Scotland At The Movies

22 March 2009, 21:53

Place of Birth: Paisley
Date of Birth: 22nd November 1941
Status: Married to actress Kara Wilson

Tom Conti is an Oscar-nominated and Tony Award-winner actor, theatre director and author.

Born to an Italian father and an Irish Catholic mother, both of whom were hairdressers, he originally trained to be a classical pianist at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD, Glasgow) before transferring his studies; starting him on a life long love affair with acting.

Throughout the 1960’s he pursued a career treading the boards, finding irregular acting work in theatres across Britain. For over a decade he learned his trade on both sides of the border but failed to achieve breakthrough success and had even considered giving up the profession altogether. It was during this time, when he was performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, that he was spotted and cast in the television series Adam Smith. Other work soon opened up, both in TV and on the stage.

Over the next 10-years he earned his reputation for being a formidable actor, playing a wide variety of roles; including his celebrated performance in the Broadway play, Whose Life is it Anyway?, for which he won a Laurence Olivier.

Building on these successes Conti attracted the attention of producers in America and was cast in a number of high-profile parts. He appeared alongside David Bowie in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983) and played the Dylan Thomas-esque Gowan McGland in Reuben, Reuben (1983); for which he received a Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards.

Conti continues to act and is presently shooting Shakespeare’s The Tempest, starring alongside Helen Mirren and Chris Cooper. He is also the author of a thriller entitled The Doctor which was published in 2004.

Last updated: 23 March 2009, 12:26