Thomas Jane

His first marriage was to actress Aysha Hauer, daughter of actor Rutger Hauer , with whom he had acted in many films. The couple tied the knot in 1989 and divorced in 1995.

He began a relationship with actress Patricia Arquette in 2001. They had a daughter and later got married in 2006. The couple divorced in 2011.

He is the son of Cynthia and Michael Elliot. His mother was an antiques dealer while his father was a genetic engineer. Born as Thomas Elliot III, he adopted the screen name Thomas Jane as he became an established actor.

He attended Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School.

When he was a teenager he was noticed by two Indian producers who were looking for a white male to play a major role in a Telugu film. He made his foray into acting in 1986 by playing the romantic lead in the Indian film ‘Padamati Sandhya Ragam’.

He loved the acting experience and returned to the U.S. determined to pursue an acting career. He moved to Los Angeles in search of opportunities. After struggling for the initial few months he began getting small roles in television series and films.

One of his earliest roles was as Zeph in the vampire movie ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ in 1992. Following this, he played minor roles in films like ‘Nemesis’ (1992), ‘At Ground Zero’ (1994), and ‘The Crow: City of Angels’ (1996).

His breakthrough role came in 1997 when he was cast in the drama film, ‘Boogie Nights’ in which he played Todd Parker, a crazy drug dealer. Even though the role was a minor one, it got the young actor noticed for his talents.

He was part of the ensemble cast of the critically acclaimed movie ‘Magnolia’ (1999) which also had big names like Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, and Philip Baker Hall. The movie dealt with the story of interrelated characters in search of happiness, forgiveness and meaning.

It was his role as a mentally unstable drug dealer in the drama film ‘Boogie Nights’ that launched his career. His role was small, but he had portrayed it so convincingly that he got noticed.

He is best known for his work as the title character in the film ‘The Punisher’ which was based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. The movie was adapted from two Punisher comic book stories.