Happy Birthday Thomas Haden Church. Thomas Haden Church (born June 17, 1960) is an American actor. After co-starring in the 1990s sitcom Wings, Church became known for his film roles, including his Academy Award–nominated performance in Sideways and his role as the Sandman in Spider-Man 3. He also made his directorial debut with Rolling Kansas. Early life Church was born Thomas Richard McMillen in Woodland, California, to Maxine (née Sanders) and Carlos Carl Richard McMillen, who served for eight years in the Marines and saw action in the Korean War; after 1962, Carlos worked as a surveyor for Yolo County. Churchs parents divorced and his mother moved to Texas. She remarried in 1969, to widower George A. Quesada, a veteran of an Army Air Forces reconnaissance unit which served in Guam in World War II. Church took his stepfathers surname, Quesada, briefly. He was raised in Laredo, Texas, then in Harlingen. He left high school in 1977 to work the oil fields of Louisiana, but he returned to graduate Harlingen High School in 1979. He attended the University of North Texas while living in Dallas. Career Church started in the entertainment business as a radio personality and doing voice-over work. He changed his name to Thomas Haden Church, taking Haden and Church from his ancestry. A part in an independent film convinced him to move to California to pursue an acting career. He played the part of slow-witted aircraft mechanic Lowell Mather for six seasons (1990–1995) on the NBC sitcom Wings. He worked in television for two more seasons with a lead role on Ned and Stacey opposite Debra Messing. He has had supporting roles in films such as Tombstone, George of the Jungle, and The Specials. Church often plays villains or comic relief in films, most evident by turns in Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight and Over the Hedge. Church bought a ranch in Texas in 1998. In late 2000 he took a break from films. After having small roles in films such as Monkeybone and 3000 Miles to Graceland, he made his directorial debut with Rolling Kansas in 2003. He has voiceover work in commercials, such as for Merrill Lynch and Icehouse beer. In 2003, director Alexander Payne called him regarding the role of Jack, the selfish best friend to Paul Giamattis character, in Sideways. During the audition, Church stripped naked to read the audition scene, later saying To me it was painfully obvious... I was reading the scene where Jack comes in naked and there has to be in-born vulnerability in the scene. (He later found that he was the only actor to strip down for the audition). Sideways earned acclaim for Church. He won an IFP Independent Spirit Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Church at the Spider-Man 3 (2007) premiere in New York City He has since appeared in films such as Idiocracy, done voice-over work on films such as Over the Hedge and starred in one of AMCs highest rated television productions, Broken Trail, with Robert Duvall, in 2006, for which he won an Emmy. In 2007, he appeared as the villain Sandman in Sam Raimis Spider-Man 3 starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. In 2005, he was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. On September 16, 2007, he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his role of Tom Harte on AMCs Broken Trail. In October 2008, Church appeared as Joe Six-Pack in a video on funnyordie, challenging Joe the Plumber by drinking more beer.[8] Church starred in the FEARnet webseries, Zombie Roadkill alongside David Dorfman. Personal life Church lives on his 2,000-acre (810 ha) ranch in Bandera County, Texas. Church and actress Mia Zottoli have a daughter, born in late 2004. He has never been married.[10] Churchs biological father died in 2008, and his stepfather in 2012.
Posted on: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 23:36:14 +0000
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