Tom Atkins

Tom Atkins is an American actor born on November 13, 1935, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, known for his work in horror, thriller, and police procedural genres across film, television, and stage. He appeared on Broadway between 1967 and 1973 in productions including The Front Page, Cyrano de Bergerac, Keep It In the Family, The Changing Room, and The Unknown Soldier and His Wife, earning the 1973 Drama Desk Award for Most Promising Performer for his work in David Storey's The Changing Room.

Atkins did not pursue acting from an early age. His father worked in a steel mill in Pennsylvania, and Atkins expected to follow a similar path. After enlisting in the United States Navy, he enrolled in college following his service, studying at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, where he was a member of the Gamma Phi fraternity. It was there, through a woman involved in a theatre group, that he developed an interest in acting. He began his career in stage productions both on and off Broadway before relocating to Los Angeles to work in film and television. His first film role came in The Detective, starring Frank Sinatra.

Following his Broadway work, Atkins became a recognizable television presence, most notably portraying Lt. Alex Diehl in seasons one and two of The Rockford Files from 1974 to 1977, a role he later reprised in a series of Rockford Files television movies during the 1990s. His television credits also include Hawaii Five-O, Kojak: Flowers for Matty, Walker Texas Ranger, Fortune Hunter, Xena: Warrior Princess, Homicide: Life on the Street, Oz, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, The Jury, City on a Hill, and Creepshow, among others.

Atkins worked extensively within the horror and science fiction genres, collaborating with directors and writers including John Carpenter, George A. Romero, Stephen King, Fred Dekker, William Peter Blatty, Richard Donner, and Shane Black. He appeared in two Carpenter-directed films, the 1980 ghost story The Fog and the 1981 science fiction thriller Escape from New York, and took a leading role in the Carpenter-produced Halloween III: Season of the Witch in 1982. His work with Romero spanned three projects: the Stephen King-written anthology Creepshow in 1982, the Edgar Allan Poe-based anthology Two Evil Eyes in 1990, and Bruiser in 2000. He portrayed Detective Ray Cameron in Fred Dekker's 1986 cult horror film Night of the Creeps, a role Atkins has described as his personal favorite. Additional film credits include The Ninth Configuration, Maniac Cop, Bob Roberts, Lethal Weapon, in which he played Michael Hunsaker in the Richard Donner film starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, and Gary Busey, and Striking Distance alongside Bruce Willis, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Tom Sizemore. Later film work includes My Bloody Valentine 3D in 2009, Drive Angry in 2011, Encounter in 2018, in which he played Professor Westlake, and Trick in 2019.

Beyond Broadway and screen work, Atkins has been an active presence in Pittsburgh's theatre community. At Pittsburgh Public Theater, he performed in the one-man show The Chief, portraying Art Rooney, the late founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and played the title role in Macbeth opposite Jean Smart as Lady Macbeth and Keith Fowler as Macduff. He also starred as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Musical Christmas Carol at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera.