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Joseph Timothy "Tim" Thomerson (born April 8, 1946) is an American actor and comedian. Most famous for his role as Jack Deth in the Trancers series, Thomerson is renowned for his work in numerous low-budget movies and his comedic television roles.
Thomerson was born in Coronado, California and was raised in Hawaii and San Diego. After a stint in the National Guard, Thomerson drifted into acting while working backstage at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, a well-known venue for Shakespearean productions. He worked at the Globe as a prop man and set builder and it was there that he met respected character actor, Anthony Zerbe who suggested that he study with Stella Adler in New York.
After spending some time in college, Thomerson took Zerbe’s advice and moved to New York to study with Adler. Thomerson had always had an interest in stand-up comedy and it was while in New York that he also began to hone his skills as a stand-up comedian. He started working such clubs as The Bitter End in Greenwich Village, Bud Friedman’s Improvisation, Catch a Rising Star as well as the Catskills.
At the completion of his studies with Ms. Adler, Thomerson came back to California to pursue his stand-up career. The comedy boom was happening and Thomerson was in the middle of it along with comics like David Letterman, Jay Leno and Freddie Prinze. Back in L.A., he became a regular at the Comedy Store and the Improv as well as making numerous appearances on television variety shows, and in Las Vegas.
During Thomerson’s almost 30-year career, he has played a wide variety of film and television roles. Over the years he has developed a loyal fan base because of Sci-fi cult heroes like Jack Deth in the Trancers films, Brick Bardo in the Dollman series and Farnsworth from the Nemesis Trilogy. His long list of film credits also includes: Uncommon Valor, Air America, Volunteers, Who’s Harry Crumb?, Iron Eagle, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, just to name a few, as well as numerous television roles such as Tour of Duty. In the 90’s he was a series regular on the television police drama Sirens followed by a regular, co-starring role on the series Land’s End starring 'Fred Dryer. Thomerson has worked with some of his favorite actors including Gene Hackman, Clint Eastwood, Wilford Brimley, Richard Farnsworth and his personal comic hero, Richard Pryor.
One of Thomerson's early acting breaks came from director Robert Altman who, after seeing Thomerson's stand-up act, cast him in the film A Wedding. At this early stage of Thomerson’s movie career he found himself surrounded by the likes of Vittorio Gassman, Carol Burnett, Geraldine Chaplin and a very young Dennis Franz.
Thomerson first came to prominence in the comedy science-fiction TV series Quark in 1977-78, as Gene/Jean, a character of dual gender who randomly switched from a macho to a feminine personality. Sadly, the show was short-lived.
Thomerson's most famous role is that of Jack Deth, the hero of Charles Band's Trancers series. Playing against his comedic stylings, Thomerson played Deth as a hard-nosed epitome of machismo, like the sci-fi equivalent of Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry series. The character continued in four more sequels throughout the 1990s. (A fifth sequel, Trancers 6, was released in 2002 but Thomerson was not involved).
Other career highlights include Babo in the adventure film Air America with Mel Gibson and Robert Downey, Jr., grimy mercenary Rhodes in Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn, demented cult leader Lester in Cherry 2000, Loy in the horror classic Near Dark, diminutive lawman Brick Bardo in Dollman and Dollman vs. Demonic Toys, and a scruffy motorcyclist in Terry Gilliam's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Thomerson is a stock player in the films of actor/director Michael Worth (DUAL, Devil On The Mountain, God's Ears) and a favorite of director Albert Pyun (Dollman, Knights, Nemesis).
In addition, Thomerson has made guest appearances on tv shows such as Walker, Texas Ranger, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Xena, Warrior Princess, Viper, The District, and Silk Stalkings. Furthermore, an action figure based on Jack Deth was planned for release, but was ultimately cancelled. Images of it exist on the Internet.
Thomerson's wife Teri Blythe has worked extensively in Hollywood as a script supervisor, make-up artist, casting director, and producer.
Thomerson was good friends with the late actor Brion James. Both served together as cooks in a tank company while in the Army Reserve in California. After their service, they both went to New York to break into acting.
