so much. I just want to spend time with my kid. I am turning down as much crap as I can until I find something that really bowls me over. I like broad comedies, hard core action, serious drama, science fiction, I love horror films. What draws me to them is their purity of vision that they are exactly what they say they are - that their a great embodiment of a horror film or a great drama. I guess that's what draws me to a film - the quality of a film. |
Did you know?
He always signs Autographs
While filming a knife fight scene in The Punisher (2004), accidentally stabbed Kevin Nash.
In a 2005 interview, he claimed that The Punisher (2004) was both the most fun and the most physically exhausting movie he has done.
Co-wrote his own comic book miniseries, Bad Planet.
Has a close relationship with Steve Niles, a horror comic book writer.
His likeness has been used for Niles' supernatural detective, Cal MacDonald, in an attempt to put him in the role for a proposed film.Wrote a comic book called Bad Planet.
During the making of the movie The Punisher, Rebecca Romijn accidentally sewed a prosthetic wound to Toms actual skin. Tom amazed the cast and crew by staying in character and never stopping the scene to alert them only revealing it later when they attempted to remove the fake wound to find it was now attached to his body.
In addition to starring in the movie he contributed his voice to The Punisher and the Gun video games. He has also written and financed the sci-fi comic book entitled Bad Planet which was released by Image Comics. He is also a spokesperson for Steve Niles and in 2006 Tom modeled for the Dark Horse Comics character Cal McDonald in Criminal Macabre: A Cal McDonald Mystery. Tom and Steve have talked about turning Criminal Macabre: A Cal McDonald Mystery into a live action film with Tom as Cal. |
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