Thomas Ian Griffith(born March 18, 1962)[1][2]is an American actor, screenwriter, television producer, and martial artist. He is best known for portrayingTerry Silverin the 1989 filmThe Karate Kid Part III,a role he reprised in thefourththroughsixth seasonsof the television seriesCobra Kai.[3]
Thomas Ian Griffith | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 18, 1962 |
| Education | College of the Holy Cross |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active |
|
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
editGriffith was born inHartford, Connecticut,the son of Mary Ann (née O'Neil), who worked at a dance studio, and Thomas Joseph Griffith.[1]Griffith attended South Catholic High School in Hartford. Griffith became obsessed withtaekwondowhile in high school and earned a black belt when he was 18.[4]He later earned a black belt inAmerican Kenpo.His martial arts skills would later help earn him the role ofTerry SilverinThe Karate Kid Part III.[4][2]
Griffith then studied at theCollege of the Holy Crosswhere he was a dean's list student before leaving after his junior year to "make it" as an actor in New York.[5]
Career
editGriffith made his screen-acting debut on the soap operaAnother Worldas Catlin Ewing, whom he played from 1984 to 1987. During this time, he met and dated his co-star, onscreen love interest and future wife,Mary Page Keller.
In 1989, Griffith was cast inThe Karate Kid Part III,in which he playedTerry Silver,a rival martial arts expert who influencesDaniel LaRussoagainst his friend and mentor,Mr. Miyagi.After his breakout role inThe Karate Kid Part III,Griffith was briefly positioned to be one of Hollywood's next big action stars, even scoring a three-picture deal withNew Line Cinema.[6]
During the 1990s, he starred in a series ofdirect-to-videoandlow-budgettheatrically released films, most notablyUlterior Motives,Excessive Force(both of which Griffith also helped write and produce), andCrackerjack.He elicited frequent comparisons to actors likeJean Claude van DammeandSteven Seagal,but these films received mixed to negative reviews and Griffith ultimately never reached their level of success. His performances however received praise from critics.
Through the late 1990s and 2000s, Griffith transitioned to smaller projects and roles, working almost exclusively direct-to-video. He did, however, star in the filmHollow PointalongsideTia Carrereas DEA agent Max Parrish and collaborate with directorJohn Carpenter.He played head vampire Jan Valek in Carpenter's 1998 filmVampiresand co-created thecomic bookseriesAsylumwith Carpenter and producer Sandy King.[7]
In 1999, he starred in the TV movieSecret of GivingwithReba McEntire;earlier in 1999, he had appeared in McEntire's video for the song "What Do You Say." In 2002, Griffith appeared in the filmXXX,in which he portrayed Agent Jim McGrath.
In 2007, Griffith retired from acting altogether to pursue screenwriting. From 2013 to 2017, he periodically wrote and worked as a story editor for theNBCtelevision seriesGrimmand became a co-producer in 2015. He and his wife, Mary Page Keller, also collaborated to write the sixth episode of the dramedy seriesDolly Parton's Heartstringsin 2019, as well as an episode forNetflixseriesVirgin River.[8]
In 2021 and 2022, Griffith came out of his retirement from acting to reprise the role of Terry Silver in the fourth, fifth, and sixth seasons ofCobra Kai.[9][10]
Personal life
editGriffith has been married to his formerAnother WorldcostarMary Page Kellersince 1991 and the pair have two sons together.[1]He also has two sisters, Colleen and Mary Beth.[6]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | The Karate Kid Part III | Terry Silver | |
| 1992 | Ulterior Motives | Jack Blaylock | |
| 1993 | Excessive Force | Detective Terry McCain | |
| 1994 | Crackerjack | Jack Wild | |
