Tom Berenger (born May 31, 1949) is an Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning American actor known mainly for his roles in action films.
Berenger was born Thomas Michael Moore in Chicago, Illinois. He studied journalism at the University of Missouri, but decided to seek an acting career following his graduation. He worked first in regional theatre and moved to New York City in the 1970s.
Berenger worked in soap operas and had a starring role on One Life to Live. His feature film debut was the lead in Rush It (1976), an independent film now mostly forgotten except for those of its cast members who went on to greater renown. In 1977, Berenger had a small but noticeable role as a murderer in Looking for Mr. Goodbar. In 1978, he had a starring role in In Praise of Older Women for Avco-Embassy Pictures. In 1979, he had the role of Butch Cassidy in Butch and Sundance: The Early Days, a role he got in part because of his resemblance to Paul Newman, who played the character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). These early roles highlight Berenger's ability to play both villains and heroes.
Berenger's film career peaked in the 1980s with notable films like The Big Chill (1983), Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), and Major League (1989). In 1986, he received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of the Sgt. Barnes in Platoon. In the mid-1990s he was most recognizable in his role from the movie Sniper (which would later be followed by two sequels). Other notable films from that period include Shattered (1991), Sliver (1993) and Chasers (1994).
It has been recorded that Berenger himself has said that his favorite movie of those he had starred in was the 1993 hit Gettysburg, where he played the role of General James Longstreet. He has said he has seen Gettysburg more than any other of his starring movies.
In more recent years, Berenger has continued to have an active acting career in film and television, although often at a supporting level. His most notable television appearance was on Cheers in its last season as Rebecca Howe's blue collar-plumber love interest. He also began a career as a producer in the 1990s. In a 2002 interview Berenger was quoted as saying, "Since the 1970s I've seen myself as a poet. Sometimes I express that poetry through acting, sometimes through cooking, and sometimes just having a good chat, you know, one of them chats you have when you're stoned and the hour is getting late. I don't know what's gonna come my way, but I think Berenger's gonna be big these next couple years."
Berenger starred in the mini-series version of Stephen King's Nightmares & Dreamscapes, as a celebrated author who realizes the warped painting he recently purchased, is alive with illustrations of impending doom for him in "The Road Virus Heads North".
Berenger has been married three times and has one son and five daughters. He resides in Vancouver, Canada and South Carolina.
Berenger has two children by his first wife, Barbara Wilson, to whom he was married between 1976 and 1984: Allison (born in 1977) and Patrick (born in 1979). He has three daughters by second wife Lisa Williams (to whom he was married between 1986 and 1997): Chelsea (born in 1986), Chloe (born in 1988) and Shiloh (born in 1993). He has one daughter, Scout (born 1998), by current wife Patricia Alvaran, to whom he's been married since the year of Scout's birth.
