Thomas Ian Griffith

Last updated

Thomas Ian Griffith
Born (1962-03-18) March 18, 1962 (age 62)
Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Education College of the Holy Cross
Occupations
  • Actor
  • martial artist
Years active
  • 1984–2007
  • 2021–present
Spouse
​
(m. 1991)​
Children2

Thomas Ian Griffith (born March 18, 1962) [1] [2] is an American actor, screenwriter and martial artist. He is best known for portraying Terry Silver in the 1989 film The Karate Kid Part III , a role he reprised in the fourth and fifth seasons of the television series Cobra Kai . [3]

Contents

Early life

Griffith was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Mary Ann (née O'Neil), who worked at a dance studio, and Thomas Joseph Griffith. [1] Griffith attended South Catholic High School in Hartford. [4] He then studied at the College of the Holy Cross where he was a dean's list student before leaving after his junior year to "make it" as an actor in New York. [5]

Career

Griffith made his screen-acting debut on the soap opera Another World as Catlin Ewing, whom he played from 1984 to 1987. During this time, he met and dated his co-star, onscreen love interest and future wife, Mary Page Keller.

Griffith became obsessed with taekwondo while in high school and earned a black belt when he was 18. [4] His knowledge of taekwondo helped him land his first feature film: 1989's The Karate Kid Part III , in which he played Terry Silver, a rival martial arts expert who influences Daniel LaRusso against his friend and mentor, Mr. Miyagi.

After his breakout role in The Karate Kid Part III, Griffith was briefly positioned to be one of Hollywood's next big action stars, even scoring a three-picture deal with New Line Cinema. [6] During the 1990s, he starred in a series of direct-to-video and low-budget theatrically released films, most notably Ulterior Motives, Excessive Force (both of which Griffith also helped write and produce), and Crackerjack. He elicited frequent comparisons to actors like Jean Claude van Damme and Steven Seagal, but these films received mixed to negative reviews and Griffith ultimately never reached their level of success.

Through the late 1990s and 2000s, Griffith transitioned to smaller projects and roles, working almost exclusively direct-to-video. He did, however, star in the film Hollow Point alongside Tia Carrere as DEA agent Max Parrish and collaborate with director John Carpenter. He played head vampire Jan Valek in Carpenter's 1998 film Vampires and co-created the comic book series Asylum with Carpenter and producer Sandy King. [7]

In 1999, he starred in the TV movie Secret of Giving with Reba McEntire; earlier in 1999, he had appeared in McEntire's video for the song "What Do You Say." In 2002, Griffith appeared in the film XXX , in which he portrayed Agent Jim McGrath.

In 2007, Griffith retired from acting altogether to pursue screenwriting. From 2013 to 2017, he periodically wrote and worked as a story editor for the NBC television series Grimm and became a co-producer in 2015. He and his wife, Mary Page Keller, also collaborated to write the sixth episode of the dramedy series Dolly Parton's Heartstrings in 2019, as well as an episode for Netflix series Virgin River. [8]

In 2021 and 2022, Griffith came out of his retirement from acting to reprise the role of Terry Silver in the fourth and fifth seasons of Cobra Kai . [9] [10]

Personal life

Griffith has been married to his former Another World costar Mary Page Keller since 1991 and the pair have two sons together. [1] He also has two sisters, Colleen and Mary Beth. [6]

He holds a black belt in taekwondo and kenpo karate. [2]

Filmography

Film

YearFilmRoleNotes
1989 The Karate Kid Part III Terry Silver
1990 Rock Hudson Rock Hudson TV movie
1992 Ulterior Motives Jack Blaylock
1993 Excessive Force Detective Terry McCain
1994 Crackerjack Jack Wild
1994 Blood of the Innocent Detective Frank Wusharsky
1996 Hollow Point Max Parrish
1997 Behind Enemy Lines CIA Agent Mike Weston
1997 Kull the Conqueror General Taligaro
1997The GuardianThe GuardianTV movie
1998 John Carpenter's Vampires Jan Valek
1999 The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax Jack FarrellTV movie
1999AvalancheNeal Meekin
1999 The Secret of Giving Harry WithersTV movie
2000A Vision of Murder: The Story of DonielleDoug BristerTV movie
2000 For the Cause Evans
2001High AdventureChris Quatermain
2002 Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder Cornelius LoudermilkTV movie
2002 Black Point Gus Travis
2002 XXX NSA Agent Jim McGrath
2003 Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision Brandon Miller
2005Seawolf: The Pirate's CurseCaptain Jeffery Thorpe
2007The KidnappingCashTV movie
2020 Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square NoneConsulting Producer

