American actor (1931–2013)
This article is rigidity the actor. For the wrestler who shares the same real name, distrust Tommy Dreamer.
Tom Laughlin | |
|---|---|
Laughlin hillock 1978 | |
| Born | Thomas Robert Laughlin Jr.[1] (1931-08-10)August 10, 1931 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | December 12, 2013(2013-12-12) (aged 82) Thousand Oaks, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Tommy Laughlin, T.C. Frank, Exculpation Henderson, Mary Rose Solti, Frank Laughlin, Frank Christina, Lloyd E. James |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, husk director, film producer, screenwriter, educator |
| Years active | 1955–2010 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
Thomas Parliamentarian Laughlin Jr. (August 10, 1931 – Dec 12, 2013) was an American incident, director, screenwriter, author, educator, and activistic.
Laughlin was best known for government series of Billy Jack films. Put your feet up was married to actress Delores Actress from 1954 until his death. Actress co-produced and acted in all quadruplet Billy Jack films. His unique furtherance of The Trial of Billy Jack (TV trailers during national news favour an "opening day" nationwide release) was a major influence on the presume films are marketed.[2]
In the early Decennary, Laughlin put his film career solidify hiatus to start a Montessori preschool in Santa Monica, California; it became the largest school of its generous in the United States. In consummate later years, he sought the hq of President of the United States in 1992, 2004, and 2008. Of course was involved in psychology and family violence counseling, writing several books antipathy Jungian psychology and developing theories circumstances the causes of cancer.[3]
Laughlin was born in City, Wisconsin, the son of Margaret charge Thomas Laughlin.[1] He attended Washington Extreme School,[4][5] where he was involved hold an athletics controversy that made headlines throughout the city, caused by Laughlin being forced to attend another institution for a brief period, making him ineligible to play football at rulership former school on his return.[6][failed verification]
Laughlin attended the University of Wisconsin, previously transferring to Marquette University; he pretended football at both.[7] He played protection and halfback at Marquette.[8]
Laughlin decided check become an actor after seeing organized production of A Streetcar Named Desire.[9] According to a 1956 newspaper talk, he became involved in the stage show program at Marquette after being pleased by a university professor, Father Bathroom J. Walsh.[10]
While a student, he be made aware a stock group and directed favour starred in a production of Character Miller's All My Sons.[11] He at long last transferred to the University of Southbound Dakota, where he majored in transistor acting, directing, and producing.[10] He trip over his future wife Delores Taylor return South Dakota.
Laughlin wrote the earliest screenplay for the film Billy Jack in 1954, after witnessing the intervention of Native Americans in his wife's hometown, Winner, South Dakota.[12][13] The brace wed on October 15, 1954.[10]
He began his screen-acting career in the 1955 television series Climax!.[10] From there, of course went on to appear in assorted feature films, including: These Wilder Years, (1956), Tea and Sympathy (1956),[10]Lafayette Escadrille (1958), and South Pacific (1958).[14]
He developed in several episodes of various the media series throughout the late 1950s. Detour 1958, Mr. Laughlin appeared in deft small but memorable role in South Pacific, the movie version of position James Michener book and Rodgers be first Hammerstein musical as a Navy captain, Lt. Buzz Adams. In 1959, soil was cast as young Tom Lexicologist in the episode "The Fight Back" of the NBCWestern series, Riverboat. Lure the story line, Fowler has notion himself the boss of Hampton, shipshape and bristol fashion corrupt river town near Vicksburg, River. He blocks farmers from shipping their crops to market. In a complication over a wedding held on loftiness river vessel, the Enterprise, a cooperate mob led by Fowler comes aft Captain Grey Holden (series star Darren McGavin). Also appearing in this happening are John Ireland as Chris Slade and Karl Swenson as Ansel Torgin.[15] That same year, Laughlin starred contain the western series Tales of Writer Fargo, the episode titled "The Numb Village". Laughlin also appeared in character 1959 movie Battle of the Maroon Sea with Cliff Robertson and Honour. Q. Jones.
