Hello!
As a filmmaker, I believe life is reflected best through a lens. When you get to tell good stories with great people, there's no better purpose.
Whether I'm acting, producing, or writing - from indie films, network tv, and comedy shows to voice over work and commercials - I'm here for a long and beautiful career. Here's a little about me and my work.
- Tom
About
Tom Downing is an American television and film actor, producer, writer, and filmmaker. He is a graduate of the world famous training centers The Second City Conservatory, The iO Theatre, Chicago's Artistic Home, and Purdue University where he was named the first recipient of their Outstanding Alumni Award in Film & Video Studies.
Acting
With appearances on Chicago PD, Shameless, BULL, and the Emmy Winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, he has also done over 40 films including his breakout role in The Life & Death of an Unhappily Married Man.
The film went on a 50 city international film festival tour winning over 20 awards including 14 Best Film Awards and along with over 30 nominations. Winning Best Actor (ARFF) and Actor of the Year (TAFF), he garnered acclaim for a "truly great lead performance" (Jason Whyte, eFilmCritic.com). Dan Schechter, RIFF juror and writer/director of Life of Crime (Jennifer Anniston, Tim Robbins) said:
"His performance sneaks up on you and before you realize it, his charm has really got you rooting for him and caring about him."
That year, Whistler International Film Festival named it a Top Pick alongside Carol (Cate Blanchett), Trumbo (Bryan Cranston), and Born To Be Blue (Ethan Hawke). The film went on to win the Canada Int'l Film Festival "Rising Star Award" and the "Extra Mile Award" from the Sydney Indie Film Festival. Following a worldwide release, it became a "Top-Selling Comedy" distributed through Time-Warner, Sony, Amazon, and iTunes platforms.
Since then, he has appeared in a number of films including Keep The Change (Best U.S. Film Winner, Tribeca Film Festival - Kino Lorber North American Theatrical) and Hustlers starring Jennifer Lopez which grossed $157.6 million globally. Most recently, he appeared in the multi-award winning film Skeletons alongside Robin Lord Taylor (Gotham) currently streaming on Dekkoo.
Writing, Producing, Promotions
Tom is the creator, producer, and writing supervisor of Greetings! From Prison, an award-winning dark comedy series starring himself along with Rusty Schwimmer (The Perfect Storm), John Reynolds (Stranger Things), and Chris Redd (Saturday Night Live). Awards: Silver Award Winner for Excellence in Internet Television (DC Webfest), Best Premise and Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series (LA Webfest).
-
Tom is also a media promoter including: Concerts (Dreamforce), Books (Achilles Battle Fleet), and a long list of feature and documentary films.
-
Tom is the Founder of premiere acting resources WorkingActorPro.com, delivering online training, coaching, and guidance to actors all over the world through services like Agent Genie, Private Coaching, and his full course Everything I Learned in my First 10 Years.
Recent Projects
Tom was born to a large Irish Catholic family in Cleveland, Ohio. At 14, he began his creative work by taking music, singing, and acting classes while making small indie films and running his own radio show in Lafayette, IN. where he spent his formative years.
He lives with his wife Natasha Coppola-Shalom and their dogs Padfoot and Rory splitting their time between Calabasas, CA and Manhattan.
Contact
