Tom Wopat

Thomas Steven Wopat (born September 9, 1951) is an American actor and singer. He first achieved fame as Lucas K. "Luke" Duke on the long-running television action/comedy series The Dukes of Hazzard. Since then, Wopat has worked regularly, most often on the stage in musicals and in supporting television and movie roles. He was a semi-regular guest on the 1990s comedy series Cybill, and he had a small role as U.S. Marshal Gil Tatum in Django Unchained (2012).[1] Wopat also has a recurring role as Sheriff Jim Wilkins on the television series Longmire. Additionally, Wopat has recorded several albums of country songs and pop standards, scoring a series of moderately successful singles in the 1980s and 1990s.

Tom Wopat
Tom Wopat in 1979.
Born
Thomas Steven Wopat

(1951-09-09) September 9, 1951
Lodi, Wisconsin, United States
OccupationActor, singer
Years active1977–present
Spouse(s)Vickie Allen (divorced)
ChildrenDaughters- Taylor Wopat, Lindsey Gary sons- Joey Cobbs, Walker Wopat, Adam Wopat

Life and career

Wopat was born in Lodi, Wisconsin, the fifth of eight siblings born to Albin Carl Wopat (December 10, 1919 – January 27, 1983), and his wife, Ruth Arlene (née Skarda) Wopat (May 20, 1920 – September 23, 1959).[2] His father, a devout Roman Catholic,[3] who raised his children in that faith, was a dairy farmer of Czech descent.[4]

Wopat attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison and made his television debut on One Life to Live. He achieved television fame on the television series The Dukes of Hazzard (1979–85), then embarked on a music career. He has recorded eight albums. Musically, he switches between rock and roll and country music styles, though his two most recent albums have been of classic pop standards. His 1980s albums were on EMI Nashville. The latter recording, Dissertation on the State of Bliss, is a collection of Harold Arlen songs. Wopat first appeared on the Broadway stage as a replacement in the 1977 musical I Love My Wife, as Wally. He later appeared as a replacement in the stage musicals City of Angels and Guys and Dolls.

In 1981, he played the main character, Billy Bigelow in the musical Carousel, at the Augusta Barn Theatre in Augusta, Michigan. He appeared in the opening cast of the 1999 revival of Annie Get Your Gun as Frank Butler, opposite Bernadette Peters, Susan Lucci and Crystal Bernard, who played Annie Oakley (in consecutive order); he was nominated for a Tony Award in 1999 for his performance as Butler. He later appeared in revivals of Chicago and 42nd Street.[5]

In 2005, Wopat appeared in the Broadway revival of David Mamet's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Glengarry Glen Ross as James Lingk. He starred in the North Carolina Theatre's production of The Music Man as Harold Hill in November 2006.[6]

In 2008, Wopat starred on Broadway as the father in A Catered Affair, written by Harvey Fierstein (book) and John Bucchino (score), which opened on April 17, 2008 at the Walter Kerr Theatre.[7] He received his second Tony nomination for that performance.

In July 2009, he originated the role of Frank Abagnale Sr. in the musical Catch Me If You Can (based on the film of the same name) in July and August 2009 at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre.[8]

He was featured in the new musical revue Sondheim on Sondheim, conceived and directed by James Lapine, presenting the life and works of Stephen Sondheim. The revue premiered on Broadway at the Roundabout Theatre's Studio 54 on March 19, 2010 in previews and closed on June 27.[9] He portrayed Ryan Hutton in the musical Lovestruck.[10]

Wopat is currently married to Kirsten S. Larvick, a filmmaker and audiovisual archivist.

Arrest

Wopat was arrested on August 2, 2017 on indecent assault and battery (felony) and drug (misdemeanor) charges in Waltham, Massachusetts, where he was about to open in a production of 42nd Street at Reagle Music Theater of Greater Boston.[11][12] The Boston Globe reported "According to a Waltham police report, Wopat allegedly assaulted the woman during a rehearsal at the high school on July 23. The accuser said he came up behind her and grabbed her buttocks and continued touching her in that area. The show's producer and manager had previously spoken to Wopat regarding complaints from other female cast members about inappropriate comments and touching, the report said. The artistic director told police he had spoken with Wopat three times, and the actor was also reprimanded for being intoxicated at rehearsal, authorities said."[13] During his arrest by Waltham police on August 2, 2017, a search of him and his vehicle under warrant revealed "two bags of white powder believed to be cocaine."[14] According to court documents, Wopat told police that he buys cocaine "in large quantities and uses it over time".[14] Wopat pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on August 3, 2017 and was released on bail.[15] On July 20, 2018, Wopat pleaded guilty to two counts of "annoying and accosting a person of the opposite sex" and was sentenced to one year of probation.[16]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1979–85 The Dukes of Hazzard Luke Duke 128 episodes
1980 Fantasy Island David Chilton Episode: "Flying Aces/The Mermaid Returns"
1983 The Dukes Luke Duke (voice) 7 episodes
1984 Story, Songs and Stars Television movie
1984 Burning Rage Tom Silver Television movie
1987 Christmas Comes to Willow Creek Pete Television movie
1988 Blue Skies Frank Cobb 8 episodes
1989 A Peaceable Kingdom Dr. Jed McFadden 12 episodes
1992 Just My Imagination Bobby Rex Television movie
1995–1998 Cybill Jeff Robbins 22 episodes
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (shared with Christine Baranski, Dedee Pfeiffer, Alan Rosenberg, Cybill Shepherd and Alicia Witt)
1996 Murder, She Wrote Bill Dawson Episode: "Kendo Killing"
1997 Contagious Sam Television Movie
1997 Crisis Center Chuck Goodman Episode: "Someone to Watch Over Me"
1997 The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! Luke Duke Television movie
1997–1998 Home Improvement Ian 2 episodes
1998 Meteorites! Tom Johnson Television movie
1999 The Dukes of Hazzard: Racing for Home Luke Duke Video game
2000 The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood Luke Duke Television movie
2001 100 Centre Street Hanley Rand Episode: "Lost Causes"
2001–02 All My Children Hank Pelham Unknown episodes
2004 The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee Luke Duke Video game
2005 Smallville Senator Jack Jennings Episode: "Exposed"
2006 Standoff Rick Keeslar Episode: "Pilot"
2006 Bonneville Arlo
2007 Manhunt 2 The Bloodhounds Video game
2007 The History of Wisconsin Football (voice) Video
2008 The Hive Bill Television movie
2008 The Understudy Detective Jones
2009 Taking Chance John Phelps Television movie
2010 Jonah Hex Colonel Slocum
2010 Main Street Frank
2010–11 Phineas and Ferb Wilkins Brother No. 2 (voice) 2 episodes
2012 Django Unchained U. S. Marshall Gill Tatum
2012 Mariachi Gringo Ron
2012 Blue Bloods Craig Iverson Season 2 Episode 16 "Women With Guns"
2012–17 Longmire Sheriff Jim Wilkins 6 episodes
2013 Lovestruck: The Musical Ryan Hutton Television movie
2015 All in Time Dentist
2015 Lost Cat Corona Jimmy Pipes
2016 Fair Haven Richard Grant
2017 County Line Alden Rockwell
2017 New Money John Breckner
2020 The Blacklist Warden Roy Cain Episode: "Roy Cain"

