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Tom Cavanagh

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For other people named Tom Cavanagh, see Tom Cavanagh (disambiguation).

Tom Cavanagh
Cavanagh in 2023
Born
Thomas Cavanagh

(1963-10-26) October 26, 1963 (age 61)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Alma mater
OccupationActor
Years active1989–present
Spouse
Maureen Grise
​
(m. 2004)​
Children4

Thomas Cavanagh (born October 26, 1963[1]) is a Canadian actor. He is known for a variety of roles on American television, including starring roles in Ed (2000–2004), Love Monkey (2006) and Trust Me (2009), and recurring roles on Providence and Scrubs. From 2014 to 2023, he portrayed Harrison Wells and Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash on The CW television series The Flash; Cavanagh also directed several episodes of The Flash. In 2023, he became the host of Hey Yahoo! on GSN.[2]

Early life

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Thomas Cavanagh was born on October 26, 1963, in Ottawa, Ontario,[1] to a Roman Catholic family of Irish descent.[3] Cavanagh moved with his family to Winneba, a small city in Ghana when he was a child.[4]

In his teens, the family moved to Lennoxville, Quebec when his father became the Academic Dean of Champlain College.[5][6] He attended the Séminaire de Sherbrooke, where he studied in French and played basketball for the Barons. He later studied at Champlain College in Lennoxville at the CEGEP level. While attending Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, he became interested in theatre and music and played ice hockey and varsity basketball. He graduated in 1987 with degrees in English, biology and education.[1][7]

Career

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Commercial credits

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Cavanagh acted in his native Canada for many years, appearing on television dramas such as Jake and the Kid in the late 1990s, and television commercials, appearing for Oh Henry! chocolate bars[8] and Labatt Blue Light beer commercials[9] in the 1990s and for CIBC.

Broadway roles

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In 1989, he was cast in the Broadway revival of Shenandoah. Other stage credits include productions of A Chorus Line, Cabaret, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Urinetown and Grease. He appeared in the 2008 production of Some Americans Abroad at Second Stage Theatre in New York City.[10]

Television performances

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After gaining notice for his recurring role as Doug the Dog Guy in the NBC television program Providence, Cavanagh was cast as the title character in the NBC program Ed. Cavanagh received a Golden Globe nomination and a TV Guide Award for his work on Ed, which ran for four seasons beginning in October 2000 and concluding in February 2004.[4]

Cavanagh in April 2008

Cavanagh guest starred on the sitcom Scrubs where he played Dan Dorian, the brother of Zach Braff's character. He made six subsequent appearances in the series, starting with 2002's "My Big Brother" and culminating with the eighth season finale.

In 2005, Cavanagh filmed the pilot Love Monkey, with Jason Priestley, Judy Greer and Larenz Tate. The show was selected by CBS as a midseason replacement and debuted on January 17, 2006. Love Monkey was given an eight-episode order, but only three aired on CBS before the show was placed on indefinite hiatus due to low ratings. VH1 bought all eight episodes which was played in the entirety in the spring of 2006.

He starred in the Lifetime Movie Network television miniseries The Capture Of The Green River Killer in which he portrayed King County sheriff David Reichert. In March 2006, Cavanagh filmed My Ex-Life, a comedy pilot for CBS about a divorced couple who remain friends. The pilot featured Lost actress Cynthia Watros as his character's ex-wife. CBS did not select the show for its fall 2006 schedule. Cavanagh portrayed the lead role Nick Snowden (the heir to the Santa Claus identity) in the made-for-TV movie Snow in 2005, which is shown annually on the Family Channel.

