Thomas Haden Church
Thomas Haden Church is an American actor, director, and writer. After co-starring in the 1990s sitcom Wings, Church became known for his film roles, including his Academy Award-nominated performance in Sideways, his role as the Sandman in Spider-Man 3 and his role of Lyle van de Groot in George of the Jungle. He also made his directorial debut with Rolling Kansas.
Early life
Church was born as Thomas Richard McMillen in Woodland, Yolo County, California, the son of Maxine and Carlos "Carl" Richard McMillen, who served for eight years in the Marines and who was on active duty at the end of the Korean War; after 1962, Carlos worked as a surveyor. Church's 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 stepfather's surname for a time but changed it to "Haden Church," extracted from the names of other relatives, when people found Quesada difficult to pronounce. He left high school in 1977 to work in the oil fields of Louisiana, but he returned to graduate from 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. After appearing in an independent film, he moved to California to pursue an acting career. His character delivers a last love letter from "Eddie Labec" to "Carla" in the Cheers episode, "Death Takes a Vacation on Ice". He played the part of slow-witted aircraft mechanic Lowell Mather for six seasons on the NBC sitcom Wings.He worked in television for two more seasons with a lead role on Ned & Stacey opposite Debra Messing. He has had supporting roles in films such as Tombstone, George of the Jungle, and The Specials. He has often played villains or comic relief in films, such as in Demon Knight.
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 Giamatti's 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.". Sideways earned acclaim for Church. He won an IFP Independent Spirit Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
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 AMC's highest rated television productions, Broken Trail, with Robert Duvall, in 2006, for which he won an Emmy. In 2007, he appeared as the tragic villain Sandman in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst.
In 2005, he was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In October 2008, Church appeared as "Joe Six-Pack" in a video on funnyordie.com, challenging Joe the Plumber by drinking more beer. Church starred in the FEARnet webseries, Zombie Roadkill, alongside David Dorfman.
He appeared in the HBO original series Divorce'' playing the role of Robert.
Personal life
Church lives on his ranch in Kerrville, Texas. During the filming of Divorce, he rented a house in New Rochelle, New York. He has two children from a former relationship with Mia Zottoli, but was never married to her or anyone else despite a 2008 article in the Los Angeles Times incorrectly claiming he was married to his partner. Church's father, Carl, died in 2008, and his stepfather, George, died in 2012.Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1980 | Gypsy Angels | Roommate | 1989 version; Uncredited |
| 1993 | Tombstone | Billy Clanton | |
| 1995 | Demon Knight | Roach | |
| 1997 | George of the Jungle | Lyle Van de Groot | |
| 1997 | One Night Stand | Don | |
| 1998 | Susan's Plan | Dr. Chris Stillman | |
| 1998 | Free Money | Larry | |
| 1999 | Goosed | Steven Troy | |
| 2000 | The Specials | The Strobe | |
| 2001 | 3000 Miles to Graceland | Quigley | |
| 2001 | Monkeybone | Death's Assistant | Uncredited |
| 2002 | Lone Star State of Mind | Killer | |
| 2002 | The Badge | David Hardwick | |
| 2003 | Rolling Kansas | Agent Madsen / Trooper | Uncredited; Also director and writer |
| 2003 | George of the Jungle 2 | Lyle Van de Groot | Direct-to-video |
| 2004 | Serial Killing 4 Dummys | Vince Grimaldi | |
| 2004 | Sideways | Jack Cole | |
| 2004 | Spanglish | Mike | |
| 2006 | Over the Hedge | Dwayne | |
| 2006 | Idiocracy | Brawndo CEO | |
| 2006 | Charlotte's Web | Brooks the Crow | |
| 2007 | Spider-Man 3 | Flint Marko / Sandman | |
| 2008 | Smart People | Chuck Wetherhold | |
| 2009 | Don McKay | Don McKay | Also executive producer |
| 2009 | Imagine That | Johnny Whitefeather | |
| 2009 | Aliens in the Attic | Tazer | |
| 2009 | All About Steve | Hartman | |
| 2010 | Easy A | Mr. Griffith | |
| 2011 | Another Happy Day | Paul | |
| 2011 | Killer Joe | Ansel Smith | |
| 2011 | We Bought a Zoo | Duncan Mee | |
| 2012 | John Carter | Tal Hajus | |
| 2013 | Whitewash | Bruce Landry | |
| 2013 | Lucky Them | Charlie | |
| 2014 | Heaven Is for Real | Jay Wilkins | |
| 2015 | Max | Ray Wincott | |
| 2015 | Daddy's Home | Leo Holt | |
| 2016 | Cardboard Boxer | Willie | |
| 2017 | Crash Pad | Grady | |
| 2019 | The Peanut Butter Falcon | Clint / The Salt Water Redneck | |
| 2019 | Hellboy | Lobster Johnson | |
| 2020 | The 24th | Col. Norton |
