THOMAS, Rob 1953–

PERSONAL

Original name, Robin Thomas Grossman; born February 12, 1953, in Pittsfield, MA.

Addresses:

Agent—Gold/Marshak/Liedtke & Associates (also known as Talentworks), 3500 West Olive Ave., Suite 1400, Burbank, CA 91505. Manager—The Marshak/Zachary Company, 8840 Wilshire Blvd., 1st Floor, Beverly Hills, CA 90211.

Career:

Actor.

Awards, Honors:

Alan J. Pakula Award (with others), Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, 2001, for The Contender.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

Steve Carlson, About Last Night, Columbia TriStar, 1986.

Vice principal Phil Gills, Summer School, Paramount, 1987.

Scotty Sandholtzer, Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael, Paramount, 1990.

Dr. Berman, Me and the Kid, Orion, 1993.

Mr. Green, Jade, Paramount, 1995.

Jason Ainsley, Chameleon, Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1995.

Bill Martin, Amityville: Dollhouse (also known as Amityville Dollhouse: Evil Never Dies), Republic, 1996.

Martin, Star Maps, Fox Searchlight Pictures, 1997.

Voice, Saving Private Ryan, Paramount, 1998.

Reporter in hallway, Bulworth, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1998.

Doctor, Break Up, Breakstreet Productions, 1998.

Tim Thompson, More Dogs than Bones, Dream Entertainment Inc., 2000.

William Hanson, The Contender (also known as Rufmord—Jenseits der Moral), DreamWorks, 2000.

Dr. Gibbs, Clockstoppers, Paramount, 2002.

Raymond Kingsley, The Banger Sisters, Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2002.

Bob Calden, Missing Brendan, 2003.

Television Appearances; Series:

Mark Singleton, Another World, NBC, 1983–85.

Assistant District Attorney Burton Hawkins, a recurring role, Matlock, NBC, 1986–87.

Geoffrey Wells, a recurring role, Who's the Boss?, ABC, 1986–87.

Paul Kellogg, The Mommies (also known as Mommies), NBC, 1993–94.

Louis Perillo, a recurring role, The Division, Lifetime, 2002–2004.

Sam Auerbach, a recurring role, Queer as Folk, Showtime, 2004.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Glen Eastman, From the Dead of Night, NBC, 1989.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Mendy Windenbaum, Svengali, CBS, 1983.

Dr. Gardner, A Fighting Choice, ABC, 1986.

Charles Kamen, Haunted by Her Past (also known as Secret Passions), NBC, 1987.

Paul Keaton, Who Gets the Friends?, CBS, 1988.

Evan Martin, Personals, USA Network, 1990.

Michael, Memories of Murder, Lifetime, 1990.

Wally Shaw, The Rape of Doctor Willis, CBS, 1991.

Reporter, Citizen Cohn, HBO, 1992.

Dr. Rudolph Brutoco, For the Love of My Child: The Anissa Ayala Story, NBC, 1993.

Without Warning: Terror in the Towers, NBC, 1993.

Peter Stromen, An Element of Truth, CBS, 1995.

Dr. Mitch Conlon, Color Me Perfect, Lifetime, 1996.

Mike Fitzgerald, High Stakes (also known as High Stakes: The Melanie Morgan Story), Lifetime, 1997.

Kalabar, Halloweentown, The Disney Channel, 1998.

Glenn Woods, Horse Sense, The Disney Channel, 1999.

Calabar, Halloweentown 2: Kalabar's Revenge, The Disney Channel, 2001.

Governor Mark Schweiker, The Pennsylvania Miners' Story, ABC, 2002.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

Burton Hawkins, Matlock: Diary of a Perfect Murder (also known as Diary of a Perfect Murder), NBC, 1986.

David Albird, Close Encounters, CBS, 1990.

Professor Beckenstein, Freshman Dorm, CBS, 1992.

Will Hammond, Gramercy Park, ABC, 2004.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Jake Sykes, "Sports: Time, Rate, Measurement," 3–2–1 Contact, 1983.

Jake Sykes, "Sports: Energy Transfer," 3–2–1–Contact, 1983.

Vincent, "Grand Theft Bunny," Misfits of Science, NBC, 1985.

Mr. Torrence, "The Incident," Fame, syndicated, 1986.

"Sister, Can You Spare a Fifty?," My Sister Sam, 1987.