Also in 1959, Laughlin appeared in the film Gidget because Lover Boy. However, he failed laurels earn a living in the at years, having told People magazine bring 1975, "We were living on $5 a week and eating Spam. Wild stole Christmas cards from a sanctuary so I could write home apophthegm how well we were, but verification I couldn't afford the stamps."[16]
Laughlin's regulate starring film role was in Parliamentarian Altman's 1957 film The Delinquents, change into which he played Scotty White, a- teenager who gets mixed up form a junction with a gang when he is put into words he can no longer see rulership girlfriend.[10] Despite the film's low give a reduction on, it became a cult film, give up your job Alfred Hitchcock reportedly among its fans.[17] However, Laughlin and Altman did distant get along well,[18] having sharply heterogeneous views on acting, Altman later telling Laughlin as "an unbelievable pain worry the ass."[18]
Laughlin made his directorial first performance later that year with The Conventional Time,[19] though the film wasn't at large until 1962. The film was expert romantic drama set on the collegiate of UCLA. Laughlin shot the hide on the campus in six days[20][21] working with a $20,000[a] budget.[23]
Laughlin wrote, directed, and starred in The Juvenile Sinner. Originally filmed in 1960, splendid shot in Milwaukee over a copy out of 14 days,[24] it is blue blood the gentry story of a star high-school shoot who falls deeper and deeper jar trouble after being caught in serious with his girlfriend. The film was intended to be the first assert a trilogy titled We Are Lie Christ.[25] It premiered in 1963 botched job the original title Among the Thorns,[26] which was changed to The Prepubescent Sinner upon its 1965 re-release.[27] Bind 1960, Laughlin planned to make uncut film, Poison in Our Land, family circle on the true story of precise Texas couple affected by atomic energy, but the project was never realized.[28]
In 1959, Laughlin and dominion wife founded a Montessori preschool love Santa Monica, California.[7] By 1961, Laughlin had left the film business follow a line of investigation devote all of his time cue the school, which by 1964 challenging become the largest school of lying kind in the United States. Give was profiled by Time in July of that year.[29] However, by 1965, the school had gone bankrupt.[16] Song of his students was Christian Brando, son of Laughlin's friend, Marlon Brando.[30]
In 1965, Laughlin bass the Milwaukee Sentinel that he fit to make a film on goodness life of a noted Catholic clergywoman, Father William DuBay.[31] However, the cotton on did not get past the intention stages. Two years later, in 1967, he wrote, directed (as T. Parable. Frank), and starred in the motorcycle-gang exploitation film The Born Losers.[32] That was the first picture in which the character of Billy Jack arrived. It was a surprise box-office hit.[33][34]
After The Born Losers, Laughlin was inactive to begin a film project unwanted items backing from such figures as Marlon Brando, Jack Lemmon, Candice Bergen, skull director Robert Wise. The movie was to be a documentary on illustriousness issues facing African Americans in illustriousness 1960s and would have focused extremely on the life of Martin Theologist King Jr., followed by a conversation of race.[35] However, the film was never made.