Television
Video games
Awards and nominations
Church has received multiple awards and nominations for his roles in both television and film. He earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2005 for his role as Jack in Sideways, two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor in 2004 for the film Sideways and in 2007 for the miniseries Broken Trail, won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie in 2007 for Broken Trail, and received one of three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations in 2005 for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Motion Picture for Sideways.| Year | Title | Accolade | Results | Ref |
| 2004 | Sideways | Award Circuit Community Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | Award Circuit Community Award, Best Cast Ensemble | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | Boston Society Film Critics Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | Boston Society Film Critics Award, Best Cast Ensemble | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | Chicago Film Critics Association Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | Florida Film Critics Circle Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | Golden Schmoes Award, Best Supporting Actor of the Year | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | National Board of Review Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | New York Film Critics Circle Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | New York Film Critics Online Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | Phoenix Film Critics Society Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | Phoenix Film Critics Society Award, Best Ensemble Acting | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | Seattle Film Critics Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | Southeastern Film Critics Association Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | St. Louis Film Critics Association Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | Utah Film Critics Association Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | Village Voice Film Poll Award, Best Supporting Performance | ||
| 2004 | Sideways | Washing D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2005 | Sideways | Academy Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2005 | Sideways | Critics Choice Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2005 | Sideways | Critics Choice Award, Best Ensemble | ||
| 2005 | Sideways | Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2005 | Sideways | Gold Derby Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2005 | Sideways | Gold Derby Award, Best Ensemble | ||
| 2005 | Sideways | Golden Globe Award, Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | ||
| 2005 | Sideways | Independent Spirit Award, Best Supporting Male | ||
| 2005 | Sideways | International Online Cinema Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2005 | Sideways | Iowa Film Critics Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2005 | Sideways | National Society of Film Critics Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2005 | Sideways | Online Film & Television Association Award, Best Breakthrough Performance - Male | ||
| 2005 | Sideways | Online Film & Television Association Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2005 | Sideways | Online Film Critics Society Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2005 | Sideways | Satellite Award, Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical | ||
| 2005 | Sideways | Screen Actors Guild Award, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role | ||
| 2005 | Sideways | Screen Actors Guild Award, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Motion Picture | ||
| 2005 | Sideways | Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award, Best Supporting Actor | ||
| 2007 | Broken Trail | Gold Derby Award, Best Lead Actor in a Television Movie/Miniseries | ||
| 2007 | Broken Trail | Golden Globe Award, Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | ||
| 2007 | Broken Trail | Monte-Carlo Television Festival Award, Mini-Series - Best Performance by an Actor | ||
| 2007 | Broken Trail | Online Film & Television Association Award, Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | ||
| 2007 | Broken Trail | Primetime Emmy Award, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie | ||
| 2007 | Broken Trail | Screen Actors Guild Award, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries | ||
| 2007 | Spider-Man 3 | Teen Choice Award, Choice Movie - Rumble | ||
| 2007 | Broken Trail | Western Heritage Award, Outstanding Television Feature Film | ||
| 2014 | Whitewash | Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award, Best Actor in a Canadian Film |