| 1994 | Blood of the Innocent | Detective Frank Wusharsky | |
| 1996 | Hollow Point | Max Parrish | |
| 1997 | Behind Enemy Lines | CIA Agent Mike Weston | |
| 1997 | Kull the Conqueror | General Taligaro | |
| 1998 | John Carpenter's Vampires | Jan Valek | |
| 1999 | Avalanche | Neal Meekin | |
| 2000 | For the Cause | Evans | |
| 2001 | High Adventure | Chris Quatermain | |
| 2002 | Black Point | Gus Travis | |
| 2002 | XXX | NSA Agent Jim McGrath | |
| 2003 | Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision | Brandon Miller | |
| 2005 | Seawolf: The Pirate's Curse | Captain Jeffery Thorpe | |
| 2020 | Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square | — | Consulting Producer |
Television
edit| Year | Show | Character | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984–1987 | Another World | Catlin Ewing | |
| 1985 | Miami Vice | Extra (guy in pool, next to guy on raft in clothes) | 1 episode |
| 1988 | In the Heat of the Night | Luke Potter | 2 episodes |
| 1989 | Wiseguy | Roger Tot | |
| 1990 | Rock Hudson | Rock Hudson | TV movie |
| 1997 | The Guardian | The Guardian | TV movie |
| 1999 | The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax | Jack Farrell | TV movie |
| 1999 | The Secret of Giving | Harry Withers | TV movie |
| 2000 | A Vision of Murder: The Story of Donielle | Doug Brister | TV movie |
| 2002 | Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder | Cornelius Loudermilk | TV movie |
| 2004 | One Tree Hill | Larry Sawyer | 5 episodes |
| 2005 | The Closer | Thomas Yates | 1 episode |
| 2006 | Cold Case | Mitch | 1 episode |
| 2007 | The Kidnapping | Cash | TV movie |
| 2013–2017 | Grimm | — | Writer (8 episodes), story editor, co-producer |
| 2019 | Dolly Parton's Heartstrings | — | Writer (1 episode) |
| 2021–present | Cobra Kai | Terry Silver | Main Antagonist (seasons 4-6) |
| 2023 | Virgin River | — | Writer (1 episode), supervising producer |
Video games
edit- Cobra Kai 2: Dojos Rising(2022) as Terry Silver (voice role)
References
edit- ^abc"Thomas Ian Griffith Biography (1962?-)".Archivedfrom the original on September 6, 2012.RetrievedAugust 27,2017.
some sources cite 1962...
- ^abClary, David W. (March 1993)."Meet the Karate Kid's Worst Enemy".Black Belt.p. 18.Archivedfrom the original on February 10, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 27,2020.
Griffith, 32...
[interview necessarily conducted prior to March 1993 publication date] - ^Petski, Denise (May 27, 2021)."Terry Silver Returns In 'Cobra Kai' Season 4".Deadline.Archivedfrom the original on May 27, 2021.RetrievedMay 27,2021.
- ^ab"Griffith is Latest Force in Hot World of Hollywood Action Movies".Hartford Courant.May 17, 1993.Archivedfrom the original on January 1, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 1,2022.
- ^"'Another World' has high hopes for Griffith ".The Times and Democrat.February 10, 1984.Archivedfrom the original on January 1, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 1,2022.
- ^ab"GRIFFITH IS LATEST FORCE IN HOT WORLD OF HOLLYWOOD ACTION MOVIES – Hartford Courant".January 1, 2022. Archived fromthe originalon January 1, 2022.RetrievedAugust 19,2023.
- ^Yanes, Nicholas (May 2014)."Sandy King discusses movie making and the comic book 'John Carpenter's Asylum'".scifipulse.net.Trending News Theme. Archived fromthe originalon January 12, 2021.RetrievedJune 25,2021.
- ^Moore, Kasey (April 11, 2023)."'Virgin River' Season 5: Netflix Release Date Estimate & What We Know So Far ".What's on Netflix.RetrievedMay 11,2023.
- ^Petski, Denise (May 27, 2021)."Terry Silver Returns In 'Cobra Kai' Season 4".Deadline.Archivedfrom the original on May 27, 2021.RetrievedMarch 8,2022.
- ^Moylan, Brian (December 31, 2021)."The Complete History of New 'Cobra Kai' Villain Terry Silver".Men's Health.Archivedfrom the original on March 8, 2022.RetrievedMarch 8,2022.
