Tom Towles (March 20, 1950 – April 2, 2015) was an American character actor of film, theatre, and television, known for his portraying villains and intimidating supporting characters. His breakthrough role as Otis in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) earned him an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Male. He appeared in numerous films and television series including Night of the Living Dead, Blood In Blood Out, The Rock, NYPD Blue, Dr. Dolittle, The Devil's Rejects, Miami Vice, and Malcolm in the Middle.
Tom Towles | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 20, 1950 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | April 2, 2015 (aged 65) Pinellas, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1971–2008 |
| Known for | Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Night of the Living Dead House of 1000 Corpses Miami Vice NYPD Blue Blood in Blood out |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  United States Marine Corps |
Early life
editTowles was born on March 20, 1950[1] in Chicago, Illinois.[2] He had a sister by the name of Kai.[3] Prior to acting, Towles briefly served in the United States Marine Corps.[4][5]
Career
editIn 1971, Towles began his acting career in Chicago where he performed as a member of the Organic Theater Company.[6] He made his film debut portraying a minor role as a cop in Dog Day Afternoon (1975).[7] Afterwards, Towles returned to Chicago to continue performing with the Organic Theater Company, as well as performing at the Goodman Theatre.[8] After a decade-long hiatus, Towles returned to the screen in the film Pink Nights (1985).[9]
Towles made his breakthrough role as Otis in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. His character was based on real-life serial killer Ottis Toole.[10][11]
Towles also appeared on television in such shows as Seinfeld, NYPD Blue, L.A. Law, ER, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Firefly.[12][13][14][15]
Towles frequently collaborated with filmmaker Rob Zombie, appearing in House of 1000 Corpses (2003), The Devil's Rejects (2005), Halloween (2007) and Grindhouse (2007).[16]
Death
editTowles died on April 2, 2015, at the age of 65,[17][18] in a hospital in Pinellas, Florida of complications following a stroke.[19]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Dog Day Afternoon | Cop | Uncredited |
| 1985 | Pink Nights | Ralph | |
| 1986 | Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer | Otis | Nominated- Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male |
| 1989 | The Borrower | Bob Laney | Nominated- Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1990 | Men Don't Leave | Evan Taylor | |
| Night of the Living Dead | Harry Cooper | ||
| 1991 | The Pit and the Pendulum | Don Carlos Molina | |
| 1992 | Fortress | Stiggs | |
| 1993 | Blood In Blood Out | "Red" Ryder | |
| Mad Dog and Glory | Andrew, The Beater | ||
| 1996 | God's Lonely Man | Steven | |
| Normal Life | Frank Anderson | ||
| 1996 | The Rock | Alcatraz Park Ranger | |
| 1997 | Gridlock'd | Max | |
| Warriors of Virtue | General Grillo | ||
| Night of the Lawyers | Moriarty | ||
| 1998 | The Prophecy II | Detective Waltrip | |
| Dr. Dolittle | German Shepherd | Voice | |
| 2000 | More Dogs Than Bones | Detective Waltrip | |
| 2002 | Groom Lake | Dietz | |
| 2003 | House of 1000 Corpses | Deputy George Wydell | |
| 2005 | The Devil's Rejects | ||
| 2006 | Miami Vice | Coleman | |
| 2007 | Grindhouse | Lieutenant Boorman | Segment "Werewolf Women of the SS" |
| Home Sick | Uncle Johnny | ||
| Halloween | Larry Redgrave | ||
| 2008 | Blood on the Highway | Louis Debois | Final film role |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Jack and Mike | Maxie | Episode: "Charity Ball" |
| High Mountain Rangers | T.J. Cousins | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 1988 | Sable | Eddie | Episode: "Mob" |
| 1992 | Mann & Machine | Lomax | Episode: "Mann's Fate" |
| 1993 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Hon'Tihl | Episode: "Dramatis Personae" |
| Seinfeld | Tough Guy | Episode: "The Glasses" | |
| 1993-1994 | NYPD Blue | Inspector Anthony Lastarza | Recurring role; Season 1 |
| Bakersfield P.D. | Riley | 2 episodes | |
| 1994 | L.A. Law | Warden Geoff Ropella | Episode: "Three on a Patch" |
| Girls in Prison | Norman Stoneface | Television film | |
| 1995 | VR.5 | Shepard | Episode: "Dr. Strangechild" |
| 1996 | Pacific Blue | Mr. Baron | Episode: "Rapscallions" |
| ER | Matthew | Episode: "No Brain, No Gain" | |
| 3rd Rock from the Sun | Dale | Episode: "Gobble, Gobble, Dick, Dick" | |
| Night Stand with Dick Dietrick | Mad Cow | Episode: "Uniting Love Ones" | |
