Thomas Gomez
(1905 - 1971)One of the screen’s great villains, he was a master of the hulking, edgy, malevolent henchman. Thomas Gomez was the epitome of evil in many of his roles and words like menacing, slimy, slinky, creepy, oily, treacherous and devious could be used to describe some of the characters he has created. To see him at his very best you must watch the film classic “Key Largo.” He was a big, swarthy, hefty man with a round face, dark brown greasy hair thinning hair, expressive, piercing eyes, a small mouth and a smooth tenor voice. He was born Sabino Tomas Gomez on July 10, 1905 in New York City, Long Island, New York. He grew up on Long Island and after graduation from high school at age 18, he won a Shakespeare contest and was awarded a scholarship to actor Walter Hampden’s Dramatic School. He made his professional acting debut on stage in “Cyrano de Bergerac” with Hampden’s company. He was with the company for 7 years and then joined the famed Lunt-Fontanne troupe with which he spent 7 more years. In 1942 he made his film debut in “Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror” as R.F. Mead, Nazi Agent. His other film credits included: “Who Done It?” with Abbott & Costello, as Col. J.R. Andrews; “Pittsburgh” (1942) as Joe Malneck, Mine Union President; “Arabian Nights” (1942) as Hakim; “White Savage” (1943) as Sam Miller; “Frontier Badmen” (1943) as Ballard; “Corvette K-225” (1943) as Smithy; “Crazy House” (1943) as N.G. Wagstaff; “Phantom Lady” (1944) as Inspector Burgess; “The Climax” (1944) as Count Seebruck; “Bowery to Broadway” (1944) as Tom Harvey; “Dead Man’s Eyes” (1944) as Capt. Drury; “The Daltons Ride Again” (1945) as McKenna; “Patrick the Great” (1945) as Max Wilson; “I’ll Tell the World” (1945) as J.B. Kindell; “Frisco Sal” (1945) as Police Capt. Dan Martin; “A Night in Paradise” (1946) as King Croesus; “Swell Guy” (1946) as Dave Vinson; “Johnny O’Clock” (1947) as Pete Marchettis; “Singapore” (1947) as Mr. Mauribus; “Captain from Castile” (1947) as Father Bartolome Romero, a role against type; “Ride the Pink Horse” (1947) as Pancho, a role for which he was nominated for a Best Supporting actor Oscar; John Huston’s film classic “Key Largo” (1948) as Curly, a brilliant portrayal and one of my all-time favorites; “Angel in Exile” (1948) as Dr. Esteban Chavez; “Force of Evil” (1948) as Leo Morse; “Casbah” (1948) as Louvain; “Sorrowful Jones” (1949) as Reardon; “Come to the Stable” (1949) as Luigi Rossi; “That Midnight Kiss” (1949) as Guido Russino Betelli; “I Married a Communist” (1949) as Vanning; “Kim” (1950) as Emissary; “The Furies” (1950) as El Tigre; “The Eagle and the Hawk” (1950) as Gen. Liguras aka The Hawk; “Anne of the Indies” (1951) as Blackbeard; “Harlem Globetrotters” (1951) as Abe Saperstein; “The Merry Widow” (1952) as King of Marshovia; “Pony Soldier” (1952) as Natayo Smith; “Macao” (1952) as Lt. Sebastian; “Sombrero” (1953) as Don Homero Calderon; “The Adventures of Hajji Baba” (1954) as Osman Aga; “The Gambler from Natchez” (1954) as Capt. Antoine Barbee; “The Looters” (1955) as George Parkinson; “Night Freight” (1955) as Haight; “The Magnificent Matador” (1955) as Don David; “The Conqueror” (1956) as Wang Khan; “Trapeze” (1956) as Bouglione; “John Paul Jones” (1959) with Robert Stack, as Esek Hopkins; “But Not for Me” (1959) as Demetrios Bacos; “Summer and Smoke” (1961) as Papa Zacharias; “Stay Away Joe” (1968) as Grandpa and “Beneath the Planet of the Apes” (1970) as Minister, his final theatrical film. On TV he was a regular on the series: “Life with Luigi” (1952-53) as Pasquale. He also appeared in the TV movies: “The Power and the Glory” (1961) and “Shadow Over Elveron” (1968). He guest starred on such TV series as: “Climax!”; “The Rifleman”; “Twilight Zone”; “Adventures in Paradise”; “Riverboat”; “Route 66”; “Mr. Ed”; “Burke’s Law”; “The Virginian”; “Laredo”; “The F.B.I.”; “Bewitched”; “It Takes a Thief” and “Gunsmoke.” One look at his credits and you can see his versatility. He did play some Arabs, Mexicans, even lawmen and a priest, but it was the roles as gangsters, mobsters and henchmen at which he excelled. He was proud of his stage work and the lead roles he portrayed on Broadway. He died on June 18, 1971 in Santa Monica, California at age 66, after weeks in a coma as a result of an automobile accident he was involved in.
From Great Character Actors, Page 9.
|
