Criminal Minds

Background:

Acting since age 9, Golden Globe nominated actor Thomas Gibson first gained notice on stage in the mid 1980s before hitting the small screen with roles in the daytime shows “The Guiding Light” (1987), “As the World Turns” (1988-1990) and “Another World” (1990). His television career gained an important boost when he landed the regular role of Dr. Danny Nyland on the CBS medical drama “Chicago Hope,” which he played from 1994 to 1997. He then starred as lawyer Gregory Clifford Montgomery in the ABC sitcom “Dharma & Greg” throughout the show's run from 1997 to 2002. The South Carolina native earned three Screen Actors Guild nominations for the first series and Satellite and Viewers for Quality Television and Golden Globe nominations for the latter. More recently, he is popular for playing Aaron “Hotch” Hotchner on the CBS drama series “Criminal Minds” (2005-2010). Gibson has also acted in various TV films and miniseries, including “Tales of the City” (1993), “More Tales of the City” (1998) and “A Will of Their Own” (1998). Gibson's movie credits include “Far and Away” (1992), “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999), “Psycho Beach Party” (2000), “The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas” (2000) and “Come Away Home” (2005).

Gibson has two sons and one daughter with his wife Christine Gibson, whom he married in 1993. She appeared as a gymnast in the 1983 John Glen film “Octopussy,” which starred Roger Moore and Maud Adams.

Juilliard

Childhood and Family:

Thomas Ellis Gibson, known by his family and close friends by the nickname Tom, was born on July 3, 1962, to Mac and Beth Gibson. He and his older three siblings (Charles, Anne and Elizabeth) were raised in Charleston, South Carolina. Their parents divorced in 1969 when Tom was seven years old. He attended Bishop England High School, but graduated a year early to enroll in the College of Charleston. He stayed there for a year and a half before transferring to the prestigious Juilliard School in New York. Tom graduated from Juilliard in 1985 with a degree in drama.

Tom married Christine Gibson (born in 1966) in 1993. He became a father six years later when his wife delivered a baby boy named James Parker Gibson on June 23, 1999. The family welcomed a second boy, Travis Carter, on July 1, 2002. The couple’s third child, daughter Agatha Marie Gibson, was born on April 28, 2004. Currently, Tom and his family reside in his wife's hometown of San Antonio, Texas.

Dharma & Greg

Career:

Young Thomas Gibson trained with the Little Theater School before joining the Young Charleston Theater Company and the Footlight Players. He later left Charleston for New York to pursue drama studies at Juilliard. In 1980, he began as an intern with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Gibson hit the New York City stage five years later with a part in David Hare's “A Map of the World” at the Public Theatre. He soon made a substantial impact with performances in stage productions like “Hay Fever” and the New York Shakespeare Festival's “Twelfth Night” in Central Park, among other plays.

Gibson branched out to television in 1987 when he landed a guest spot on the CBS primetime series “Leg Work.” He then joined the cast of the daytime soap opera “The Guiding Light” in the role of Peter Latham (also 1987) and made his TV miniseries debut in the Emmy winning drama “Lincoln” (1988), based on the novel of the same name by Gore Vidal. He returned to daytime series when he landed the villainous role of Derek Mason in the CBS soap “As the World Turns.” He was on the show from 1988 to 1990. Later in 1990, he joined the cast of the NBC daytime soap opera “Another World” in the six week recurring role of Sam Fowler.

The brown eyed actor portrayed Peter Fitzwilliam in the ABC miniseries “The Kennedys of Massachusetts” (1990), which was adapted from Doris Kearns Goodwin's 1987 book “The Fitzgeralds and The Kennedys.” He then starred on the New York stage as Hal in the Public Theater's production of “Henry IV, Part I and II” the following year. His next break arrived in 1992 with a costarring role opposite Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in the Ron Howard directed drama “Far and Away,” his feature film debut. In the movie, he portrayed Stephen Chase, Tom Cruise's nemesis and a rival for Kidman. Following a bit part as a stage actor in the Martin Scorsese Oscar winning “The Age of Innocence” (1993), Gibson gained further notice with his portrayal of Beauchamp Day in the critically acclaimed PBS miniseries “Tales of the City” (1993), based on a novel by Armistead Maupin, and as David in French Canadian director Denys Arcand's first English language film, the dark comedy “Love and Human Remains” (1993, released in the U.S. in 1995).

In 1994, Gibson was featured in the Whit Stillman movie “Barcelona,” the comedy “Sleep With Me,” which starred Meg Tilly and Eric Stoltz, and “Men of War,” an action film directed by Perry Lang that starred Dolph Lundgren. The same year, he also began his regular role on the primetime television show “Chicago Hope,” a medical drama series from creator David E. Kelley. Portraying ambitious surgeon Dr. Daniel Nyland, he stayed throughout the first three seasons of the show until 1997 and shared three Screen Actors Guild nominations for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for his performance. He would reprise his role in the 1998 episode “One Hundred and One Damnations.”

