Thomas Ian Griffith - Actor, Martial Artist, Producer, Writer - TV Insider

Thomas Ian Griffith

Actor • Martial Artist • Producer • Writer

Birth Date: March 18, 1962

Age: 63 years old

Birth Place: Hartford, Connecticut

The cliched description of tall, dark and handsome can apply to many actors, but in the case of Thomas Ian Griffith it is an appropriate one. With his shoulder-length tresses, sparkling blue eyes and lean, 6'5" muscular physique, the actor cuts an imposing figure.

Trained as a musician and a dancer, Griffith spent part of his youth traveling throughout Great Britain and Ireland performing traditional Irish step dancing. He dropped out of college to pursue a stage career, landing his first gig as a dancing football player in the Broadway hit "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" in 1979.

Several years of chorus work and small roles followed before the handsome player got his first break and his first taste of stardom playing Caitlin Ewing on the NBC daytime drama "Another World." After three years (1983-86) of playing a romantic lead on the soap (cast opposite real-life significant other Mary Page Keller), Griffith headed to the West Coast.

He landed his first film role partly because his background fit the character. Griffith holds a black belt in karate so he was more than comfortable cast as a martial arts expert with a sadistic streak who takes on Ralph Macchio in "The Karate Kid III" (1989). In order to prove his versatility, the actor undertook the demanding title role in the NBC biopic "Rock Hudson" (1990), earning generally positive notices for his portrayal of the screen legend.

In a bid for more control over his career, Griffith branched out into producing and scriptwriting starting with the martial arts-themed "Night of the Warrior" (1991). He continued to appear, write and produce genre fare like that over the next several years, although the films tended to received limited release or were consigned to the video shelves.

In 1997, Griffith landed another villainous role as the nemesis to Kevin Sorbo's "Kull the Conqueror." While he proved a suitable foil in that sword and sorcery epic, the film itself tanked at the box-office. But the actor appeared to have found his mettle; his next role was Valek, the 600-year old leader of a band of the undead, in "John Carpenter's Vampires." With his dancer's training and sexy charisma, Griffith cut a memorable figure of evil and proved a worthy opponent to James Woods' vampire hunter.

Credits

Actor Guest Producer Director Writer Music All Credits

Virgin RiverStream

WriterSeries201981%

Cobra KaiStream

ActorTerry SilverSeries201892%

Mr. Troop Mom

ScreenwriterMovie2009

Black Friday

ActorCashMovie2007

The CloserStream

Guest StarDeputy D.A. Thomas YatesSeries200583%

Cold CaseStream

Guest StarSeries2003

One Tree HillStream

Guest StarSeries2003

Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision

ActorBrandon MillerMovie2003

Beyond the Prairie II: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder Continues

ActorMovie2002

The Sea Wolf

ActorJeffery ThorpeMovie2001

Black Point

ActorGus TravisMovie2001

Black Point

WriterMovie2001

High Adventure

ActorChris QuartermainMovie2001

A Vision of Murder: The Story of Donielle

ActorDoug BristerMovie2000

Final Encounter

ActorEvansMovie2000

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax

ActorJack FarrellMovie1999

Secret of Giving

ActorHarry WithersMovie1999

Avalanche

ActorNeal MeekinMovie1999

VampiresStream

ActorJan ValekMovie199844%

Behind Enemy LinesStream

ActorMike WestonMovie1997

Kull the Conqueror

ActorGeneral TaligaroMovie1997

Hollow Point

ActorMax ParrishMovie1996

Crackerjack

ActorJack WildMovie1994

Blood of the Innocent

ActorFrank WusharskyMovie1994

Excessive Force

ActorTerry McCainMovie1993

Excessive Force

ProducerMovie1993

Excessive Force

ScreenwriterMovie1993

Ulterior Motives

ActorJack BlaylockMovie1992

Night of the Warrior

ProducerMovie1991

Night of the Warrior

ScreenwriterMovie1991

Rock Hudson

ActorRock HudsonMovie1990

The Karate Kid Part IIIStream

ActorTerry SilverMovie198915%

WiseguyStream

Guest StarRoger TotlandSeries1987

Another World

ActorCatlin EwingSoap1964

Photos

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