In 2008, Cavanagh appeared in the short-lived ABC series Eli Stone, playing the father of the title character. From January to April 2009, Cavanagh starred in the television drama Trust Me, co-starring Eric McCormack, which aired on TNT until cancellation due to low ratings.[11][12]

Cavanagh hosted Stories from the Vaults on Smithsonian Networks from 2008 to 2009. He made a guest appearance in the mid-season premiere of the USA Network show Royal Pains as former professional golfer Jack O'Malley. In 2012, he starred in Lifetime's A Killer Among Us remake.[13]

Cavanagh at the 2015 Paley Fest

From 2014 to 2021, Cavanagh was a series regular on The CW's live-action television series The Flash, portraying Harrison Wells;[14] most notably Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash impersonating the Earth-1 version in conjunction with several different doppelgängers, such as Earth-2's Harry, Earth-19 writer H. R., Earth-221 detective Sherloque, and explorer Nash (also known as Pariah). He was a regular cast member for seven seasons before he left yet continued to make guest appearances in the final two seasons.[15][16][17] In 2023, Cavanagh began hosting the game show Hey Yahoo!.[18]

Film performances

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Cavanagh starred in the 2002 film Bang Bang You're Dead. Prior to Ed, Cavanagh's film appearances were mainly in supporting roles.[4] After that series ended, he had his first starring role as an escaped convict in the thriller Heart of the Storm. In 2005, he starred in the romantic comedy Alchemy, opposite Sarah Chalke; in 2006, he appeared in another romantic comedy, Gray Matters.

In 2006, Cavanagh began filming Breakfast with Scot, in which he plays a gay retired hockey player who becomes an adoptive father to a young boy. The film, released in 2007, drew attention as the first gay-themed film ever to win approval from a major league sports franchise to use its real name and logo; Cavanagh's character formerly played for the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 2007 he starred in the second installment of the direct-to-DVD Raw Feed horror film series from Warner Home Video, Sublime. In 2008, Cavanagh starred in the Crime/Drama The Capture of the Green River Killer. He also starred as Ranger Smith in the feature film Yogi Bear (2010).

Podcast

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From 2010 until 2016, Cavanagh co-hosted the podcast Mike and Tom Eat Snacks, with his Ed castmate Michael Ian Black, on the Nerdist Podcast Network.[19] They re-launched the podcast in August, 2021 on the Starburns Audio podcast network.

Personal life

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Cavanagh married Maureen Grise, an image editor for Sports Illustrated, on July 31, 2004, in a Catholic ceremony on Nantucket, Massachusetts.[20] The couple has two daughters and two sons.[21]

Cavanagh ran the 2006 New York City Marathon.[22]