Television

YearShowCharacterNotes
1984 Another World Catlin Ewing1984–1987
1985 Miami Vice Extra (guy in pool, next to guy on raft in clothes)1 episode
1988 In the Heat of the Night Luke Potter2 episodes
1989 Wiseguy Roger Tot
2004 One Tree Hill Larry Sawyer5 episodes
2005 The Closer Thomas Yates1 episode
2006 Cold Case Mitch1 episode
2013–2017 Grimm NoneWriter (8 episodes), story editor, co-producer
2019 Dolly Parton's Heartstrings NoneWritten for television by (1 episode)
2021–2022 Cobra Kai Terry Silver Main Role (seasons 4-5)
2023 Virgin River NoneWriter (1 episode), supervising producer

Video games

Related Research Articles

<i>The Karate Kid</i> 1984 American martial arts drama film

The Karate Kid is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the Karate Kid franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue and William Zabka. The Karate Kid follows the story of Daniel LaRusso (Macchio), an Italian-American teenager from New Jersey who moves with his widowed mother to the Reseda neighborhood of Los Angeles. There, LaRusso encounters harassment from his new bullies, one of whom is Johnny Lawrence (Zabka), the ex-boyfriend of LaRusso's love interest, Ali Mills (Shue). As a result, LaRusso is taught karate by a handyman and war veteran named Mr. Miyagi (Morita) to help LaRusso defend himself and compete in a karate tournament against his bullies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Macchio</span> American actor (born 1961)

Ralph George Macchio Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for playing Daniel LaRusso in three Karate Kid films, the 1984 film The Karate Kid and its sequels, The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and The Karate Kid Part III (1989), as well as in Cobra Kai, a sequel television series on Netflix. He also played Johnny Cade in The Outsiders (1983), Jeremy Andretti in the television series Eight Is Enough, William Gambini in My Cousin Vinny (1992), Eugene Martone in Crossroads (1986), and Archie Rodriguez in the television series Ugly Betty. He also had a recurring role as Officer Haddix in the television series The Deuce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Zabka</span> American actor (born 1965)

William Michael Zabka is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Johnny Lawrence in The Karate Kid (1984), The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and the TV series Cobra Kai (2018–present). In 2004, he was nominated for an Academy Award for co-writing and producing the short film Most.

<i>Cobra Kai</i> American martial arts comedy-drama television series

Cobra Kai is an American martial arts comedy-drama television series and a sequel to the original The Karate Kid films created by Robert Mark Kamen. The series was created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, and is distributed by Sony Pictures Television. The series was released on YouTube Red / YouTube Premium for the first two seasons, before moving to Netflix starting with the third. The series stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, who reprise their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, respectively, from the 1984 film The Karate Kid and its sequels, The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and The Karate Kid Part III (1989).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Kove</span> American actor (born 1947)

Martin Kove is an American actor. He is best known for his role as John Kreese, the main antagonist of The Karate Kid (1984). He reprised the role in The Karate Kid Part II (1986), The Karate Kid Part III (1989), and the television series Cobra Kai (2018–present). Kove also appeared as Nero the Hero in Death Race 2000 (1975), and afterward as Clem in White Line Fever (1975). He was a regular on the TV series Cagney and Lacey (1982–1988), portraying Police Detective Victor Isbecki. He appeared in Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) and Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).

<i>The Karate Kid Part III</i> 1989 American martial arts drama film

The Karate Kid Part III is a 1989 American martial arts drama film, the third entry in the Karate Kid franchise and a sequel to The Karate Kid Part II (1986). It stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Robyn Lively, and Thomas Ian Griffith in his film debut. As was the case with the first two films in the series, it was directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Robert Mark Kamen, with stunts choreographed by Pat E. Johnson and music composed by Bill Conti. In the film, the returning John Kreese, with the help of his best friend Terry Silver, attempts to gain revenge on Daniel and Mr. Miyagi which involves hiring a ruthless martial artist and harming their relationship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Mouser</span> American actress (born 1996)

Mary Mouser is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Samantha LaRusso in the Netflix series Cobra Kai, and Lacey Fleming on the ABC series Body of Proof. She also took over the role of Karen Grant, Fitz & Mellie's daughter on Scandal in Season 4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuji Okumoto</span> American actor (born 1959)

Yuji Don Okumoto is an American actor of Japanese descent. He is best known for his role as Chozen Toguchi in The Karate Kid franchise. He has also appeared in such films as Better Off Dead,Real Genius, True Believer (1989), American Yakuza (1993), Contact (1997), The Truman Show (1998), Pearl Harbor (2001), Only the Brave (2006), Inception (2010) and Driven (2018).