Dr. Bob Kramer, "I'm in Love" (also known as "I'm in Love, I'm in Love, I'm in Love with a Wonderful Gynecologist," thirtysomething, ABC, 1988.

Dr. Bob Kramer, "Nancy's First Date," thirtysomething, ABC, 1988.

Jake Lowenstein, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," Murphy Brown, CBS, 1988.

Jack Hansen, "Burning the Toad" (also known as "The Jack Story"), Anything But Love, 1989.

Rob Marks, "The Center—aka—The Right School for Elizabeth," Baby Boom, 1988.

"Mary, Mary Quite Contrary," Island Son, 1990.

Al Novak, "Room Service," Hunter, NBC, 1991.

Al Novak/Mr. Canova, "The Grab," Hunter, NBC, 1991.

Jake Lowenstein, "Uh–Oh: Parts 1, 2, & 3," Murphy Brown, CBS, 1991.

Gerald Innsmouth, "The Committee," Murder, She Wrote, CBS, 1991.

Will Comstack, "Her Cheatin' Heart," Empty Nest, 1991.

Professor Beckenstein, "Sex, Truth, and Theatre," Freshman Dorm, CBS, 1992.

Professor Beckenstein, "The Scarlett Letter," Freshman Dorm, CBS, 1992.

Dr. Harrison Archibald, "Manny," Touched by an Angel, 1994.

Mr. Marshall Thompson, "Best Laid Plans," Party of Five, Fox, 1995.

Mr. Marshall Thompson, "Grand Delusions," Party of Five, Fox, 1995.

Marshall Thompson, "Strange Bedfellows," Party of Five, Fox, 1996.

Jake Lowenstein, "Old Flames," Murphy Brown, CBS, 1996.

"Women & Children First," High Incident, ABC, 1996.

Phil Delaney, "Ghosts," JAG, CBS, 1997.

Richard Adler, "Reasonable Doubts," The Practice, ABC, 1997.

Gower Jantzen, "Vallery of the Dolls," V.I.P., syndicated, 1998.

Professor Alan Watson, "Glass Houses," Pacific Blue, USA Network, 1998.

Producer, "The Quick and the Dead," It's Like, You Know …, ABC, 1999.

Priest, "Team Play," Chicago Hope, CBS, 1999.

Brian Whitman, "Mind Games," Walker, Texas Ranger, 1999.

Dr. Donald Ward, "Teacher's Pet," Diagnosis Murder, CBS, 2000.

Harry Duvall, "The Deal," The Practice, ABC, 2000.

Senator Jack Enlow, D–Illinois, "Dead Irish Writers," The West Wing, NBC, 2002.

Andrew Loesch, "Life Sentence," The Court, ABC, 2002.

Voice of Andrew Loesch, "Due Process," The Court, ABC, 2002.

Andrew Loesch, "Stay," The Court, ABC, 2002.

Dr. Steven Barrett, "Silent Partners," The Practice, ABC, 2002.

Bert Betancourt, "Dead Zone," CSI: Miami, CBS, 2003.

"Let's Spent the Night Together," The Guardian, CBS, 2003.

Also appeared as Andrew Loesch, "A Wing and a Prayer" and "Back in the Bottle," The Court, ABC; in "Home to Roost," Midnight Caller, NBC; as Jack Cornell, "Stuck in the Blizzard with You," To Have & To Hold; Dr. Max Butler, As the World Turns, CBS.

Stage Appearances:

Julius Rosenberg, Worse than Murder: Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, Ventura Court Theater, Studio City, CA, 2002.

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals:

Entertainment Weekly, June, 1992.

MATCHBOX TWENTY

Formed: 1996, Orlando, Florida

Members: Kyle Cook, guitar (born Frankfort, Indiana, 29 August 1975); Paul Doucette, drums (born Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 22 August 1972); Adam Gaynor, guitar (born New York, 26 November 1964); Rob Thomas, vocals (born Germany, 14 February 1971); Brian Yale, bass (born Connecticut, 24 November 1968).

Genre: Rock

Best-selling album since 1990: Yourself or Someone Like You (1996)

Hit songs since 1990: "Push," "3 A.M.," "If You're Gone"

When matchbox twenty first burst on the music scene in 1996 with its fusion of alternative pop and 1970s-styled power rock, few critics predicted the band would be anything more than a one-hit wonder. Instead, matchbox twenty became one of the most popular American rock bands of the late 1990s, spawning a legion of imitators.