In summer 2008, he founded the Cavanagh Classic, an annual celebrity basketball tournament in Rucker Park in Harlem to raise money and awareness for Nothing But Nets. The charity's goal is to combat malaria by sending mosquito nets to families that need them. Cavanagh travelled to Rwanda on a March 2009 United Nations Foundation trip to distribute the nets and educate the recipients in their use.[23]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1991 White Light Ella's Secretary
1995 Dangerous Intentions Ron
1995 Magic in the Water Simon
1996 Mask of Death Joey
1996 Midnight Heat Bowlan
1996 Profile for Murder Tim Jonas
1997 Honeymoon Jamie
1999 Something More Harry
2003 Freddy vs. Jason Will's Father
2005 Alchemy Mal Downey
2006 How to Eat Fried Worms Mitch Forrester
2006 Two Weeks Barry Bergman
2006 Gray Matters Sam Baldwin
2007 Sublime George Grieves
2007 The Cake Eaters Lloyd
2007 Breakfast with Scot Eric McNally
2010 Yogi Bear Ranger John Smith
2013 The Birder Ron Spencer
2014 The Games Maker Mr. Drago
2015 400 Days Zell
2016 Sidekick Darkman
2016 Offer and Compromise Henry Warner
2019 Love & Debt Henry Warner
2022 Corrective Measures Gordon Tweedy [24]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1993 Secret Service Charlie 1 episode
1993 Beyond Reality N/A 1 episode
1993 Sherlock Holmes Returns Rookie Cop Television film
1993 Other Women's Children Marco Television film
1994 Street Legal Dr. Peter Shenfield 1 episode
1995 Madison Jesus 1 episode
1995, 1999 The Outer Limits Carl Toman, Vance Ridout 2 episodes
1995 Hawkeye Corporal Charles Sykes 1 episode
1995 A Vow to Kill Jacey Jeffries Television film
1997 Jake and the Kid Paul Krause Main role (season 2)
1996 Bloodhounds II Levesh Television film
1997 The Sentinel Bill Collins 1 episode
1997 Northern Lights Frank Television film
1998 Cold Squad Spencer Taggart 1 episode
1998 Viper Charles Bennett 1 episode
1998 Eyes of a Cowboy Lonesome Cooper 1 episode
1998 Twisteeria Live Action Man Television film
1998 The 900 Lives of Jackie Frye Jackie Frye Television film
1999 Mentors Lewis Carroll 1 episode
1999–2000 Providence Doug Boyce Recurring role, 8 episodes
1999 Oh, Grow Up Bruce 1 episode
1999 Anya's Bell Patrick Birmingham Television film
1999–2000 Sports Night Howard 2 episodes
2000–2004 Ed Ed Stevens Lead role, 83 episodes
2002 Bang Bang You're Dead Val Duncan Television film
2002–2009 Scrubs Dan Dorian Recurring role, 7 episodes
2004 Jack & Bobby Jimmy McCallister 2 episodes
2004 Heart of the Storm Simpson Television film
2004 Snow Nick Snowden Television film
2006 Love Monkey Tom Farrell Main role, 8 episodes
2006 My Ex Life Nick Television film
2008 Snow 2: Brain Freeze Nick Snowden Television film
2008 The Capture of the Green River Killer Dave Reichert Television miniseries
2008–2009 Eli Stone Jeremy Stone Recurring role, 7 episodes
2009 Trust Me Conner Main role
2009 Christmas Dreams Eli Television film
2010 Edgar Floats Edgar Floats Television film
2011 Trading Christmas Charles Johnson Television film
2011–2012 Royal Pains Jack O'Malley Recurring role, 7 episodes
2012 A Killer Among Us Nick Carleton Television film
2013 Doc McStuffins Big Jack Voice role; 1 episode
2013 The Goldbergs Charles Kremp 1 episode
2013, 2023 Blue Bloods Mickey Patrick Episodes: "Ties That Bind", "The Big Leagues"
2014 Lucky Duck Snap Voice role; television film
2014 The Following Kingston Tanner 4 episodes
2014 Undateable Frank 1 episode
2014–2023 The Flash Harrison Wells / Pariah, Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash / The Flash Main role (seasons 1–7); recurring role (seasons 7-8); guest role (season 9)
2015 Robot Chicken Eobard Thawne Voice role; episode: "Ants on a Hamburger"
2016 Van Helsing Micah 1 episode
2017 Darrow & Darrow Miles Television film
2017, 2019 Supergirl Harrison Wells / Pariah, Eobard Thawne Episodes: "Crisis on Earth-X", "The Wrath of Rama Khan" (cameo), "Crisis on Infinite Earths"
2017–2019 Arrow Harrison Wells, Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash Episodes: "Crisis on Earth-X", "Purgatory" (cameo), "Elseworlds"
2017, 2020 Legends of Tomorrow Crossover episodes: "Crisis on Earth-X", "Crisis on Infinite Earths"
2018 Darrow & Darrow: In the Key of Murder Miles Television film
2018 Darrow & Darrow: Body of Evidence Miles Television film
2019 Witness to Murder: A Darrow Mystery Miles Television film
2019 Batwoman Nash Wells Episode: "A Mad Tea-Party" (cameo)
2023 Hey Yahoo (Game Show)[25] Host Game Show
2024 Superman & Lois Gordon Godfrey Episode: "Sharp Dressed Man"

