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Thomas Jane

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Thomas Jane
Jane in 2019
Born
Thomas Elliott III

(1969-02-22) February 22, 1969 (age 55)
Other namesTom Jane
EducationThomas S. Wootton High School
Occupations
  • Actor
  • producer
  • director
  • comic book writer
Years active1987–present
Spouses
Aysha Hauer
(m. 1989; div. 1995)
(m. 2006; div. 2011)
Children2

Thomas Jane (born Thomas Elliott III; February 22, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in the films Boogie Nights (1997), Deep Blue Sea (1999), The Sweetest Thing (2002), The Punisher (2004), The Mist (2007), 1922 (2017), and The Predator (2018). Jane's television roles include Mickey Mantle in the television film 61* (2001), and starring in the HBO series Hung (2009–2011) and the Syfy/Amazon Video series The Expanse (2015–2022).

He is the founder of RAW Studios, an entertainment company that releases comic books he has written, the first of which was Bad Planet. He made his directorial debut with the crime thriller Dark Country (2009), in which he also starred.

Early life and education

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Thomas Elliott III was born on February 22, 1969, in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Cynthia (née Jane), an antiques dealer, and Thomas Elliott, Jr, a genetic engineer. He later changed his name to Thomas Jane.[1][2]

He attended Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School but dropped out and moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career.[3][4] He was initially homeless and lived out of his car, often doing street performances to earn money:[5] "I had two songs in my repertoire that I hammered to death, 'Hey Joe' and 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door'. People used to pelt me with change just to shut me up."[6]

Career

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Jane began his acting career with the Indian Telugu language film Padamati Sandhya Ragam (1987), directed by Jandhyala. His early roles included the Hustler in I'll Love You Forever … Tonight (1992), Zeph in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), and Billy in Nemesis (1992). He also had supporting roles in several high-profile films, including The Crow: City of Angels (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), The Thin Red Line (1998), Thursday (1998), and Magnolia (1999). After receiving critical acclaim as baseball player Mickey Mantle in 61*, Jane received offers for leading roles beginning with Andre Stander in the South African film Stander (2003), for which he gained further critical acclaim.[7]

Along with director Jonathan Hensleigh and Avi Arad, Jane has said he was the first and only actor to be asked to play the title role in the film The Punisher (2004). He turned down the role twice, as he did not have much interest in the superhero genre. When they asked him the second time to play the Punisher, Tim Bradstreet's artwork of the character secured his interest. After finding out that the character was not a traditional superhero, but more of an antihero and a vigilante crime fighter, he accepted,[8] became a fan, then trained for several months with Navy SEALs, gaining more than 25 pounds (11 kg) of muscle.[9]

In addition to starring in the film, he contributed his voice to the video games The Punisher and Gun. He also co-owns RAW, an entertainment company which he runs with Steve Niles and Tim Bradstreet. RAW Studios, the company's comic-book division, released Bad Planet (written by Jane) through Image Comics. Jane became a spokesperson for Niles and the cover model for comic-book character Cal McDonald in 2006.[10] In addition to his screen work, Jane has appeared several times on stage, and received strong critical reviews as Tom in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, and as Chris in Arthur Miller's All My Sons. He has also portrayed a fictionalized version of himself in an episode of the television series Arrested Development.[11]

Jane did not return in the planned sequel to The Punisher. Lions Gate Entertainment had approved a direct sequel due to the strong sales of the film on DVD. However, the project lingered in development for over three years. Jonathan Hensleigh completed a first draft of the script before leaving the project in 2006. John Dahl was in talks to direct the film, but cited his dislike of the script and the reduced budget as his reasons for refusing.[12] In a statement on May 15, 2007, and in two audio interviews, Jane said that he pulled out of the project due to creative differences and the studio's further reduction of the budget.[13][14]

Jane at the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con

Jane said in June 2007 that Zack Snyder had expressed interest in casting him for the role of the Comedian for the adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel Watchmen,[15] but because he was too busy, he turned down the role, which was eventually given to Jeffrey Dean Morgan.[13] The same year he starred in Frank Darabont's adaptation of the Stephen King novella, The Mist.[16] His directorial debut was the 2009 film Dark Country, in which he also played the main character.[17][18][19] In 2009, Jane starred with Ving Rhames in the crime film Give 'Em Hell, Malone, which premiered at San Diego Comic-Con.[19][20][21]

On December 18, 2008, HBO announced it was picking up the black comedy Hung, and Jane was contracted to star in the show. He plays the character of Ray Drecker, a high-school history teacher and basketball coach, who after attending a self-help class while being down on his luck, decides to market the large size of his penis as a path to success.[22] The series was renewed for a second season, which aired in the summer of 2010.[23] The show was renewed for a final season, which aired in fall of 2011.[24]