Lead singer Rob Thomas grew up an army brat, constantly relocating as his father faced reassignment and later moving back and forth between his mother's home in Florida and his grandmother's in South Carolina. Dropping out of high school at the age of seventeen, Thomas proceeded to drift throughout the American South, writing songs and singing in local bands. In Orlando, Thomas met up with bass player Brian Yale and drummer Paul Doucette; the trio performed in a variety of outfits before hooking up with guitarists Kyle Cook and Adam Gaynor to form "Matchbox 20" in 1996. The fledgling band derived its curious name after seeing a restaurant patron wearing a jersey sporting the number "20" as well as a patch that read "matchbox"; the band would later change its name to "matchbox twenty" prior to the release of its second album in 2000.

After recording a series of demos with Collective Soul producer Matt Serletic, matchbox twenty signed a recording contract with Lava Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records. In 1996 the band released its debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You. The album flopped upon release, as radio stations failed to pick up the lead single, "Long Day." In the spring of 1997, the follow-up "Push" began to make inroads with radio and the listening public. Somewhat atypical of the matchbox twenty sound because of its beefy, aggressive guitar and vocal combination, "Push" embroiled the band in a minor controversy, as some women's groups interpreted the lyrics as promoting violence toward women: "I wanna push you around, I will, I will / I wanna push you down, I will, I will / I wanna take you for granted." "Push" became a staple on MTV, even though Thomas, with his Roman-styled haircut, offered the only memorable look within the band.

As the public began to embrace matchbox twenty, critics did not take so kindly to the band. Detractors charged that the "faceless" backing band only served to show that Thomas was the only real talent of interest within the band. Many critics pegged matchbox twenty as a prototypical one-hit wonder.

matchbox twenty's third single from Yourself or Someone Like You silenced critics and established the band as a commercial radio force. "3 A.M.," a gentle midtempo number with a soft, galloping beat, channels the roots-rock sound of 1980s college radio bands such as R.E.M., but infuses it with the anthem-like spirit of 1970s arena rock, particularly on its memorable chorus: "And she says, 'Baby / It's 3 a.m., I must be lonely.'" Lyrically, "3 A.M." reveals Thomas's sensitive side, as he ponders the impending death of a loved one: "She says it's cold outside and she hands me my raincoat / She's always worried about things like that / She says it's all gonna end and it might as well be my fault." Yourself or Someone Like You would chart two more hit singles and ultimately sell 10 million copies worldwide. The band's success also spawned a host of imitators, including such bands as Train and Lifehouse.

Thomas further enhanced his profile by co-writing the number one hit "Smooth" for the rock band Santana in 1999. Broadcast Music, Inc. named Thomas its "Pop Songwriter of the Year" for that year and, at the Grammy Awards, he earned awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Interest in matchbox twenty rocketed accordingly, and pressure mounted on the band to deliver a worthy follow-up to Yourself or Someone Like You.

matchbox twenty released mad season by matchbox twenty in 2000; the album further refined the band's successful formula, while broadening its sound with keyboards and horns. The single "If You're Gone" epitomizes the musical growth. Modeled after "3 A.M.," "If You're Gone" begins with a musical whisper, allowing Thomas ample room to ruminate about the seeming futility of a relationship. Slowly building tension through the verses, "If You're Gone" reaches a crescendo for the chorus, as Thomas pleadingly sings: "If you're gone / Maybe it's time to go home / There's an awful lot of breathing room / But I can hardly move." As "If You're Gone" reaches its conclusion, a full horn section complements Thomas's powerful emoting. mad season by matchbox twenty avoided any sophomore slump for the band, selling 4 million copies worldwide.

The band released its third album, More Than You Think You Are, in 2002. Though Thomas remained the primary songwriter, band members such as Cook and Doucette emerged from the shadows to collaborate and shape the creative direction of the band's songs. Thomas's celebrity also attracted high-profile guests for the album, most notably Mick Jagger, who co-wrote the lead single "Disease."

An unlikely success story, matchbox twenty, with its accessible, friendly sound that drew from many familiar styles, confounded critics and an image-conscious public to become one of the leading purveyors of American mainstream rock in the late 1990s.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

Yourself or Someone Like You (Atlantic, 1996); mad season by matchbox twenty (Atlantic, 2000); More Than You Think You Are (Atlantic, 2002).

scott tribble