STEVE TOM is a prolific television, film and commercial actor, as well as a recognized voice over talent. Steve just wrapped a prime supporting lead role in one of 2014’s most highly anticipated sequels, Dumb and Dumber To - alongside Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels and Kathleen Turner. He also plays the role of 'General Maddoxton' in the IFC mini-series The Spoils of Babylon, starring Tobey McGuire and Kristen Wiig. For two seasons, Steve was the critically acclaimed host of Will Ferrell's “Funny or Die Presents” on HBO. His most recent television work includes a recurring role as 'Judge Craig Richwood' on TNT's “Major Crimes.” With dozens of prime time guest starring roles to his credit, Steve has also recurred on “Prison Break,” “Weeds,” “Commander in Chief” and the long-running CBS sit-com “Two and a Half Men.” In 2012, he appeared (as Senator Chris Dodd) in the Emmy Award winning HBO drama, Too Big to Fail - opposite William Hurt, Paul Giamatti, James Woods and John Heard. Well-known for his versatility, Steve Tom was also cast in Paramount's comedy The Guilt Trip, starring Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen.
The eldest of four brothers, Steve was born in Houston, Texas. An average student, he preferred the world of make-believe to schoolwork, mostly to escape the challenges of growing up within an often-rocky home life. Steve's father was a 6'9" All-American forward at Rice University who gave up a third-round draft pick by the 1949 Boston Celtics to attend law school. After his father finished law school, Steve’s parents moved to Denver and were divorced by the time he was 11.
Steve inherited his gene for storytelling and performing from his maternal grandmother, Martha Johnson, a New York trained actress who performed on and off Broadway in the 20's; in later years even playing the mother of young ingénue Grace Kelly in a New York stage production of The Man Who Came to Dinner.
In junior high school, Steve began taking acting classes. He went on to study electronic journalism at the University of Miami in Florida, supplementing his classwork with the real-world experience of working at local radio stations as a news reporter. Equipped with a baritone voice and a flair for reporting, it wasn't long before Steve was offered a broadcasting gig in another major market - Chicago. Steve was on the air at WMAQ for seven years and then went on to a four-year stint at Chicago’s news-talk WIND AM-560. In the 80's, Steve moved to Los Angeles to work with the legendary Gary Owens at KMPC and then as morning news anchor at KOGO radio in San Diego. While at KOGO, Steve learned of a television movie-of-the-week that was casting a detective role. When he asked his voice over agent to get him an audition, she refused – telling him he was a “voice over guy, not an actor”. But Steve persisted, got the audition and won the role. It was his very first professional acting job, working opposite Linda Purl, Linda Gray and Kent McCord.
As he continued to build his resume, Steve moved to Los Angeles permanently in 1994 and never looked back. To date, this avid catch-and-release fly fisherman (who's also a proud, kilt-wearing American Scot) has been in more than 22 feature films, guested in over 40 prime-time television series and recurred in six.
Steve's big break came when he booked “Funny or Die Presents,” describing the two-year, series regular job as "one of the best experiences" of his acting career. Not only did he enjoy working on the show - it also put him on everyone's radar, including Peter and Bobby Farrelly, who would eventually cast Steve in Universal’s Dumb and Dumber To. In fact, the Farrellys had Steve in mind when penning the sequel. Not bad ... for a "voice-over guy."
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"Steve Tom has become a 'go to' actor for me, someone who understands -- and can deliver -- the subtle nuances required from both drama and comedy, often at the same time.
He is also that other rare combination in an actor: owning his own performance, while also selflessly giving the space necessary to make the actors around him better.
Really it can be boiled down to this: Steve Tom is a hell of a dramatic actor, with impeccable comic timing, who makes me laugh very hard." - Matt Piedmont | Director, "Funny or Die Presents" and The Spoils of Babylon
"What really excites me about Dumb and Dumber To is that we have one of the best supporting casts we've ever had. When you mix Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels with pros like Steve Tom, Don Lake, Laurie Holden and Rob Riggle--not to mention Kathleen Turner and Rachel Melvin--magical things start to happen. Steve Tom, not surprisingly, was particularly outstanding as the reclusive Dr. Bernard Pichelow. " - Pete Farrelly | Director, Dumb and Dumber To
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