Thomas Jane is an American actor. One of Thomas’ most notable roles is as the titular character Frank Castle/The Punisher in the 2004 film The Punisher. Thomas portrayed Nemo in the 1996 film The Crow: City of Angels.
Early Life[]
Thomas Jane was born as Thomas Elliot III on February 22, 1969 in Baltimore, Maryland. His mother Cynthia Jane was an antique dealer, and his father Thomas Elliot Jr. was a genetic engineer. He attended and graduated from Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School. Following high school, Thomas moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. Thomas was initially homeless and he lived out of his car. Thomas would perform on the streets to earn money singing the songs “Hey Joe” and “Knocking on Heaven’s Door”.
Career[]
Thomas began his acting career with the 1987 Indian Telugu language film Padamati Sandhya Ragam. Some of his early roles were in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and in the film Nemesis. Throughout the 90s, Thomas had supporting roles in several high-profile films such as The Crow: City of Angels, Boogie Nights, for which he won a Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Ensemble Cast, The Thin Red Line, Thursday and Magnolia.
Thomas portrayed the titular character in the 2004 film The Punisher. Thomas later contributed his voice to the video games The Punisher and Gun. Thomas also appeared in stage productions such as The Glass Menagerie and All My Sons.
In 2007, Thomas starred in Frank Darabont’s adaptation of the Stephen King book The Mist. Thomas made his directing debut in the 2009 film Dark County in which he also played the main character. In 2008, HBO announced it was picking up the black comedy Hung and Thomas was contracted to star in the show playing the character of Ray Drecker.
In 2012, Thomas release the digital EP titled Don’t Come Home under the pseudonym Rusty Blades. That same year at San Diego Con International, Thomas debuted the independently financed punisher short film, Dirty Laundry, starring alongside Ron Perlman.
In 2018, Thomas costarred in the film The Predator, a direct sequel to the 1987 film Predator.
Personal Life[]
Thomas married actress Aysha Hauer in 1989. The couple starred in a number of films together before divorcing in 1995. Thomas was engaged to Olivia d’Abo for three years from 1998 to 2001 before breaking it off. Thomas eventually started dating actress Patricia Arquette shortly thereafter and they became engaged in 2002. Their daughter, Harlow Olivia Calliope was born on February 20, 2003. The couple married on June 25, 2006 at the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo in Venice,Italy. Patricia filed for divorce in 2009 but the couple soon reconciled. However, the couple decided to proceed with the divorce in 2010 and the divorce was finalized on July 1, 2011. The pair were granted joint custody of their daughter.
Trivia[]
- Thomas had rejected the role of The Punisher twice due to not being interested in the superhero genre
- For The Punisher, Thomas gained 20 pounds of muscle
- Thomas is a fan of the alternative band The White Stripes
- Thomas cowrote his own comic book miniseries Bad Planet
- Thomas has a close relationship with horror comic book writer Steve Niles. Steve has used Thomas’ likeness for the supernatural Detective Cal MacDonald
- Thomas enjoys playing the guitar
- Thomas was once arrested for drunk driving in 2008 and he quit drinking shortly thereafter
- Thomas had taken his mother’s last name Jane because he said he liked having a woman’s first name as a last name