Tom Welling

April 1, 4:26 PMCelebrity Profile ExaminerAndy Williamson

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TOM WELLING

Producers have been trying for years to figure out how to bring Superman back to the big screen.  After all, Christopher Reeve had put such an indelibly distinctive stamp on the role (in two great movies, and two stinkers), he left some mighty big red boots to fill.  While many loved Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns from 2006, others felt that its strength (hewing so close to Donner’s original) was also its weakness (been there, done that).  There has been talk of rebooting the series again (even, gasp, going darker ala The Dark Knight -- please don’t), but no one can quite figure out how to make the big, blue boy scout relevant again.  Perhaps the Hollywood movers and shakers are overlooking a Superman who has been right under their noses for nearly a decade.  One who has a built-in fanbase, a well laid back story, and is arguably the best Clark Kent since Reeve.  I’m speaking, of course, of Smallville’s Tom Welling.

Thomas John Patrick Welling was born on April 26th, 1977 in Putnam Valley, New York.  His father is a retired General Motors executive -- his mother, a self-described “home-engineer.”  Tom has two older sisters, Jamie and Rebecca, and one younger brother, Mark (also an actor).  Moving multiple times around the country because of his father’s job, Tom and family finally settled in Okemos, Michigan while Tom was high school junior.  At school, Tom showed more interest in sports than acting, and participated in baseball, basketball, and soccer.  After graduation, Tom went into the construction business.

In 1998, at a party in Nantucket, Tom was approached by a catalogue camera scout who, struck by Tom’s rugged good looks, strongly encouraged him to seek work as a model.  Two years later, Tom took the advice to heart, moved to Los Angeles, was quickly signed by an agent, and was soon doing modeling work for Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and Abercrombie & Fitch (among others).  Expanding his horizons to include commercials and music videos, it was only a matter of time before Tom started acting.  Encouraged by his new friend, fellow model and actor Ashton Kutcher, Tom began frequenting auditions.  His first major role was in 2001 on the CBS series Judging Amy, where Tom played a younger love interest to Amy Brenneman.  After a couple of small roles in undistinguished TV fare, Tom was about to get a call which would change his life forever.

TOM WELLING AS CLARK KENT

While Tom was still getting his feet wet in the acting world, producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar were developing a series, Smallville, about an adolescent Superman in the years before he became the Man of Steel.  Not a remake of Superboy, this hour-long drama would have the caveat of “no tights, no flights,” and would instead deal more realistically with the problems of a teenage alien coming to grips with his burgeoning powers.  After a nationwide search, the producers offered the role to Tom three times before he accepted it.  Tom’s reticence was not due to a poor script -- on the contrary, he thought it was quite good -- but rather his own inexperience and the task of stepping into such a larger-than-life role.  Smallville was an instant hit, and Tom was named one of People Magazine’s "Breakthrough Stars of 2001."  As the series continued to be the number one show on The WB (later The CW), Tom made his directorial debut with the season five episode, Fragile.  He also directed the season six episode, Hydro, and the show's 150th episode, Apocalypse.  In addition to playing Clark Kent, Tom also appeared on the show as Bizarro and a young Jor-El.

In 2003, Tom made his feature film debut in a remake of 1950’s Cheaper by the Dozen, starring Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt and Hillary Duff.  Tom reprised his role in the sequel two years later.  Also in 2005, Tom starred in a (completely unnecessary) remake of John Carpenter’s The Fog -- the film bombed.

Contrary to popular rumor, Tom was not considered for the part of Superman in Bryan Singer’s 2006 film Superman Returns -- this despite a vigorous attempt by Smallville fans to see him cast.  Brandon Routh took the role and the film made nearly $400 million worldwide.  Despite this seemingly respectable number, Warner Bros. has opted not to carry through with a sequel, and is currently seeking ways to completely reboot the series.  Needless to say, Smallville’s rabid fanbase is still eager to see Tom on the big screen.

SMALLVILLE - SEASON ONE PROMO

As of this writing, The CW has recently announced that Smallville has been renewed for a 9th season, and that Tom has been paid a gargantuan amount of money signed on to return.  While many non-fans wonder how this show has lasted so long, those who have loved it from the beginning (including yours truly) don’t wonder at all.  There is a definite arc to this story, and though the series has now graduated from Smallville to Metropolis -- leaning greatly on the Lois (Erica Durance) and Clark at The Daily Planet aspect -- this series has yet to jump the shark (... all right, it has come close a few times, but always seems to find its footing again).  There is only one way this show can end, and that is for Clark Kent to finally don the tights, cape, boots and spit curl, and embrace his destiny as Superman.  But honestly, once that happens, you might as well ring Pavlov's bell --  fans appetite for more will be slobberingly whetted.

Warner Bros. feature film division can’t seem to figure out what to do with Superman, and yet Smallville is still going almost a decade strong.  It may take a few years, but I still get the feeling this show (in my opinion, the best telling of Superman’s origin ever produced) has the legs and insanely-devoted fanbase to take it far beyond the small screen.  Time will tell.

In July of 2002, Tom married Jamie White.  The couple divides their time between Los Angeles and Vancouver (where Smallville is filmed).

For updates on Smallville, please visit Kryptonsite -- the best Smallville site on the web.

For more Smallville profiles, click here.