| Tom Berenger | |
|---|---|
| Born | Thomas Michael Moore May 31, 1949 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Spouse | Barbara Wilson (m. 1976–1984) ; (divorced) Lisa Williams (m. 1986–1997) ; (divorced) Patricia Alvaran (m. 1998–present) |
Tom Berenger (born May 31, 1949) is an American actor known mainly for his roles in action films.
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Berenger was born as Thomas Michael Moore in Chicago to an Irish Catholic family.[1] Berenger's father was a printer for the Chicago Sun-Times. Berenger has a sister, Susan. He picked "Berenger" as his professional name, after a school friend, because there was already a "Tom Moore" in the Actors' Equity Association.[2] He graduated from Rich East High School in Park Forest, Illinois, in 1967. Berenger studied journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, but decided to seek an acting career following his graduation. The Tom Berenger Acting Scholarship Fund was established in 1988 by Tom Berenger to award Theatre students for excellence in performance.[3] He worked first in regional theatre and moved to New York City in the 1970s.
Berenger worked in soap operas and had a starring role on One Life to Live. His feature film debut was the lead in Rush It (1976), an independent film now mostly forgotten except for those of its cast members who went on to greater renown. In 1977, Berenger had a small but noticeable role as a murderer 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,[4] who played the character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). These early roles highlighted Berenger's ability to play both villains and heroes.
Berenger starred in several significant films in the 1980s, including The Big Chill (1983), Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), and Major League (1989). In 1986, he received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of SSG Barnes in Platoon (this performance won him a Golden Globe Award for "Best Supporting Actor"). In the mid-1990s he was most recognizable in his role from the movie Sniper (which would later be followed by three sequels of which Berenger starred in two). Other notable films from that period include Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Shattered (1991), Sliver (1993), and Chasers (1994).
It has been recorded that Berenger himself has said that his favorite movie of those he had starred in was the 1993 film Gettysburg, where he played the role of General James Longstreet. He has said he has seen Gettysburg more than any other of his starring movies. Berenger co-produced the 1997 miniseries Rough Riders, also starring as Theodore Roosevelt.
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 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.
Berenger most recently appeared in the science fiction thriller Inception with Leonardo DiCaprio and Cillian Murphy. He played a business executive who served as a mentor to and was an associate of the father of Cillian Murphy's character. Inception has been a major box office hit and is Berenger's first appearance in a mainstream theatrical movie since Training Day back in 2001.
Berenger has been married three times and has six children. He resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Beaufort and Toluca Lake, Los Angeles.
Berenger has two children by his first wife, Barbara Wilson (Moore), to whom he was married between 1976 and 1984: Allison Moore (born in 1977) and Patrick Moore (born in 1978). He has three daughters by second wife Lisa Williams (to whom he was married between 1986 and 1997): Chelsea Moore (born in 1987), Chloe Moore (born in 1988) and Shiloh Moore (born in 1995). He has one daughter, Scout Moore (born 1998), with Patricia Alvaran, whom he married in 1998.
Berenger has also lent his likeness for Frank Jaeger, in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.
Berenger's earlier career before he became an actor was in the skies as a flight attendant for the now defunct Eastern Air Lines. He was based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and on his first flight to New York he spent his layover taking pictures of the front of the main theater houses on Broadway saying, "One day I'll be acting in one of these," (as told by one of his flight attendant coworkers). Prior to working for Eastern Airlines, he was a bellman at the former Alameda Plaza Hotel (now the InterContinental Hotel) in the Country Club Plaza section of Kansas City, Missouri.
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