The cliched description of tall, dark and handsome can apply to many actors, but in the case of Thomas Ian Griffith it is an appropriate one. With his shoulder-length tresses, sparkling blue eyes and lean, 6'5" muscular physique, the actor cuts an imposing figure. Trained as a musician and a dancer, Griffith spent part of his youth traveling throughout Great Britain and Ireland performing tradition Irish step dancing. He dropped out of college to pursue a stage career, landing his first gig as a dancing football player in the Broadway hit "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" in 1979. Several years of chorus work and small roles followed before the handsome player got his first break and his first taste of stardom playing Caitlin Ewing on the NBC daytime drama "Another World". After three years (1983-86) of playing a romantic lead on the soap (cast opposite real-life significant other Mary Page Keller), Griffith headed to the West Coast. He landed his first film role partly because his background fit the character. Griffith holds a black belt in karate so he was more than comfortable cast as a martial arts expert with a sadistic streak who takes on Ralph Macchio in "The Karate Kid III" (1989). In order to prove his versatility, the actor undertook the demanding title role in the NBC biopic "Rock Hudson" (1990), earning generally positive notices for his portrayal of the screen legend. In a bid for more control over his career, Griffith branched out into producing and scriptwriting starting with the martial arts-themed "Night of the Warrior" (1991). He continued to appear, write and produce genre fare like that over the next several years, although the films tended to received limited release or were consigned to the video shelves. In 1997, Griffith landed another villainous role as the nemesis to Kevin Sorbo's "Kull the Conqueror". While he proved a suitable foil in that sword and sorcery epic, the film itself tanked at the box-office. But the actor appeared to have found his mettle; his next role was Valek, the 600-year old leader of a band of the undead, in "John Carpenter's Vampires". With his dancer's training and sexy charisma, Griffith cut a memorable figure of evil and proved a worthy opponent to James Woods' vampire hunter.
Profession(s):
Actor, producer, dancer, screenwriter, pianist
Sometimes Credited As:
2001 Cast as Thomas Jefferson in the L.A. Reprise! production of "1776"
2000 Appeared in the CBS thriller "A0 Vision of Murder: The Story of Donielle"
1998 Made an impression as the Gothic leader of the undead in "John Carpenter's Vampires"
1997 Played the adversary to Kevin Sorbo in "Kull the Conqueror"
1996 Featured in the direct-to-video release "Hollow Point"; aired on HBO
1993 Produced and starred in "Excessive Force"
1991 Wrote and produced "Night of the Warrior", starring Lorenzo Lamas
1991 Provided story, produced and starred in "Ulterior Motives"
1990 Portrayed Rock Hudson in the NBC biopic "Rock Hudson"
1989 Feature film debut, "The Karate Kid III"
1983 - 1986 Played Catlin Ewing on NBC daytime drama "Another World"
1979 Made Broadway debut in chorus of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas"
Raised in Wethersfield, Connecticut
Traveled with mother to Ireland and UK to participate in Irish step-dancing competitions
Played piano at mother's dance studio
Wrote and co-starred in "Black Point" (lensed 2001)
