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Tom Villard
Villard in 1987
Born	Thomas Louis Villard (1953-11-19)November 19, 1953 Waipahu, Territory of Hawaii, U.S.
Died	November 14, 1994(1994-11-14) (aged 40) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Allegheny College
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1980–1994
Partner	Scott Chambliss

Thomas Louis Villard (November 19, 1953 – November 14, 1994) was an American actor. He is known for his leading role in the 1980s series We Got It Made, as well as roles in feature films Grease 2, One Crazy Summer, Heartbreak Ridge, My Girl, and Popcorn.

Early life

Villard was born in Waipahu, Territory of Hawaii, and grew up in Spencerport, New York, the son of Diane Ruth (MacNaughton), a teacher for students with emotional challenges, and Ronald Louis Villard, a photochemical engineer. He attended Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, before moving to New York City to attend the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in the early 1970s. In 1980, Villard moved to Los Angeles and soon started landing roles on television and in movies. He also continued performing on stage until the end of his career.

Career

Villard appeared throughout his career on television, in feature films, and on stage around the country. He was featured in situation comedies, episodic TV series, and had leading roles in lower and mid-range budgeted features. He had several television appearances most notably appearing on The Golden Girls and as a panelist on Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour. At the peak of his career Villard was given featured supporting roles in big-budget studio fare, such as Clint Eastwood's Heartbreak Ridge, and My Girl (with Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis). Villard also had the title role in the 1987 independent film The Trouble With Dick, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. One of his final roles was playing a Bajoran monk on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Personal life and illness

Toward the end of his life, Villard became one of the few actors in Hollywood in the early 1990s who chose to be open about his homosexuality, and the challenge of living with HIV and AIDS. In February 1994, Villard made an unprecedented appearance on Entertainment Tonight, acknowledging to "...more than 13 million viewers that he was gay, that he had AIDS, and that he needed some help."

According to a POZ magazine profile in December of that year Villard said, "An awful lot of people suddenly wouldn't let me in the door for auditions. I started speaking a couple of months ago about living with AIDS and having hope," he said. "It feels a little more useful than things (I've done) in the past." He went on to explain that since his appearance on E.T., a whole other group of people had come forward to welcome him. Bill Melamed, Villard's manager added: "I'm particularly proud of him. The reality is, acting is a lousy business... He made a decision that was courageous in any walk of life, but it doesn't surprise me. He has one of the most open spirits."

Death

On November 14, 1994, five days shy of his 41st birthday, Villard died of AIDS-related pneumonia.

As a tribute to him, a non-profit foundation was created by his partner Scott Chambliss, close friend Caren Kaye, and his friend and chiropractor Cheryl Revkin. The Tom Villard Foundation was a Silver Lake community-based effort which engaged local businesses to provide free goods and services for community members living with AIDS. The beneficiaries were the client base of the former Silver Lake AIDS support organization, Being Alive. The Tom Villard Foundation no longer exists. Being Alive is now headquartered in West Hollywood.

Filmography

References

1. ^ "Tom Villard; Actor, 40". The New York Times. November 17, 1994. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
2. "'Crazy Summer' mimics 'Pee-wee'". Standard-Speaker. August 30, 1986. p. 8. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
3. "Tom Villard (1953 – 1994), US. Actor". Queers in History. November 19, 2012. Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
4. "Sundance Grand Jury Prize winners". IMDb. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
5. "Tom Villard's Fall Season". POZ. December 1, 1994. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
6. "AIDS Takes Life of Actor Tom Villard". Eugene Register-Guard. November 16, 1994. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
7. "Contact Us". Being Alive!. Archived from the original on June 7, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.

External links

• Tom Villard at IMDb
• Tom Villard at the TCM Movie Database

• 1953 births
• 1994 deaths
• 20th-century American LGBTQ people
• 20th-century American male actors
• AIDS-related deaths in California
• Allegheny College alumni
• American gay actors
• American male film actors
• American male stage actors
• American male television actors
• American Musical and Dramatic Academy alumni
• Deaths from pneumonia in California
• Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni
• LGBTQ people from Hawaii
• LGBTQ people from New York (state)
• Male actors from New York (state)
• People from Spencerport, New York