Jane appeared on the June/July 2010 cover of Men's Fitness magazine.[25] He voiced the character Jonah Hex in an animated short as a companion piece on the Special Edition Blu-ray and two-disc Special Edition DVD release of Batman: Under the Red Hood.[26]

On June 7, 2012, Jane released a digital EP, Don't Come Home, under the pseudonym Rusty Blades.[27] At the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con, Jane debuted an independently financed Punisher short film, Dirty Laundry, directed by Phil Joanou and co-starring Ron Perlman.[28]

On February 1, 2017, Syfy began a two-episode debut of the second season of its critically acclaimed "murder mystery in space", The Expanse. Jane portrays the lead role of Detective Joe Miller in this futuristic saga, in which humans have colonized both Mars and the Asteroid Belt. The series premiered December 2015, and continued through six seasons,[29] with Jane appearing in the first four of them.

Jane co-starred in Shane Black's The Predator (2018),[30] a direct sequel to the 1987 film Predator and the 1990 film Predator 2.[31]

Jane plays a lead role in the Australian crime drama series Troppo, the first season of which aired in 2022 and the second in 2024.[32]

Personal life

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In 1989, Jane married actress Ayesha Hauer, daughter of Rutger Hauer. They divorced in 1995.[citation needed]

After meeting through mutual friends in 2001, Jane and actress Patricia Arquette became engaged in 2002 and had a daughter together before marrying on June 25, 2006, at the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo in Venice, Italy.[33] In January 2009, Arquette filed for divorce from Jane on the grounds of irreconcilable differences,[34] but the couple reconciled and Arquette sought to abandon the divorce petition six months later.[35] However, they proceeded with the divorce, [36] which was finalized on July 1, 2011. The pair were granted joint custody of their child.[37]

Jane and former Hung co-star Anne Heche announced that they were in a relationship in 2019; however, they had separated by the time of Heche's death in 2022.[38][39]

Jane is known for his preference for going barefoot, including at film premieres and while on set.[40][41]

Filmography

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Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1987 Padamati Sandhya Ragam Chris Indian Telugu film; credited as Tom Jane
1992 I'll Love You Forever... Tonight The Hustler
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Zeph
Nemesis Billy Credited as Tom Janes
1994 At Ground Zero Thomas Quinton Pennington Credited as Tom Elliott
1996 The Crow: City of Angels Nemo
1997 The Last Time I Committed Suicide Neal Cassady
Face/Off Burke Hicks
Boogie Nights Todd Parker
1998 Thursday Casey
The Velocity of Gary Gary
Zack and Reba Sparky Stokes
The Thin Red Line Private Hiram Ash
1999 Deep Blue Sea Carter Blake
Molly Sam
Junked Switch
Magnolia Young Jimmy Gator Cameo
2000 Under Suspicion Detective Felix Owens
2001 Original Sin Bill / Walter Downs / Mephisto
Eden Dov
2002 The Sweetest Thing Peter Donahue
2003 Dreamcatcher Henry Devlin
Stander Andre Stander
2004 The Punisher Frank Castle / The Punisher Credited as Tom Jane
2006 The Tripper Buzz Hall Also executive producer
2007 The Mist David Drayton
2008 The Butler's in Love The Butler Short film
Mutant Chronicles Sgt. Mitch Hunter Direct-to-VOD
Killshot Wayne
2009 Give 'Em Hell, Malone Malone Direct-to-DVD
Dark Country Dick Direct-to-DVD; also director and producer
2010 DC Showcase: Jonah Hex Jonah Hex Voice; short film[42]
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Vegan Police Officer Uncredited cameo
2011 I Melt with You Richard Also executive producer
2012 LOL Allen
The Punisher: Dirty Laundry Frank Castle / The Punisher Short film; also producer
2013 Sirius Narrator Voice; documentary
Pawn Shop Chronicles The Man[43] Direct-to-VOD
Buttwhistle Grumisch Direct-to-VOD
2014 White Bird in a Blizzard Detective Scieziesciez
Drive Hard Peter Roberts Direct-to-VOD
Heavenly Sword Loki Voice; direct-to-VOD
Reach Me Wolfie
2015 Vice Roy Direct-to-VOD
Into the Grizzly Maze Beckett Direct-to-VOD
Broken Horses Gabriel Heckum
2016 Standoff Carter Greene Direct-to-VOD; also executive producer
The Veil Jim Jacobs Direct-to-VOD
Before I Wake Mark Hobson
USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage Lt. Adrian Marks Direct-to-VOD
The World's Biggest Asshole Coleman F. Sweeney Short film
2017 Hot Summer Nights Sergeant Frank Calhoun
1922 Wilfred James
2018 A.X.L. Chuck Hill
The Predator Baxley
2019 Crown Vic Ray Mandel
2020 The Vanished Paul Michaelson Direct-to-VOD
Hunter's Moon The Sheriff Direct-to-DVD
Money Plane Harry Greer Direct-to-VOD
Run Hide Fight Todd Hull
Breach Admiral Kiernan Adams Direct-to-VOD
2021 The Last Son Solomon Also executive producer
Apache Junction Al Longfellow Direct-to-VOD
Warning David
2022 Vendetta Dante Direct-to-VOD
Murder at Yellowstone City Thaddeus Murphy Direct-to-VOD; also executive producer
Dig Scott Brennan Direct-to-VOD
Slayers Elliot Jones Direct-to-VOD; also executive producer
2023 Bad Hombres (2023) movie Rob Carlton
One Ranger Alex Tyree Also executive producer[44]
2024 Bosco Hunt
2025 Play Dirty TBA Filming

