Thomas Haden Church
Thomas Haden Church | |
|---|---|
 Church at the 2009 premiere of Don McKay | |
| Born | June 17, 1960 Woodland, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, Director, Writer |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Children | 1 |
Thomas Haden Church (born June 17, 1960) is an American actor. After co-starring in the 1990s sitcom Wings, Church became well known for his film roles, including his Academy Award-nominated performance in Sideways and his role as the Sandman in Spider-Man 3. He also made his directorial debut in Rolling Kansas.
Early life
Church was born Thomas Richard McMillen on June 17, 1960, in Woodland, California, to Carlos "Carl" Richard McMillen and Maxine Sanders.[1][3] McMillen served for eight years in the Marines and saw action in the Korean War. After 1962 McMillen worked as a surveyor for Yolo County.[4] Church's mother divorced and moved to Texas. She remarried in 1969, to widower George A. Quesada, a veteran of an Army Air Forces reconnaissance unit which served in Guam in World War II.[5] Church took his stepfather's surname, "Quesada".[1] He was raised in Laredo, Texas, then in Harlingen. He left high school in 1977 to work the oil fields of Louisiana, but he returned to graduate Harlingen High School in 1979. He attended the University of North Texas while living in Dallas.[1]
Career
Church started in the entertainment business as a radio personality and doing voice over work.[6] He changed his name to "Thomas Haden Church", taking "Haden" and "Church" from his ancestry.[1] A part in an independent film convinced him to move to California to pursue an acting career. He played the part of slow-witted aircraft mechanic Lowell Mather for six seasons (1990–1995) on the NBC sitcom Wings. He worked in television for two more seasons with a lead role on Ned and Stacey opposite Debra Messing. He has had supporting roles in films such as Tombstone, George of the Jungle, and The Specials. Church often plays villains or comic relief in films, most evident by turns in Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight and Over the Hedge.
Church bought a Texas ranch in 1998. In late 2000 he took a break from films and spent time at his ranch.[6] After having small roles in films such as Monkeybone and 3000 Miles to Graceland, he made his directorial debut with Rolling Kansas in 2003. He has also done voiceover work in commercials, such as for Merrill Lynch and Icehouse beer.
In 2003, director Alexander Payne called him regarding the role of "Jack", the selfish best friend to Paul Giamatti's character, in Sideways. During the audition, Church stripped naked to read the audition scene, later saying "To me it was painfully obvious... I was reading the scene where Jack comes in naked and there has to be in-born vulnerability in the scene."[6] (He later found that he was the only actor to strip down for the audition).[7] Sideways earned acclaim for Church, for which he won an IFP Independent Spirit Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
He has since appeared in films such as Idiocracy, done voice-over work on films such as Over the Hedge and starred in one of AMC's highest rated television productions, Broken Trail, with Robert Duvall, in 2006, for which he won an Emmy. In 2007, he appeared as the villain Sandman in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst.
In 2005, he was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[8] On September 16, 2007, he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his role of Tom Harte on AMC's Broken Trail.
In October 2008, Church appeared in a video on funnyordie.com taking on the role of the fictitious average American, Joe Six Pack, made famous in the 2008 Presidential campaign by John McCain and Sarah Palin. The video titled "Thomas Haden Church vs Joe the Plumber"[9] has Joe Six Pack (Church) taking on his blue collar rival, Joe the Plumber. Church stars also in the FEARnet webseries Zombie Roadkill alongside David Dorfman and under the direction from producer David Green.[10]
Personal life
Church lives on his 2,000-acre (810 ha) ranch in Bandera County, Texas.[6][11] Church and actress Mia Zottoli, have a daughter named Cody born in late 2004. He has never been married.[11] Church's biological father died in 2008,[4] and his stepfather in 2012.[5]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–1995 | Wings | Lowell Mather | TV series |
| 1995–1997 | Ned and Stacey | Ned Dorsey | TV series |
| 1998 | Mr. Murder | Drew Oslett Jr. | TV Movie |
| 2004 | Teen Titans | Killer Moth | Episode: Date With Destiny |
| 2006 | Broken Trail | Tom Harte | TV Miniseries
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie |
| 2012 | Regular Show | Quillgin | Episode: Christmas Special |
References
- ^ a b c d e Buck, Jerry (August 3, 1992). "'Wings' Character Stumbles, But He's Not Stupid, Star Says". Deseret News. Associated Pres. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
His birth name was McMillen, but he took his stepfather's name of Quesada. He changed it to Thomas Haden Church 'because nobody could spell Quesada or pronounce it.'
- ^ "Thomas Haden Church". TV Guide. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
- ^ "Thomas Haden Church Profile". E! Online. 2007. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ^ a b "Carl Richard McMillen, 71". Bonner County Daily Bee. April 11, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ^ a b "George A. Quesada". Denton Record-Chronicle. July 18, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Ed Pilkington (May 16, 2008). "Naked ambition". The Guardian. Retrieved May 17, 2008.
- ^ Rebecca Ascher-Walsh (April 10, 2008). "Thomas Haden Church's choice career". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 17, 2008.
- ^ Academy Invites 112 to Membership[dead link]
- ^ "Thomas Haden Church vs Joe the Plumber"
- ^ FEARnet Goes to Church for Zombie Roadkill
- ^ a b Goldman, Andrew (May 23, 2007). "Church's Doctrine: Thomas Haden Church tells us why he loves older women and making out". Elle.
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1960 births
- Actors from Texas
- American film actors
- American television actors
- American voice actors
- Emmy Award winners
- Independent Spirit Award winners
- Living people
- Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- People from Fort Worth, Texas
- People from Harlingen, Texas
- People from Laredo, Texas
- 20th-century actors
- 21st-century actors