Thomas John Patrick Welling (born April 26, 1977), known professionally as Tom Welling, is an American actor, director, producer andmodel best known for his portrayal of Clark Kent in the WB/CW series Smallville.
A high-school athlete, Welling initially worked in construction and, in 1998, he successfully modeled men's clothing for several popular brands. In 2000, he made a successful transition to television. He has been nominated for and received several awards for his portrayal of Clark Kent. He also had a recurring role in Judging Amy. He has also been involved behind the camera as an executive producerand a director. His films include Cheaper by the Dozen, its sequel, the 2005 remake of The Fog, Parkland and upcoming Draft Day.
Early life
Welling was born in the lower Hudson Valley on April 26, 1977.[1][3] His family moved frequently, making stops in Wisconsin, Delaware, and Michigan.[3] Welling attended Okemos High School in Okemos, Michigan, where he started acting in plays, but then switched into sports. Welling played baseball and soccer, but his favorite sport is basketball.[3] Welling is one of four children with two older sisters, Rebecca and Jamie.[4] His younger brother, Mark Welling, is also an actor.[1]
Career
Originally a construction worker, Welling was discovered in 1998 at a party in Nantucket by a catalog camera scout who suggested he try modeling.[1] Welling modeled for Louisa Modeling Agency until 2000,[3] when he relocated to Los Angeles. There he modeled forTommy Hilfiger, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Calvin Klein while pursuing an acting career.[1] In 2000, Welling appeared in the video forAngela Via's single, "Picture Perfect", playing Vía's love interest. Welling has stated that he did not like modeling and that he was not good at it because it was all on the outside or from an external point of view. He pursued acting because he wanted to express a range of emotions.[4] Welling auditioned to play the character Tag Jones on Friends, but was not cast. In his first major acting role, Welling portrayed karate teacher Rob Meltzer, a.k.a. "Karate Rob", a younger love interest of Amy Brenneman's character on the CBSseries Judging Amy, which aired in 2001. Welling was originally signed for three episodes; after receiving enthusiastic fan reviews, the producers kept him for three more.[3] Welling also had a small role in UPN's Special Unit 2, and he appeared in the pilot episode of theFOX sitcom Undeclared.[3]
Smallville
Welling was cast in the television series Smallville after a nationwide search for an actor to play Clark Kent. In an interview with a teen magazine, Welling spoke about the day he auditioned for the role: "I was on my way back from the Warner Bros. studio, and I stopped in a gas station to call my manager and tell him how it went. I called and got him on the phone and he said, 'Can you hold on a second?' Next thing I know, there are literally seven people on the other line and almost in unison they say, 'Tom, you got it!'"[3] The pilotaired in October 2001 and became the highest-rated debut for The WB, with 8.4 million viewers.[5] Welling told TV Guide that he turned down the lead role twice, but after reading the script, decided to take the job. Like Christopher Reeve, he was not a Superman fan prior to being cast as Clark Kent. In fact, he said, he continues to not read Superman comics: "I made a conscious decision to stay away from that material. We're doing something different at a time before all that, I don't want that to affect what I'm doing, even subconsciously."[6] He did get the chance to meet two previous Superman actors: Christopher Reeve, who appeared in season 2: episode 17 titled "Rosetta", and Dean Cain, who appeared in season 7: episode 4 titled "Cure".[7]
Welling was named one of People magazine’s "Breakthrough Stars of 2001", and also won the Teen Choice Award as "Choice Breakout Star (Male)" in 2002 for his role as Clark Kent.[8] Following the third season, Welling was interviewed by Smallville Magazine and stated that if he could play one character on the show that was not Clark Kent, it would be Lex Luthor; "Lex Luthor! I wouldn’t mind having my head shaved – as an actor, [it is the ultimate,] getting to play the complete opposite of your character."[9]
In 2004 Welling was approached about starring in the big screen adaptation of Superman when director Brett Ratner was attached to project. Comic book artist Alex Rosseven did two sketches of Welling as the "Man of Steel" to see what the actor would look like in the famous costume.[10] In August 2009, Welling won another Teen Choice Award as "Choice TV Actor (Action Adventure)" for Smallville.[11]
Film
In December 2003, Welling played Charlie Baker, the oldest son and second oldest in the Baker family which had 12 children in the filmCheaper by the Dozen opposite Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt, which is a remake of the 1950 movie starring Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy, based on the 1948 book by Frank and Lillian Gilbreth.[8] Welling talked about why he was interested in the project in an interview with Paul Fischer: "The top three reasons I decided to do this film were, one, Steve Martin, two, Steve Martin and three, Steve Martin. That was the number one draw for me. Then, after reading the script, I really liked this character, Charlie. I liked what he went through, what he had to go through, and I felt I understood where he was coming from. And I just wanted to be a part of it."[4] Welling had always been a fan of Steve Martin's and stated that he "absolutely loved" working with him.[4]
In 2005, Welling appeared as Nick Castle in The Fog, a remake of John Carpenter's 1980 film of the same name, as Nick Castle (a character originally played by Tom Atkins).[12] At the same time The Fog was in production, Welling was still working on the last few episodes of the fourth season of Smallville. The same year, he reprised his role as Charlie Baker in Cheaper by the Dozen 2.
In 2013, Welling joined the all-star cast of Peter Landesman's film Parkland, based on the book Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy by author Vincent Bugliosi. The story centers on the chaotic events that occurred at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas on the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963.[13]
Welling has also joined Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, Frank Langella and Denis Leary in Ivan Reitman's new film, Draft Day which has started production. In the movie, the manager (Costner) of a football team tries to take first place in the annual lottery organized by theNFL for choosing promising college players. Welling will play a veteran quarterback whose career is at a crossroads.
Production
For Smallville's ninth season, Welling served as a co-executive producer.[8] He returned as Clark Kent for the show's tenth and final season in Fall 2010 and has become a full executive producer, as credited in a May 20, 2010 press release by the CW.[14]
Welling still models occasionally and appeared in the May 2008 issue of Vogue, the so-called Superhero Issue.[15]
Welling served as an executive producer on Hellcats, a television series based on the book Cheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders by journalist Kate Torgovnick.[16][17] The series first aired on The CW beginning in Fall 2010,[14] and was canceled on May 17, 2011.
Welling is expected to star in a production by Rob Thomas Productions, in association with Warner Horizon Television, called Blanco County. He will serve as executive producer for this project. Currently, this project is not picked up for series and is rather in development stages.
Directing
Welling made his directorial debut in 2006, with Smallville, season 5: episode 18 titled "Fragile". He also directed season 6: episode 10 titled "Hydro", the show's 150th episode which was season 7: episode 18 titled "Apocalypse", season 8: episode 21 titled "Injustice", and the second part of the TV movie Absolute Justice season 9: episode 11 titled "Legends". Later, he directed two episodes of Smallville's tenth and final season, episode 9 titled "Patriot" and episode 18 titled "Booster".
Personal life
On July 5, 2002, Welling married model Jamie White[1] in Martha's Vineyard with Welling's friends and then-current Smallville co-starsKristin Kreuk and Michael Rosenbaum in attendance.[18] Welling and White resided in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada,[4] but returned to Los Angeles in March 2011. On October 17, 2013, White filed for divorce from Welling, citing "irreconcilable differences".[19]
Welling has stated in YM that he dislikes interviews. He said, "I don't want to be a celebrity for the sake of being a celebrity. I want to work and then go home and live in private."[20]
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