(person) by artman2003 Tue Feb 15 2005 at 14:19:24

Tom Irwin is one of those actors that gets around; whenever you see him pop up on a movie or television show you're watching, you might find yourself wondering "Hey, that was that guy that was in...er...he was in that one show...I've seen him before, I know it!" and then maybe you'll be running over to your computer and punching "imdb.com" into the address bar. He's never become a big star -- not yet at least -- but he never seems to find himself out of work for very long. He's what you'd call a "character actor," his versatility allowing him to play a wide range of rolls like fathers, FBI agents, doctors, and the like.

Don't let his lack of blockbusting success fool you. He may not make himself terribly memorable, but he is good at what he does. He does not scorch the screen, but he does his job: he's believable and fits into his roles well. He recently did an excellent job in a guest stint on the NBC drama ER where he played a distraught father who shoots himself in the head so his daughter, who'd taken a kidney from him before, could have his remaining kidney when she went into kidney failure again. When I saw him in that episode, I got that feeling that I'd seen him before; after checking up I realized the most likely candidate responsible for that was his role in the short-lived and well-written cult hit My So-Called Life. He played Graham Chase, Angela Chase's (Claire Danes) father.

Tom was born on June 1, 1956 in Peoria, Illinois (USA). He is an Illinois State University alum and after graduating joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. He's been involved in over fifty Steppenwolf productions, including "My Thing of Love" and "Frank's Wild Years." In the summer of 2002 he got to costar with the diva of pop music Madonna in "Up For Grabs" in London. He has been a faculty member of two schools: The Goodman School of Drama at Depaul University and Columbia College in Chicago. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

Below is a complete filmography provided by the wonderful imdb.com website:

  1. Exposed (2003/I) .... Parsons, Erik
  2. 21 Grams (2003) .... Dr. Jones
  3. Snow White (2001) (TV) .... John
  4. The Sandy Bottom Orchestra (2000) (TV) .... Norman Green
  5. The Haunting (1999) .... Lou
  6. God's New Plan (1999) (TV) .... Brian Young
  7. In Quiet Night (1998) .... Dr. Leonard Wolcott, Dinah's father
  8. The Sky's On Fire (1998) (TV) .... Dr. Aaron Schiffren
  9. The Girl Next Door (1998) (TV) .... Craig Mitchell
  10. When Husbands Cheat (1998) (TV) .... Craig McCall
  11. Holiday Affair (1996) (TV) .... Paul Davis
  12. A Step Toward Tomorrow (1996) .... Dr. David Decker
  13. My Very Best Friend (1996) (TV) .... Alex
  14. Innocent Victims (1996) (TV) .... Jerry Beaver
  15. Without Consent (1994) (TV) .... Robert Mills
  16. "My So-Called Life" (1994) TV Series .... Graham Chase
  17. Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7 (1993) (TV)
  18. Mr. Jones (1993) .... Dr. Patrick Shaye
  19. Ladykiller (1992) (TV) .... Vinnie
  20. Deceived (1991) .... Harvey
  21. "My Life and Times" (1991) TV Series .... Ben Miller
  22. To My Daughter (1990) (TV) .... Mark Sheridan
  23. In the Best Interest of the Child (1990) (TV) .... Frank
  24. Men Don't Leave (1990) .... Gary
  25. Midnight Run (1988) .... FBI Agent Perry
  26. Light of Day (1987) .... Rev. Ansley
  27. Vital Signs (1986) (TV) .... Dr. #2

Notable Guest Appearances on Television

  1. "Judging Amy" playing "Oliver Cecil" in episode: "Happy Borthday" (episode # 6.14) 22 February 2005
  2. "ER" playing "Gabriel Milner" in episode: "The Providers" (episode # 11.12) 27 January 2005
  3. "Miracles" playing "Larry Kettridge" in episode: "The Ghost" (episode # 1.11) 12 December 2003
  4. "Without a Trace" playing "Barry Mashburn" in episode: "Fallout: Part 2" (episode # 1.23) 15 May 2003
  5. "Without a Trace" playing "Barry Mashburn" in episode: "Fallout: Part 1" (episode # 1.22) 8 May 2003
  6. "Angel" playing "Elliot" in episode: "Ground State" (episode # 4.2) 13 October 2002
  7. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" playing "Roy Logan" in episode: "The Finger" (episode # 2.14) 31 January 2002
  8. "Frasier" playing "Frank, Martin's Old Partner" in episode: "The Return of Martin Crane" (episode # 9.4) 9 October 2001
  9. "The Division" playing "FBI Agent Aubrey Harrick" in episode: "Virgin Territory" (episode # 1.21) 22 July 2001
  10. "Touched by an Angel" playing "Will Harris" in episode: "Visions of Thy Father" (episode # 7.18) 18 March 2001
  11. "The Outer Limits" playing "Dr. Ian Michaels" in episode: "The Inheritors" (episode # 5.17) 16 July 1999
  12. "China Beach" playing "Bellows" in episode: "Twilight" (episode # 2.13) 22 March 1989
  13. "Crime Story" playing "Mayor Haynes" in episode: "For Love or Money" (episode # 1.11) 5 December 1986

Source: imdb.com

I like it!

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