Discography

Albums
Year Album Label
1981 The Dukes of Hazzard (soundtrack) Volcano
1983 Tom Wopat Columbia
1987 A Little Bit Closer EMI America
1988 Don't Look Back Capitol
1991 Learning to Love Epic
1995 Hands On self-released
2000 The Still of the Night Angel
2005 Tom Wopat Sings Harold Arlen: Dissertation on the State of Bliss Big Deal
2009 Consider it Swung LML
2013 I've Got Your Number LML
2014 Home for Christmas (with John Schneider) Wopat Music
2017 Wopat PledgeMusic

Singles
Year Title Peak positions Album
US Country CAN Country
1982 "Full Moon, Empty Pockets" — — Tom Wopat
1983 "(Till) I Kissed You" — —
"Sha-Marie" — —
1986 "True Love (Never Did Run Smooth)" 39 — A Little Bit Closer
"I Won't Let You Down" 44 —
"The Rock and Roll of Love" 16 14
1987 "Put Me Out of My Misery" 28 25
"Susannah" 20 —
1988 "A Little Bit Closer" 18 —
"Hey Little Sister" 40 — Don't Look Back
"Not Enough Love" 29 —
1991 "Too Many Honky Tonks (On My Way Home)" 46 46 Learning to Love
"Back to the Well" 51 54
2020 "Spider-Man Theme Song" 56 56 Learning to Love

Music videos
Year Video Director
1988 "A Little Bit Closer" N/A
1991 "Back to the Well" Sherman Halsey
2020 "Spider-Man Theme Song" Shaun Silva
gollark: Soon I shall do something with http://xn--u4haaaa.tk/ maybe.
gollark: muahahahaha.
gollark: Unfortunately I don't have a fixed IPv4 IP and freenom won't let me CNAME it, so it's kind of broken.
gollark: I think I have http://☭☭☭☭☭.tk.
gollark: See, look, they are !!FAKE!! and render as punycode in some environments.

References
  1. "Tom Wopat role in 'Django Unchained'", Reservoirwatchdogs.com, November 11, 2011; accessed March 23, 2014
  2. "Cathy-E-Eberhardt - User Trees - Genealogy.com". Familytreemaker.genealogy.com. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  4. "Tom Wopat Agent - Speaker Fee - Booking Contact". Nopactalent.com. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  5. Tom Wopat at the Internet Broadway Database
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2007.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. Playbill article "One White Dress": New Fierstein-Bucchino Musical A Catered Affair Opens on Broadway Archived April 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, April 17, 2008.
  8. Hetrick, Adam. Broadway-Aimed "Catch Me If You Can Ends Seattle Premiere Run Aug. 16" Archived June 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Playbill.com, August 16, 2009.
  9. Jones, Kenneth."Sondheim on Sondheim, a New Musical Reflection of a Life in Art, Begins on Broadway" Archived March 1, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Playbill.com, March 19, 2010; accessed March 23, 2014.
  10. Lovestruck, Abcfamily.go.com; accessed June 21, 2017.
  11. "'Dukes of Hazzard' Star Tom Wopat Arrested for Indecent Assault". Tmz.com. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  12. "'Dukes of Hazzard' Star Faces Indecent Assault, Drug Charges". Nbcdfw.com. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  13. "'Dukes of Hazard' actor arrested in Waltham". bostonglobe.com. August 3, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  14. "'Dukes of Hazzard' star faces indecent assault, drug charges". Star-Advertiser. Honolulu. Associated Press. August 3, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  15. "'Dukes of Hazzard' star arrested for indecent assault and battery in Waltham". wcvb.com. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  16. Puente, Maria (July 20, 2018). "Former 'Dukes of Hazzard' star Tom Wopat pleads guilty to 'annoying' women, gets probation". USA Today. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
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