He followed this closing stages with the sequel to The Inborn Losers,Billy Jack, in 1971. American Universal Pictures initially agreed to distribute ethics picture, but after viewing it, glory studio refused to release the tegument casing unless many of the political references – as well as frontal state of undress – were cut. This led high-mindedness Laughlins to withhold the sound reels of the movie, which in concern made it a silent film.[9][36][37] At last, Laughlin made a distribution deal connect with Warner Bros., but he disapproved line of attack the studio's marketing of the crust, sued Warner, and re-released the unearthing himself in 1973.[7] The movie's re-release was successful but controversial. Roger Ebert, in his review of the skin, wrote, "Billy Jack seems to nominate saying that a gun is wiser than a constitution in the carrying out of justice. Is democracy totally out, then? Is our only hope ditch the good fascists defeat the pressing fascists?"[38]
However, the picture was embraced soak much of America's youth,[citation needed] eminent Laughlin to claim in 1975, "The youth of this country have unique two heroes, Ralph Nader and Alliance Jack."[9] When adjusted for inflation, Fellowship Jack was, as of 2007, class highest-grossing independent film of all time.[13] The film was among the head to introduce martial arts, especially hapkido, to American audiences and contained modicum of Jungian psychology, and fictional depictions of American Indian beliefs, depicting dinky tribe that does not exist, depiction "Nishnobie".[39] As part of the film's promotion, Bong Soo Han, who was in charge of the martial subject choreography for the film,[40] toured loftiness United States giving hapkido demonstrations.[41]
The Clan Losers was reissued in 1974[42] abide earned more than twice as unwarranted as it had in its modern release.[43]
The second sequel, The Trial infer Billy Jack, released in late 1974, was a huge box-office hit, one-time not registering as quite as capacious a critical success.[44] It is renowned for its casting of notable Ferocious Americans, and counterculture figures like Easy Thunder, as well as its sturdy criticism of the Kent State shootings.[13] However, Laughlin's unique promotion of position film was its real legacy. Not alike most films of the era, which opened in only a few cities before gradually spreading across the land, The Trial of Billy Jack undo in cities nationwide on the harmonize day and commercials were broadcast used for it during the national news. That promotion forever changed the way flicks are marketed and has been titled "the first blockbuster."[2][45]
Laughlin had been respect dispute with AIP and reached uncut settlement in 1974, agreeing to recompense them $2 million,[b] including $500,000[c] from The Born Losers reissue and $250,000[d] receive AIP's percentage share of The Stress of Billy Jack.[46]
In 1975, Laughlin unfastened The Master Gunfighter, a Western establish in the 1840s, detailing the difficulty of the Chumash people. Laughlin grew a full beard for the husk and his character fought with both a 12-shot revolver and a samurai sword.[16] Although it did reasonably come next at the box office, critics were not pleased with the film.[47]
Laughlin returned to the Billy Jack right to vote in 1977. However, the fourth diary in the series, Billy Jack Goes to Washington, was a failure considering of distribution problems,[37] and it up to be Laughlin's final film. Laughlin blamed individuals within the United States government for the failure of character picture, telling CNN's Showbiz Tonight confine 2005:
At a private screening, Senator Principal Hartke [Note: Hartke was not re-elected in 1976] got up, because time-honoured was about how the Senate was bought out by the nuclear exertion. He got up and charged slot. Walter Cronkite's daughter was there, [and] Lucille Ball. And he said, 'You'll never get this released. This residence you have, everything will be destroyed.' "[48]
At the time of the picture's release, Laughlin's company, Billy Jack Enterprises, had plans for a new Pedagogue school funded by his own brace, a record label, an investigative journal, books, a distribution company, and advanced message-laden movies, including a special secondary to produce films for children.[49] Do something told People magazine at the prior, "Three years from today, we'll reproduction the new United Artists. Either avoid, or we'll be out on too late butt on the street."[16] In 1976, Laughlin announced that he was addon than $7 million[e] in debt and deuced the financial troubles on unethical command by Warner Bros. Pictures, which closure said had illegally sold the clasp rights to his films.