While on the show, Gibson appeared in such TV films as the 1910 set film “Secrets” (ABC, 1995), the NBC science fiction movie “Night Visitors” (1996, with Faith Ford and Todd Allen), the ABC film “To Love, Honor and Deceive” (1996, opposite Vanessa Marcil, James Wilder and Leland Orser), the CBS movie adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's “The Inheritance” (1997, played James Percy) and the ABC thriller “The Devil's Child” (1997, starred Kim Delaney). He also appeared in episodes of “Caroline in the City” (1996, as Willard Stevens) and “The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest” (1996, as the voice of Paul Mornay) and was featured as a bartender in the independent film “The Next Step” (1997).

After leaving “Chicago Hope,” Gibson won the starring role of lawyer Gregory Clifford Montgomery in the situation comedy “Dharma & Greg,” opposite Jenna Elfman as his eccentric wife. Created by Dottie Dartland and Chuck Lorre, the series debuted on ABC on September 24, 1997, and enjoyed significant success during its first three seasons before being canceled in April 2002 due to declining ratings. For his acting, Gibson was nominated for two Golden Globes in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series - Comedy/Musical (1999 and 2000), a 2000 Golden Satellite for Best Performance by an Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical and a Q Award for Best Actor in a Quality Comedy Series at the 1998 Viewers for Quality Television Awards. The actor also made his directing debut with the episodes “The Story of K” and “A Fish Tale” during 2001.

After beginning his work on “Dharma & Greg,” Gibson assumed the role of Dr. Matt Westbrook/Joe Barnes in the made for TV film “Nightmare Street” (1998), recreated his role of Beauchamp Day in “Armistad Maupin's 'More Tales of the City'” (Showtime, 1998), played Lea Thompson's love interest, James Maclaren, in the NBC miniseries “A Will of Their Own” (1998) and guest starred in “Sin City Spectacular” (1998). He was reunited with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in Stanley Kubrick's drama “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999), where he had the supporting role of Carl Thomas, costarred as surfing guru The Great Kanaka in the Lauren Ambrose comedy “Psycho Beach Party” (2000), based on the off-Broadway play of the same title by Charles Busch, and delivered a notable turn as Chip Rockefeller, a millionaire with an eye for honeymooner Wilma (played by Kristen Johnston), in “The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas” (2000). In addition, he rejoined director/writer Denys Arcand for the 2000 drama “Stardom,” starring Jessica Paré, portrayed the attorney of Barbara Williams in Bobby Roth's film “Jack the Dog” (2001), and starred as Nicholas Orton in the NBC film “The Lost Empire” (2001).

In 2003, following the demise of his show, Gibson returned in Bobby Roth's sequel “Manhood,” costarred with Ellen Burstyn and Glenn Close in the CBS drama “Brush with Fate,” and portrayed Detective Mark Ryan in the made for TV film “Evil Never Dies” (TBS). He next starred with Poppy Montgomery in the TV special “Raising Waylon” (2004), portrayed Mitch Benson in the CBS two part film “Category 6: Day of Destruction” (2004), opposite Randy Quaid, Dianne Wiest, Brian Markinson and Chandra West, and was reunited with Lea Thompson in the family movie “Come Away Home” (2005), which was directed by Doug McKeon. He then worked with director/writer Bobby Roth for the drama “Berkeley” (2005), where he portrayed Thomas.

Gibson, however, did not return to series television as a regular until he landed the starring role of Aaron Hotchner in the police procedural drama “Criminal Minds,” alongside A. J. Cook, Shemar Moore, Paget Brewster, Matthew Gray Gubler, Joe Mantegna, Kirsten Vangsness, Mandy Patinkin and Lola Glaudini. Debuting on CBS on September 22, 2005, the show received ASCAP Awards for Top TV Series, two BMI TV Music Awards, a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Series - Guest Starring Young Actor, two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Stunt Coordination, and a People's Choice nomination for Favorite New Television Drama. Gibson also appeared in the TV film “In from the Night” (2006, opposite Marcia Gay Harden and Taylor Handley), and in director/writer Paul Francis Sullivan's film “I'll Believe You” (2007, starred David Alan Basche and Patrick Warburton). In 2008, he reprised his TV role of Aaron in the video versions “The Criminal Element: The Making of 'Criminal Minds, Season 3,” “Criminal Minds Season 3: Killer Roles,” “From Script to Screen: True Night,” “Profile: Rossi/Mantegna” and “Shemar Moore: Criminal Minds' Wild Ride.”

Awards:
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