Thomas Ian Griffith

Edit

Overview (2)

Born	March 18, 1962 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Height	6' 5" (1.96 m)

Mini Bio (1)

Thomas Ian Griffith was born on March 18, 1962 in Hartford, Connecticut. His father was a college professor, his mother a dance teacher. Griffith trained as an opera singer in New York City with Metropolitan Opera star Delia Rigal. He attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, majoring in English literature and music. While still in school, he was cast in the Broadway show The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. He continued to work on Broadway and in regional theater until moving to Los Angeles to star in his first feature film, The Karate Kid Part III. After a successful acting career, Griffith segued into writing full time, including developing multiple pilots for NBC, Universal and Warner Brothers TV. He is married to actress/screenwriter Mary Page Keller. They have two sons, Conner and Eamon.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Family (1)

Spouse	Mary Page Keller (16 November 1991 - present) (2 children)

Spouse

Mary Page Keller (16 November 1991 - present) (2 children)

Trade Mark (2)

Towering slender yet dark stature

Long dark hair and cold blue eyes

Trivia (15)

Has appeared in a music video for Reba McEntire called "What Do You Say", and later that same year, starred with her in the television movie Secret of Giving (1999).

Attended and graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Worchester, Massachusetts (1982).

Has studied Tae Kwon Do since childhood; he's also a black belt in Kenpo Karate.

Despite appearing much older and noticeably larger, Griffith is actually younger than Ralph Macchio, whom he co-starred with in The Karate Kid Part III (1989).

Trained Tae Kwon Do under Master Jun Chong. Besides Tae Kwon Do and Kenpo Karate, he's also trained in kickboxing, wrestling and fencing. He also has experience in stage combat.

He spent part of his youth traveling with his mother to the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada to participate in Irish step dancing competitions.

Thomas is also accomplished on accordion and won contests on the latter instrument. He trained as an opera singer in New York City with Metropolitan Opera star Delia Rigal.

Trained with Loren Avedon in preparation of his role in The Karate Kid Part III (1989). While sparring, Avedon accidentally broke some of Griffith's ribs.

Best known by the public for playing two villains: Terry Silver in John G. Avildsen's sequel The Karate Kid Part III (1989) and vampire boss Jan Valek in Vampires (1998).

His parents are: Thomas Joseph Ian Sr., a college professor; and Mary Ann Griffith, a dance instructor. He also has two sisters.

Father of two sons with Mary Page Keller: Connor O'Neil Griffith (b. June 3, 1994) and Eamon Michael Griffith (b. March 28, 1997).

Born on the same day as James McMurtry.

He retired from acting in 2007.

He had originally turned down several offers to portray Terry Silver in Cobra Kai (2018) citing his retirement from acting. In May 2021, after filming of season four had completed, Netflix confirmed that Griffith will return as Terry Silver for season four of Cobra Kai.

Was a fan of the NHL's Hartford Whalers, prior to their move to Raleigh, North Carolina in 1997.

Personal Quotes (10)

[on action movies] It's like a kid playing, all the things you got in trouble for.

I didn't come from the typical martial arts background and then became a movie actor. It's sort of the other way around. I'm looked upon as a theater actor who happened to know martial arts before I got into the movies. So people tend to look at me in a different light.

I became addicted to Tae Kwon Do. It was a great sport to have on the side while I was working as an actor in New York.

I'm not real big socially. I've never been one for going out to parties. I do my own thing. I'm more for a one-on-one relationship. I prefer spending time with my girlfriend.

No matter what happens, I will always be the same person.

[on movies in general] I want to do things with character, passion, heart.

[on being typecasted] Genre karate movies don't interest me.

Kids are always infatuated with the action in martial arts films. Let me tell you, there is nothing better for kids than the Arts. That is what kept me straight and decent. I always had a place to go. That was the dojo. I always had something to look forward to doing.

I think audiences like to see their favorite actor handle himself physically on screen, however he does it. He can wrestle, or box, or he can know karate. That is attractive to the types of people who enjoy these (martial arts) movies. Plus, as an actor, it's a blast being able to do it.

I like to keep it mixed up. After The Karate Kid Part III (1989), I didn't want to do another movie like this. So I got the lead role in the film Rock Hudson (1990), just to break it up. I love doing the action, and I love doing the karate stuff but, at the same time, I like doing the drama as well, and I try to keep it in balance. I enjoy doing martial arts films, but I like the straight stuff, too. I'd like to go back and do some Shakespeare, and maybe knock out a play or two. It's all about keeping balance.