| 1997 | Profiler | Steve Calagian | Episode: "Learning From the Masters" |
| Star Trek: Voyager | Dr. Vatm | Episode: "Rise" | |
| 1998 | Mercenary II: Thick & Thin | Colonel Chamaro | Television film |
| Maximum Bob | Ike Worth | Episode: "Once Bitten..." | |
| The Pretender | Jack Brevins | Episode: "Parole" | |
| 1999 | Lansky | Nick | Television film |
| The Drew Carey Show | Detective Streible | Episode: "Drew Tries to Kill Mimi" | |
| 2001 | 18 Wheels of Justice | Ray Palmeri | Episode: "The Interrogation" |
| 2002 | Firefly | Lund | Episode: "The Train Job" |
| Push, Nevada | BRB | Recurring role; Season 1 | |
| Robbery Homicide Division | Kevin Molas | Episode: "Wild Ride" | |
| 2003 | Crossing Jordan | Bill Williamson | Episode: "Wild Card" |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Zeke | Episode: "Homebodies" | |
| Malcolm in the Middle | Ethan | Episode: "Christmas Trees" |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | New Legends | Bradley | Voice |
References
edit- ^ "Tom Towles biography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2015. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015.
- ^ Oldenburg, Ann (April 6, 2015). "Character actor Tom Towles dies at 65". USA Today. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
The Chicago-born Towles...
- ^ Macatee, Rebecca (April 6, 2015). "Character Actor Tom Towles Dead at 71; Rob Zombie Remembers Indie-Horror Regular as "Such a Great Guy"". E! News. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
...his sister Kai Towles...
- ^ "Rob Zombie remembers character actor Tom Towles". Philadelphia Media Network. April 6, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
...after a stint in the U.S. Marines...
- ^ "Rob Zombie Remembers Character Actor Tom Towles". Contactmusic.com. April 6, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
...after a stint in the U.S. Marines...
- ^ Jevens, Darel. "TOM TOWLES, 'HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER' ACTOR, DIES AT 65". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
...he began his acting career on local stages and in 1971 was part of the original cast of the Organic Theatre's acclaimed series of sci-fi plays "Warp."
- ^ Rife, Katie (April 6, 2015). "R.I.P. Tom Towles, horror veteran". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
His first film role was a bit part as a cop in Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
- ^ "Overview for Tom Towles".
he returned to Chicago and became a member of the Organic Theatre Company appearing in numerous productions and often collaborating on the writing as well. Towles also acted with the prestigious Goodman Theatre there.
- ^ Dagan, Carmel (April 6, 2015). "Tom Towles, Actor in Horror Movies, Dies at 65". Variety. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
Towles returned to the bigscreen after a long absence with an appearance in 1985's "Pink Nights."
- ^ Ryan, Danielle (April 6, 2015). "Tom Towles, Horror Movie Actor, Dead at 65". Paste. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
He is best known, however, for his role as Otis opposite Michael Rooker's Henry in 1986's Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Towles' murderous character was based on real-life serial killer Otis Toole, who admitted to killing the 6-year-old son of John Walsh.
- ^ Barnes, Mike (April 7, 2015). "Horror actor Tom Towles dies at 65". CNN. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ^ "'House of 1000 Corpses' actor Tom Towles dies at 71". Fox News Channel. April 7, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ^ Roberts, Katie (April 6, 2015). "Character Actor Tom Towles, Star of Horror Films, Dies at 65". Moviefone. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ^ Lang, Derrik J. (April 7, 2015). "Actor Tom Towles, veteran of Rob Zombie horror films, dies at age 71". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ^ Oldenburg, Ann (April 6, 2015). "Character actor Tom Towles dies at 65". Florida Today. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ^ Gingold, Michael (April 5, 2015). "RIP Tom Towles". Fangoria. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ^ Robinson, Will (April 6, 2015). "Tom Towles, horror actor, dies at 65". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
He was 65 years old.
- ^ "Character Actor Tom Towles Dead at 65". People. April 6, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
He was 65.
- ^ "Tom Towles dies at 71; actor appeared in several Rob Zombie films". Los Angeles Times. April 6, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
...died Thursday in Pinellas, Fla., of complications from a stroke...
External links
edit- Tom Towles at IMDb