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1991 She-Wolf of London Johnny Episode: "Heart Attack"; credited as Thomas Bridgett
1995 High Tide Barry Episode: "Barry"
1997 Hollywood Confidential Lee Television film
1999 Jonni Nitro Brack 2 episodes; also director
2001 61* Mickey Mantle Television film
2004 Arrested Development Himself Episode: "The One Where They Build a House" (uncredited)
2006 Medium Clay Bicks 2 episodes
2009–2011 Hung Ray Drecker 30 episodes
2015 Texas Rising[45] James Wykoff 2 episodes
2015–2019 The Expanse[46] Josephus Miller / The Investigator 24 episodes (also directed episode: "Mother")
2019 Robot Chicken The Punisher (voice) Episode: "Spike Fraser in: Should I Happen to Back Into a Horse"
2022–present Troppo Ted Conkaffey 16 episodes; also executive producer

Video games

[edit]
Year Title Voice role Ref.
2005 The Punisher Frank Castle / The Punisher [47]
2005 Gun Colton White [48]

Discography

[edit]

Albums

[edit]
Year Artist Album Notes
2012 Rusty Blades[49][50] Don't Come Home Singer-songwriter
Guitarist

Bibliography

[edit]
Year Title Issues Notes Ref.
2005–2013 Bad Planet 8 Comic book, editor and written with Steve Niles (1–6) and Bruce Jones (7–8) [51]
2007 Alien Pig Farm 3000 4 Comic book, written with Steve Niles and Todd Farmer [52]
2012 Dark Country Graphic novel, editor and director, written by Tab Murphy and art by Thomas Ott [53]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ "Thomas Jane Biography (1969-)". Film Reference. Advameg, Inc. 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  2. ^ "Thomas Jane – Biography". Yahoo! Movies. 2012. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  3. ^ Kaltenbach, Chris (April 28, 2004). "Intuition paying off". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  4. ^ Tsironis, Alex (March 15, 2018). "10 Celebrities You Didn't Know HaVe MoCo Ties". MoCo Show. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  5. ^ Lacher, Irene (October 2, 2011). "Sunday Conversation: Thomas Jane". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  6. ^ "Thomas Jane Biography". Monsters and Critics. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  7. ^ Holden, Stephen (August 6, 2004). "FILM REVIEW; A Policeman Turns Against Apartheid and Becomes a Bank-Robbing Folk Hero". The New York Times. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  8. ^ Jane, Thomas. "Capital Punishment: The Punisher's Tom Jane tells Slasherama about his 'balls-to-the-wall, punk rock action movie'". Slasherama.com. Interviewed by Slasherama. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  9. ^ Santucci, Zak (January 28, 2008). "Thomas Jane Interview". The Cinema Source. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  10. ^ Marshall, Rick (October 20, 2009). "EXCLUSIVE: Thomas Jane On The 'Criminal Macabre' Movie: 'I'm Born to Play That Role'". MTV. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  11. ^ "The One Where They Build a House". Arrested Development. Season 2. Episode 2. November 14, 2004. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  12. ^ Barnes, Jessica (June 15, 2007). "John Dahl Says 'Punisher 2' Script Not That Good". Cinematical. AOL Inc. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  13. ^ a b "Fanboy Radio #405: Thomas Jane Returns LIVE". Fanboy Radio. July 23, 2007. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  14. ^ Vespe, Eric (May 15, 2007). "Thomas Jane dropping out of Punisher 2?!?". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  15. ^ "Thomas Jane on 'Watchmen'". ComingSoon.net. June 28, 2007. Archived from the original on July 1, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  16. ^ "The Punisher Enters The Mist". IGN. December 6, 2006. Retrieved May 17, 2007.
  17. ^ Amacker, Kurt (August 8, 2007). "Getting Raw with Thomas Jane". Mania.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  18. ^ "'The Dark Country' Filming Behind The Scenes in 3D!". Marketsaw.blogspot.com. December 14, 2007. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  19. ^ a b "Interview With Thomas Jane Director/Actor in 'The Dark Country'". Marketsaw.blogspot.com. July 17, 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  20. ^ "Hannibal". HannibalPictures.com. June 18, 2008. Archived from the original on June 18, 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  21. ^ "Thomas Jane and Ving Rhames On Board For Give 'em Hell, Malone". The Movie Blog. May 27, 2008. Archived from the original on May 28, 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  22. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 18, 2008). "HBO high on "Hung"". Reuters. Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. Retrieved December 18, 2008.
