Tom was born in South Buffalo. He was raised in South Buffalo, Newport Beach, California and Clarence, New York. He won full scholarships to Beloit College in Wisconsin and The Juilliard School (under Alan Schneider) at Lincoln Center. Later he trained with Edith Skinner, Cicely Berry and Kristin Linklater. He also trained with Stella Adler, at her invitation. Tom went on to play over fifty classical and contemporary roles at theaters around the world. In addition to full seasons at Baltimore Center Stage, The American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, The Williamstown Theater Festival in Massachusetts, and the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, he has also performed at UBU Repertory, Theater for the New City, the Riverside Shakespeare Company in New York, The Hangar Theater in Ithaca, and Yale.
Tom coaches actors and directors at his Two-Year Conservatory and weekly class in New York City as well as at his studios world-wide in over thirty cities, seven countries. He resides in New York City, Santa Monica, California and Weston, Connecticut. Tom is an avid surfer, cyclist, marksman, football fanatic, Beatlemaniac, Led Zeppelinite, rock & roll drummer and dog lover.