Tom Wopat

Tom Wopat will forever be remembered as strapping, good ol' boy Luke Duke, the virile, blue-eyed, dark-haired, plaid-shirted rascal opposite equally good-lookingJohn Schneideras Bo Duke, his strapping, plaid-shirted blond cousin on the bucolic 80s action series The Dukes of Hazzard (1979). Where others may have fallen by the TV wayside after the cancellation of such a popular series, both Tom and John moved on successfully. As for Tom, he reverted back to his first true love - music - successfully refocusing as a recording artist and musical leading man of Broadway, cabaret and regional shows.

The highly engaging Wisconsin native was born Thomas Steven Wopat on September 9, 1951, in Lodi, Wisconsin, the son of Ruth Arlene (Skarda) and Albin Carl Wopat, a dairy farmer. One of six brothers and sisters, Tom's father and maternal grandfather were of Czech descent. By age 12, he was singing and dancing in school musicals and, following high school graduation, decided to avidly pursue music as a viable profession. Studying at the University of Wisconsin, Tom dropped out to front a rock band as both guitarist and lead singer, and later found on-stage work in such musicals as "South Pacific", "West Side Story" and "Jesus Christ Superstar."

Appearing off-Broadway in 1978, Tom made his Broadway debut that same year as a replacement actor in the musical "I Love My Wife." Other musical shows around that time included "The Robber Bridegroom" (title role) and "Oklahoma!" (as Curly).

With solid, down-home good looks and appeal, it didn't take long for Hollywood to check Tom out. With relatively little TV exposure, Tom found sudden teen heartthrob stardom on the rollicking, down-home comedy seriesThe Dukes of Hazzard (1979).During that period, he appeared elsewhere on an episode of "Fantasy Island," co-starred with singerBarbara Mandrellin the dramatic TV movie "Burning Rage (1984),and voiced the role of Luke Duke on the related animated versionThe Dukes (1983).During the 1981-82 season, stars Wopat and Schneider walked away from the hugely popular series after contractual disputes involving deserved pay raises and merchandise royalties. The producers tried to replace the popular duo with the similar good-looking pals Vance (played byChristopher Mayer) and Coy (played byByron Cherry) for the following season, but the ratings dived alarmingly. The dispute with Wopat and Schneider was immediately settled, and the boys returned to the show in the next season and stayed until its 1985 cancellation.

During the show's run, Tom kick-started a recording career with his first (and self-titled) country album release in 1983. His output went on to include six other country albums before finally releasing a 2000 album of standard love songs.

In later years, Wopat made do with a few mini-movie efforts, reuniting with Schneider in the yuletide dramaChristmas Comes to Willow Creek (1987);co-starring oppositeJean Smartas a famous rock singer in the romantic musical comedy movieJust My Imagination (1992);and appearing oppositeRoxanne Hartin the action adventureMeteorites! (1998).He also showed up as a guest on a few TV series such as "Blue Skies," "Murder, She Wrote," "Crisis Center," "Home Improvement," and was seen in a recurring role on the sitcomCybill (1995)as a stuntman and former husband of theCybill Shepherdcharacter.

Tom also re-sharpened his musical theater skills, finding commanding baritone leads as Billy Bigelow in "Carousel" (1986), Detective Stone in "City of Angels" (1990) and Sky Masterson in "Guys and Dolls" (1992). In 1999, he played the sharp-shooting Frank Butler oppositeBernadette Petersin the popular Broadway revival of "Annie Get Your Gun" and earned a Tony nomination in the process.

Guesting for the Cincinnati Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestras in programs featuring Broadway's finest music, Tom more than held his own in 2005 with his first straight-acting Broadway part as part of the excellent ensemble in the Tony-winning (for "Best Revival of a Play" ) production of "Glengarry Glen Ross" starring acting heavyweightsAlan Aldaand Liev Schreiber.That same year Wopat embarked on a 33-date national "Over The Rainbow" tour with Faith Princefeaturing the gorgeous songs ofHarold Arlen,a tour that included Carnegie Hall. Briefly playing slick lawyer Billy Flynn in "Chicago" in 2007, other Broadway musicals followed with "A Catered Affair," "Side by Side by Sondheim" and "Catch Me If You Can," as well as the 2013 legit play "The Trip to Bountiful."

As for on-camera work into the millennium, Tom returned for a few "Dukes of Hazzard" TV-reunions and video games. He also made a late, mid-career film debut in a featured role with the comedy dramaBonneville (2006)starringJessica Lange,Kathy BatesandJoan Allen,and went on to appear in a number of others:The Understudy (2008),Jonah Hex (2010),Main Street (2010),Mariachi Gringo (2012),Django Unchained (2012),All in Time (2015).In addition, Tom was given a starring role in the gay-themed dramaFair Haven (2016)and appeared in the action westernCounty Line (2017)withJeff FaheyandPatricia Richardson.Among the ensemble of stars in the comedyLost Cat Corona (2017),his more recent features includeNew Money (2017)andDelight in the Mountain (2019).On TV, Tom graced such popular programs as "Medium," "Smallville," "Blue Bloods," "The Blacklist," "Madam Secretary" and had a recurring sheriff role in the seriesLongmire (2012).

Divorced from his first wife of 15 years and the father of five, Tom is married to documentary producer and archivistKirsten Larvick.