  23. ^ Kinon, Christina (August 3, 2009). "'True Blood,' 'Entourage' and 'Hung' all renewed for another season on HBO". Daily News. New York. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  24. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 20, 2011). "HBO: 'Hung', 'Bored to Death' and 'How to Make It in America' Cancelled; 'Enlightened' Renewed". Deadline. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  25. ^ "Thomas Jane Cover Shoot for Men's Fitness magazine". Men's Fitness. May 10, 2010. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  26. ^ Cochran, Jay (July 27, 2010). "Thomas Jane Talks Jonah Hex Animated Short Film". Enewsi.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  27. ^ xrustyxbladesx. "Rusty Blades". Tumblr. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  28. ^ Trumbore, Dave (July 14, 2012). "Comic-Con: Thomas Jane Unveiled a New 'Punisher' Short Film with Special Guest Ron Perlman!". Collider.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  29. ^ Iannucci, Rebecca (October 8, 2021). "The Expanse Sets December Premiere for Sixth and Final Season at Amazon". TV Line. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  30. ^ Jane, Thomas (June 26, 2018). "Thomas Jane on 'The Predator' and Why He Signed on Without Reading the Script". Collider.com. Interviewed by Haleigh Foutch. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  31. ^ Chitwood, Adam (June 25, 2014). "Shane Black Says His Predator Film Is a Sequel, Not a Reboot". Collider. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  32. ^ "Troppo returns to Queensland for Season 2". Screen Queensland. October 16, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  33. ^ "Weekend wedding in Italy for Patricia Arquette". Today. June 26, 2006. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  34. ^ "Arquette's Romance No Longer True". TMZ.com. January 5, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  35. ^ "Patricia Arquette and Thomas Jane Are Canceling Their Divorce". Stars Journal.com. July 10, 2009. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  36. ^ Jordan, Julie (August 13, 2010). "Patricia Arquette and Thomas Jane Split – Breakups, Patricia Arquette, Thomas Jane". People.com. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
  37. ^ "Patricia Arquette, Thomas Jane -- Divorce Final". TMZ. July 1, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  38. ^ "Hollywood-Star Anne Heche: Es ist offiziell! Endlich zeigt sie ihre neue Liebe" [It's official! Finally she reveals her new love]. BUNTE.de. June 30, 2019. Archived from the original on August 30, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  39. ^ Pasquini, Maria (July 22, 2019). "Anne Heche says she 'never had feelings' for current boyfriend Thomas Jane while making 'Hung'". People. Archived from the original on August 30, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  40. ^ Thomas Jane's Feet Were the Stars of The Predator's Comic-Con Panel
  41. ^ Thomas Jane hates shoes
  42. ^ Gallagher, Brian (July 11, 2010). "Jane Discusses the Jonah Hex Short Film on Batman: Under the Red Hood". MovieWeb.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  43. ^ Paur, Joey (June 6, 2012). "'Pawn Shop Chronicles' Gets Great Cast with Dillion, Fraser, Wood, Jane, and More". Geek Tyrant. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  44. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 26, 2022). "Lionsgate Picks Up Thomas Jane & John Malkovich Action Thriller 'One Ranger' – AFM". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  45. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (March 12, 2014). "Bill Paxton, Brendan Fraser Among History's All-Star 'Texas Rising' Cast". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  46. ^ Friedlander, Whitney (July 14, 2014). "Thomas Jane to Star in Syfy Thriller 'The Expanse'". Variety. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  47. ^ Lis, Martin (September 1, 2016). "Why Thomas Jane Never Actually Played THE PUNISHER". Screen Geek. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  48. ^ Delgado Arrechea, Francisco (February 5, 2015). "El salvaje oeste irrumpe hoy en las tiendas con GUN" [The Wild West breaks into stores today with GUN]. As.com (in Spanish). Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  49. ^ "Rusty Blades – Don't Come Home 4 Song EP". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  50. ^ "Raw Studios Proudly Presents RUSTY BLADES. Now on iTunes!". Raw Studios. June 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  51. ^ White, James (July 22, 2012). "Thomas Jane Finds Bad Planet". Empire.
  52. ^ Tramountanas, George A. (April 17, 2007). "Thomas Jane Shares the RAW Facts about "Alien Pig Farm 3000"". CBR.
  53. ^ "Dark Country Graphic Novel". Raw Studios. April 29, 2021.
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