Tom Welling Biography

Thomas John Patrick Welling (born April 26, 1977) known professionally as Tom Welling, is an American actor, director, producer, and model, best known for his portrayal of Clark Kent in the WB/CW series Smallville.

A high-school athlete, Welling initially worked in construction and, in 1998, he successfully modeled men's clothing for several popular brands. In 2000, he made a successful transition to television. He has been nominated for and received several awards for his portrayal of Clark Kent. He also had a recurring role in Judging Amy. He has also been involved behind the camera as an executive producer and a director. His films include Cheaper by the Dozen, its sequel, the 2005 remake of The Fog, and upcoming Parkland and Draft Day.

Early life

Welling was born in the lower Hudson Valley on April 26, 1977. His family moved frequently, making stops in Wisconsin, Delaware, and Michigan. Welling attended Okemos High School in Okemos, Michigan, where he started acting in plays, but then switched into sports. Welling played baseball and soccer, but his favorite sport is basketball. Welling is one of four children with two older sisters, Rebecca and Jamie. His younger brother, Mark Welling, is also an actor.

Career

Originally a construction worker, Welling was discovered in 1998 at a party in Nantucket by a catalog camera scout who suggested he try modeling. Welling modeled for Louisa Modeling Agency until 2000, when he relocated to Los Angeles. There he modeled for Tommy Hilfiger, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Calvin Klein while pursuing an acting career. In 2000, Welling appeared in the video for Angela Via's single, "Picture Perfect", playing Vía's love interest. Welling has stated that he did not like modeling and that he was not good at it because it was all on the outside or from an external point of view. He pursued acting because he wanted to express a range of emotions. Welling auditioned to play the character Tag Jones on Friends, but was not cast. In his first major acting role, Welling portrayed karate teacher Rob Meltzer, a.k.a. "Karate Rob", a younger love interest of Amy Brenneman's character on the CBS series Judging Amy, which aired in 2001. Welling was originally signed for three episodes; after receiving enthusiastic fan reviews, the producers kept him for three more. Welling also had a small role in UPN's Special Unit 2, and he appeared in the pilot episode of the FOX sitcom Undeclared.

Smallville

Welling was cast in the television series Smallville after a nationwide search for an actor to play Clark Kent. In an interview with a teen magazine, Welling spoke about the day he auditioned for the role: "I was on my way back from the Warner Bros. studio, and I stopped in a gas station to call my manager and tell him how it went. I called and got him on the phone and he said, 'Can you hold on a second?' Next thing I know, there are literally seven people on the other line and almost in unison they say, 'Tom, you got it!'" The pilot aired in October 2001 and became the highest-rated debut for The WB, with 8.4 million viewers. Welling told TV Guide that he turned down the lead role twice, but after reading the script, decided to take the job. Like Christopher Reeve, he was not a Superman fan prior to being cast as Clark Kent. In fact, he said, he continues to not read Superman comics: "I made a conscious decision to stay away from that material. We're doing something different at a time before all that, I don't want that to affect what I'm doing, even subconsciously." He did get the chance to meet two previous Superman actors: Christopher Reeve, who appeared in season 2: episode 17 titled "Rosetta", and Dean Cain, who appeared in season 7: episode 4 titled "Cure".

Welling was named one of People magazine's "Breakthrough Stars of 2001", and also won the Teen Choice Award as "Choice Breakout Star (Male)" in 2002 for his role as Clark Kent. Following the third season, Welling was interviewed by Smallville Magazine and stated that if he could play one character on the show that was not Clark Kent, it would be Lex Luthor; "Lex Luthor! I wouldn't mind having my head shaved " as an actor, [it is the ultimate,] getting to play the complete opposite of your character."

In 2004 Welling was approached about starring in the big screen adaptation of Superman when director Brett Ratner was attached to project. Comic book artist Alex Ross even did two sketches of Welling as the "Man of Steel" to see what the actor would look like in the famous costume. In August 2009, Welling won another Teen Choice Award as "Choice TV Actor (Action Adventure)" for Smallville.

Film

In December 2003, Welling played Charlie Baker, the oldest son and second oldest in the Baker family which had 12 children in the film Cheaper by the Dozen opposite Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt, which is a remake of the 1950 movie starring Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy, based on the 1948 book by Frank and Lillian Gilbreth. Welling talked about why he was interested in the project in an interview with Paul Fischer: "The top three reasons I decided to do this film were, one, Steve Martin, two, Steve Martin and three, Steve Martin. That was the number one draw for me. Then, after reading the script, I really liked this character, Charlie. I liked what he went through, what he had to go through, and I felt I understood where he was coming from. And I just wanted to be a part of it." Welling had always been a fan of Steve Martin's and stated that he "absolutely loved" working with him.

