Thomas Ian Griffith (born March 18, 1962)[1][2] is an American actor, screenwriter, television producer, 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]
Thomas Ian Griffith | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 18, 1962 Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Education | College of the Holy Cross |
| Occupations |
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| Years active |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Early life edit
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. Griffith became obsessed with taekwondo while in high school and earned a black belt when he was 18.[4] He later earned a black belt in American Kenpo. His martial arts skills would later help earn him the role of Terry Silver in The Karate Kid Part III.[4][2]
Griffith 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 edit
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.
In 1989, Griffith was cast in 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 edit
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]
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | The Karate Kid Part III | Terry Silver | |
| 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 | |
| 1998 | John Carpenter's Vampires | Jan Valek | |
| 1999 | Avalanche | Neal Meekin | |
| 2000 | For the Cause | Evans | |
| 2001 | High Adventure | Chris Quatermain | |
| 2002 | Black Point | Gus Travis | |
| 2002 | XXX | NSA Agent Jim McGrath | |
| 2003 | Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision | Brandon Miller | |
| 2005 | Seawolf: The Pirate's Curse | Captain Jeffery Thorpe | |
| 2020 | Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square | — | Consulting Producer |
Television edit
| Year | Show | Character | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984–87 | Another World | Catlin Ewing | |
| 1985 | Miami Vice | Extra (guy in pool, next to guy on raft in clothes) | 1 episode |
| 1988 | In the Heat of the Night | Luke Potter | 2 episodes |
| 1989 | Wiseguy | Roger Tot | |
| 1990 | Rock Hudson | Rock Hudson | TV movie |
| 1997 | The Guardian | The Guardian | TV movie |
| 1999 | The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax | Jack Farrell | TV movie |
| 1999 | The Secret of Giving | Harry Withers | TV movie |
| 2000 | A Vision of Murder: The Story of Donielle | Doug Brister | TV movie |
| 2002 | Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder | Cornelius Loudermilk | TV movie |
| 2004 | One Tree Hill | Larry Sawyer | 5 episodes |
| 2005 | The Closer | Thomas Yates | 1 episode |
| 2006 | Cold Case | Mitch | 1 episode |
| 2007 | The Kidnapping | Cash | TV movie |
| 2013–17 | Grimm | — | Writer (8 episodes), story editor, co-producer |
| 2019 | Dolly Parton's Heartstrings | — | Writer (1 episode) |
| 2021–22 | Cobra Kai | Terry Silver | Main Role (seasons 4-5) |
| 2023 | Virgin River | — | Writer (1 episode), supervising producer |
Video games edit
- Cobra Kai 2: Dojos Rising (2022) as Terry Silver (voice role)
References edit
- ^ a b c "Thomas Ian Griffith Biography (1962?-)". Archived from the original on September 6, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
some sources cite 1962...
- ^ a b 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] - ^ 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.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ "'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.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