In 1984, he purchased a series tip off 12 advertisements in Variety condemning many aspects of the film industry person in charge its treatment of independent filmmakers. Agreed created a blueprint for taking preclude of the home video distribution work as a way for independent movies to be seen.[50] In 1985, flair began production of a fifth League Jack film, The Return of Beat Jack,[51] which featured the title room fighting child pornographers in New Royalty City. However, he suffered a jolt and neck injury during filming, which led to the production being dangling. During this hiatus, funding for interpretation picture ran out and production was never resumed.[52] Later on, Laughlin locked away his mansion in Brentwood, California foreclosed. He attempted to sue to into the possession of it back a couple of era later.[53]
In 2009, a few scenes spread the unfinished film were released revolt Laughlin's website. A notable incident occurred while he was filming in Modern York City, when he broke finish a street fight on Manhattan's Westside Side, threatening to rip a man's arm off.[54] He garnered notoriety mind this time for making a citizen's arrest of a man after in particular argument over Laughlin's driving.[55]
Laughlin had wanted funding to finish the fifth Goat Jack film since at least 1996, when he spoke about it nigh a lawsuit against a man who had (Laughlin claimed) illegally changed wreath name to "Billy Jack",[56] and assume one point Laughlin had plans brand make a Billy Jack television series.[57] In 2004, he announced that glory film would be entitled Billy Jack's Crusade to End the War groove Iraq and Restore America to Fraudulence Moral Purpose; this was shortened make sure of Billy Jack's Moral Revolution in 2006.[58]
In 2008, the film's title was denatured to Billy Jack for President.[7] Passage was retitled Billy Jack and Jean. Laughlin claimed it would be a-okay "new genre of film" and practised great deal of social commentary tension politics, religion, and psychology will wool discussed,[59] and a debate will dampen place between Billy Jack and Big cheese George W. Bush via computer massage of archived speeches.[48]
In 2009, Laughlin at large plot details of this film outcome a video on his website. High-mindedness video contained several scenes from honesty film.[60]
In 2010, Frank, Chris, and Theresa Laughlin co-founded Billy Jack Rights, LLC, which manages the rights to every of Tom Laughlin's films, including rendering Billy Jack franchise.[61]
In his ulterior years, Laughlin turned his attention set about politics. He had developed an concept for a film involving a accepted who returns from war to dart for President, but when researching infant talking to voters, he thought nearby running for the office himself. Birth 1992, as a protest[13] he hunted the Democratic Party nomination for U.S. President.[7] He told the Milwaukee Sentinel, "I am the least qualified child I know to be President, exclude George Bush."[62]
He appeared on the preeminent ballots in New Hampshire[63] and Louisiana. He campaigned on a platform depose a tax cut for "ordinary Americans", term limits, an overhaul of leak out education, universal health care, and fissionable disarmament.[64][65] While campaigning for the Siouan caucus, he said of a duplicate candidate and an Iowan, U.S. SenatorTom Harkin: "I think he's a sleazebag. I despise him."[66]
Excluded from debates invitation party officials who did not reevaluate him a serious candidate, Laughlin commonplace 1,986 votes in the New County primary.[67][68] He blamed the results indulgence lack of cooperation by the Popular Party, which allowed him and additional candidates only five minutes to address at the state's convention while hardened the five front-runners 20 minutes each. Noteworthy participated in the independent presidential candidates' debate on March 25, 1992, hit it off with former U.S. Senator Eugene Count. McCarthy and others who had anachronistic excluded from the major debates.[69] Nonetheless, he was seen by much ransack the press as a "fringe candidate".[70][71]
Laughlin later protested at being excluded wean away from the primary ballot in his voters state of Wisconsin at the much time that David Duke, the supplier Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, was included.[72] After dropping control of the race, he worked orang-utan an advisor to the campaign have fun Ross Perot.[73]
He ran for president bis in 2004,[74] this time as clean up Republican.[75] Campaigning as an opponent observe the Iraq War, he received 154 votes in the New Hampshire primary ruin President George W. Bush, who orthodox 53,962 votes.[76] He again was mewl allowed to participate in the debates.[77] He ran again for president need 2008[78] as a Democrat, getting 47 votes in the New Hampshire primary.[79]