The Karate Kid is an American martial arts drama franchise created by Robert Mark Kamen. The series follows the journey of various coming-of-age teenagers who are taught in the ways of martial arts by an experienced mentor in order to stand up for themselves after being bullied, or assert their dominance towards others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Bertrand</span> American actor (born 2000)

Jacob Bertrand is an American actor who began his career as a child actor appearing in the 2009 film Duress and playing guest roles on television series such as The Cape and The Middle. He is known for playing the titular character in the 2014 Disney XD series Kirby Buckets, and Jack Malloy in the 2016 Disney Channel Original Movie The Swap. Since 2018, Bertrand has played the series regular role of Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz in the YouTube Premium and Netflix series Cobra Kai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Silver</span> Fictional character from The Karate Kid

Terrance "Terry" Silver is a fictional character in The Karate Kid media franchise, portrayed by actor and martial artist Thomas Ian Griffith. He is introduced in The Karate Kid Part III (1989), serving as the main antagonist. 32 years later, he reprised the role in the fourth season of the sequel television series Cobra Kai (2021) and returned in its fifth season (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chozen Toguchi</span> Fictional character from the Karate Kid franchise

Chozen Toguchi is a fictional character who appears as the main antagonist of the motion picture The Karate Kid Part II (1986), and a supporting character of the series Cobra Kai (2021). He is portrayed by Yuji Okumoto, whose performance has received widespread acclaim.

<i>Cobra Kai</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of Cobra Kai was released on YouTube Red on May 2, 2018 and consisted of 10 episodes. The series is a direct sequel to the original four films in The Karate Kid franchise, focusing on the characters of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence over 30 years after the original film.

<i>Cobra Kai</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of Cobra Kai, stylized as COBRA KAII, was released on YouTube Premium on April 24, 2019, and consisted of 10 episodes. The series is a direct sequel to the original four films in The Karate Kid franchise, focusing on the characters of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence over 30 years after the original film. This is the final season to be originally released on YouTube's streaming service as Netflix would acquire the streaming rights to Cobra Kai following YouTube's decision not to renew the series past a third season.

<i>Cobra Kai</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of Cobra Kai, stylized as COBRA KAIII, was released on Netflix on January 1, 2021, and consisted of 10 episodes. The series is a direct sequel to the original four films in The Karate Kid franchise, focusing on the characters of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence over 30 years after the original film. This is the first season to be released on Netflix after YouTube decided to sell the series following the first two seasons. YouTube ordered the season in 2019 and initially set a 2020 release date which was delayed after Netflix's acquisition.

<i>Cobra Kai</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of Cobra Kai, also known as Cobra Kai IV, released on Netflix on December 31, 2021, and consisted of 10 episodes. The series is a direct sequel to the original four films in The Karate Kid franchise, focusing on the characters of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence over 30 years after the original film. It is the second season to be released in 2021 and second to initially release on Netflix after the first two seasons released on YouTube. The season was also released on DVD on September 13, 2022, a few days after the premiere of the show's fifth season.

<i>Cobra Kai</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of Cobra Kai, also known as Cobra Kai V, was released to Netflix on September 9, 2022, and consisted of 10 episodes. The series is a direct sequel to the original four films in The Karate Kid franchise, focusing on the characters of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence over 30 years after the original film. This is the third season to be released to Netflix.

Mike Barnes (<i>Karate Kid</i>) Fictional character from The Karate Kid franchise

Mike Barnes is a fictional character in the Karate Kid film franchise, serving as the central antagonist of the film The Karate Kid Part III (1989), and also in a supporting role of the fifth season of the sequel television series Cobra Kai. He is portrayed by Sean Kanan.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Thomas Ian Griffith Biography (1962?-)". Archived from the original on September 6, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2017. some sources cite 1962...
  2. 1 2 Clary, David W. (March 1993). "Meet the Karate Kid's Worst Enemy". Black Belt . p. 18. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2020. Griffith, 32... [interview necessarily conducted prior to March 1993 publication date]
  3. ↑ Petski, Denise (May 27, 2021). "Terry Silver Returns In 'Cobra Kai' Season 4". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Griffith is Latest Force in Hot World of Hollywood Action Movies". Hartford Courant . May 17, 1993. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  5. ↑ "'Another World' has high hopes for Griffith". The Times and Democrat . February 10, 1984. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  6. 1 2 "GRIFFITH IS LATEST FORCE IN HOT WORLD OF HOLLYWOOD ACTION MOVIES – Hartford Courant". January 1, 2022. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  7. ↑ Yanes, Nicholas (May 2014). "Sandy King discusses movie making and the comic book 'John Carpenter's Asylum'". scifipulse.net. Trending News Theme. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  8. ↑ Moore, Kasey (April 11, 2023). "'Virgin River' Season 5: Netflix Release Date Estimate & What We Know So Far". What's on Netflix. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  9. ↑ Petski, Denise (May 27, 2021). "Terry Silver Returns In 'Cobra Kai' Season 4". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  10. ↑ Moylan, Brian (December 31, 2021). "The Complete History of New 'Cobra Kai' Villain Terry Silver". Men's Health. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.