In 2005, Welling appeared as Nick Castle in The Fog, a remake of John Carpenter's 1980 film of the same name, as Nick Castle (a character originally played by Tom Atkins). At the same time The Fog was in production, Welling was still working on the last few episodes of the fourth season of Smallville. The same year, he reprised his role as Charlie Baker in Cheaper by the Dozen 2.

In 2013, Welling joined the all-star cast of Peter Landesman's film Parkland, based on the book Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy by author Vincent Bugliosi. The story centers on the chaotic events that occurred at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas on the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22nd, 1963.

Welling has also joined Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, Frank Langella and Denis Leary in Ivan Reitman's new film, Draft Day which has started production. In the movie, the manager (Costner) of a football team tries to take first place in the annual lottery organized by the NFL for choosing promising college players. Welling will play a veteran quarterback whose career is at a crossroads.

Production

For Smallville's ninth season, Welling served as a co-executive producer. He returned as Clark Kent for the show's tenth and final season in Fall 2010 and has become a full executive producer, as credited in a May 20, 2010 press release by the CW.

Welling still models occasionally and appeared in the May 2008 issue of Vogue, the so-called Superhero Issue.

Welling served as an executive producer on Hellcats, a television series based on the book Cheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders by journalist Kate Torgovnick. The series first aired on The CW beginning in Fall 2010, and was canceled on May 17, 2011.

At the USA upfront presentating it has been announced Tom Welling Productions and Rob Thomas Productions in association with Warner Horizon Television will develop a new series called "Blanco County". Tom Welling will serve as executive producer for this project. Currently this project isn't picked up for series but in development stages.

Directing

Welling made his directorial debut in 2006, with Smallville, season 5: episode 18 titled "Fragile". He also directed season 6: episode 10 titled "Hydro", the show's 150th episode which was season 7: episode 18 titled "Apocalypse", season 8: episode 21 titled "Injustice", and the second part of the TV movie Absolute Justice season 9: episode 11 titled "Legends". Later, he directed two episodes of Smallville's tenth and final season, episode 9 titled "Patriot" and episode 18 titled "Booster".

Personal life

On July 5, 2002, Welling married model Jamie White in Martha's Vineyard with Welling's friends and then-current Smallville co-stars Kristin Kreuk and Michael Rosenbaum in attendance. Welling and his wife resided in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, but returned to Los Angeles in March 2011.

Welling has stated in YM that he dislikes interviews. He said, "I don't want to be a celebrity for the sake of being a celebrity. I want to work and then go home and live in private."

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003	Cheaper by the Dozen	Charlie Baker	Nominated " Teen Choice Award Choice Breakout Movie Star, Male
2005	'	Nicholas "Nick" Castle
2005	Cheaper by the Dozen 2	Charlie Baker
2013	Parkland	Secret Service Agent Roy Kellerman	Completed
2014	Draft Day	Brian Drew	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Judging Amy	Rob Meltzer	Recurring (Season 2); 6 episodes
2001	Special Unit 2	Male victim	Episode: "The Depths"
2001	Undeclared	Tom	Episode: "Prototype"
2001"2011	Smallville	Clark Kent	Lead role, 217 episodes Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actor: Action Adventure (2009) Teen Choice Award TV Choice Breakout Star, Male (2002) Nominated " Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (2010-2011) Nominated " Scream Awards Best Superhero (2010-2011) Nominated " Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actor: Action Adventure (2003-2008) Nominated " Teen Choice Award TV Choice Chemistry (shared w/Kristin Kreuk) (2006) Nominated " Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television (2002-2006) Nominated " Teen Choice Award TV Choice Actor, Drama (2002, 2005)

List of director and producer credits

Year	Title	Notes
2006"2011	Smallville	Director (7 episodes; "Fragile", "Hydro", "Apocalypse", "Injustice", "Absolute Justice", "Patriot", "Booster")
2009"2010	Smallville	Co-executive producer (22 episodes; Season 9)
2010"2011	Smallville	Executive producer (22 episodes; Season 10)
2010"2011	Hellcats	Executive producer (18 episodes; Season 1)
2013	Blanco County	Executive producer

Music video

Year	Title	Artist	Role
2000	"Picture Perfect"	Angela Via	Vía's love interest