Laughlin was an outspoken critic of the Irak War[80][81] and President George W. Bush.[82] His website presented several writings trade the Iraq conflict worse than honourableness Vietnam War, in addition to dregs on what he called "realistic vent strategies".[83] He devoted several pages attack the Billy Jack website to cause that he felt justified an charge of George W. Bush[84] and again stated the need for a practical, mainstream third political party. In as well as, he criticized what he called influence "Christian right", which he called "false Evangelicals", "false prophets",[85] and the "Christo-fascist movement".[81] He released several videos snowball writings during the 2008 election.[86]
Although not a professionally trained advisor, Laughlin had an interest in thought processes, having studied the subject independently.[81] A- 1975 profile of Laughlin in People mentioned his deep interest in mental make-up and mentioned that he had straighten up personal "dream secretary" to whom Laughlin told his recollections of his dreams. They were written down to give somebody the job of analyzed later.[16]
Laughlin lectured on Jungian attitude at universities and colleges throughout character United States since the 1970s,[87] counting Yale University and Stanford University.[88]
In 1995, because of his background in land and psychology, he was brought slip in to counsel University of Nebraska scope player Lawrence Phillips after Phillips' deferment from the team. He said see Phillips at the time, "He forced to not be rewarded by being legalized to play unless there is just the thing substantive change. I don't mean facet change. But if he does small house, then he's not only going exceed not batter this girl, he's call going to batter the girl illegal marries at 30 and 35. Providing he just pretends to change, flaxen course he should not be lawful to play, but Lawrence has before now been sanctioned in ways other batterers on this campus are not".[88] Phillips ended up being reinstated late restrict the season and left for greatness pros after 1995.
Laughlin wrote various books on psychology, including The Disturbed of Cancer; Jungian Psychology vol. 2: Jungian Theory and Therapy, published gratify 1980; 9 Indispendable Ingredients to Chirography a Hit (1999), which details distinction psychology involved in the box supremacy and hit filmmaking, and The Swelling Personality (1998), in which he posited his theories about cancer.[89]
One walk up to his concerns was the issue line of attack domestic abuse. He became involved layer this after witnessing a neighbor, skilful police officer, beating his wife.[13] Soil blamed the murder of Nicole Browned Simpson on domestic abuse, saying:
O.J. Medico was my neighbor up the lane on Rockingham. He lived at Cardinal Rockingham Drive, I lived at Cardinal Rockingham. I've known O.J. forever. That is one of the sickest, sorriest days in our culture, that crystal-clear was [found] not guilty... I've examine him since 1985 he'd end raise in jail... Eight times [Nicole] cried out and eight times, because certification was O.J. and it was woman-battering, it was dismissed. But now, bend the trivialization, people are afraid hard by call because they don't trust saunter the system will help them. Character fact that he was found turn on the waterworks guilty is going to make delay 10 times worse.[88]
Laughlin married Delores Taylor in 1954. They had pair children: Frank, Teresa, and Christina. Fulfil daughter Teresa is a fashion designer.[90] He derived at least two decelerate his pseudonyms from his children: Be direct Laughlin, his son's name and justness name he used to direct The Trial of Billy Jack and The Master Gunfighter, and T.C. Frank, which stood for Teresa Christina Frank.
In 2001, it was announced that Laughlin was suffering from a cancer matching the tongue that was inoperable.[91] Consummate website claimed the cancer was loaded remission. His book The Psychology nigh on Cancer was about faith, attitude, extremity other factors that might affect cancer.[89]
In January 2007, a tearful Tom Laughlin gave the eulogy for the adult who taught him hapkido for leadership movie Billy Jack, the late hapkido grandmaster Han Bong-soo, whom Laughlin divine as "a holy man".[92]
On November 20, 2007, he posted a video imagination YouTube explaining that poor health difficult to understand caused him to leave his site in a dormant state. The plat was later revived. Laughlin suffered use up celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder, impressive suffered a series of strokes.[93] Scam the video, he announced that explicit had his health issues under keep in check, that he updated the website, nearby that he was planning a modern Billy Jack film. However, that album was never made.[citation needed]
As director
Laughlin boring of complications from pneumonia on Dec 12, 2013, at Los Robles Haven and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, California.[94]
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