Video games

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Year Title Role
2010 Yogi Bear: The Video Game Ranger Smith (voice role)

As a director

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Wyndham, Wise. "Tom Cavanagh". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  2. ^ Hey Yahoo! (TV Series 2023– ) ⭐ 6.3 | Game-Show, archived from the original on July 11, 2023, retrieved December 6, 2023
  3. ^ Rothstein, Michael (July 13, 2009). "Fame And Notre Dame: Actor Tom Cavanagh". The Journal Gazette. Fort Wayne, Indiana. Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014. That was the start of it, so to speak, and we're Irish Catholic and Notre Dame, well, they're the Irish...
  4. ^ a b c Blackman, Lori (November 15, 2000). "Tom Cavanagh of 'Ed'". CNN. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2014. My parents are educators, and they were over there putting in teaching systems in Africa
  5. ^ Lambie, Gordon (May 27, 2020). "Townships community mourns Tom Cavanagh". The Record. Sherbrooke, Quebec. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  6. ^ Ragusa, Gina (October 6, 2020). "Actor Tom Cavanagh from 'The Flash' Reveals the Most Important Life Lessons From His Father". Showbiz CheatSheet. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  7. ^ Ouzounian, Richard (July 11, 2014). "Canadian actor known for Ed grateful for a string of "great jobs," including The Following, The Flash and animated series on Disney Junior". Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Archived from the original on March 27, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  8. ^ Oh Henry! commercial (1995). Some Old Videos. February 21, 2020. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ Labatt Blue Commercial. VideoCassettes. July 25, 2008. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2016 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ "Shows: Season 29 2007–2008". Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  11. ^ Frankel, Daniel (February 4, 2009). "TNT's 'Trust Me' tumbles: USA's original series fare well against networks". Winnipeg Free Press. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  12. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 12, 2009). "TNT cancels ad-agency drama "Trust Me"". Reuters. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  13. ^ Lewis, Errol (August 14, 2012). "Lifetime Premieres 'Killer Among Us' Starring Tom Cavanagh And Boris Kodjoe". Soap Opera Network. Archived from the original on August 17, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  14. ^ Abrams, Natalie (February 10, 2014). "Ed's Tom Cavanagh Joins The CW's The Flash Pilot". TV Guide. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  15. ^ Vary, Adam B. (May 4, 2021). "'The Flash' Stars Carlos Valdes, Tom Cavanagh Leaving After Season 7". Variety. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  16. ^ Drum, Nicole (June 29, 2022). "The Flash: Eric Wallace Breaks Down Reverse Flash's Fate in "Negative Part Two"". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  17. ^ "Does The Flash Season 9 ending reveals a new future for Arrowverse?". Hindustan Times. May 25, 2023. Archived from the original on November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  18. ^ Rice, Lynette. "Tom Cavanagh To Host 'Hey Yahoo!' For Game Show Network". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 4, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  19. ^ "Mike and Tom Eat Snacks on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts.
  20. ^ "Cage Nuptials Kick Off a Week of Weddings". People. August 5, 2004. Archived from the original on October 22, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  21. ^ "My Sundance Experience in Full". Archived from the original on October 4, 2024. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  22. ^ Peterson, Erin (October 29, 2008). "I'm a Runner: Tom Cavanagh". Runner's World. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  23. ^ Cavanagh, Tom (March 25, 2009). "Trust me, Nets Save Lives". Nothing But Nets. Archived from the original on September 14, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2009.
  24. ^ Hailu, Selome (September 8, 2021). "Bruce Willis and Michael Rooker to Star in Tubi's Adaptation of 'Corrective Measures'". Variety. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  25. ^ Hey Yahoo! (TV Series 2023– ) ⭐ 6.3 | Game-Show, archived from the original on October 4, 2024, retrieved December 6, 2023
  26. ^ "Flash's Tom Cavanagh Directing Time Travel Episode". CBR. March 21, 2017. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  27. ^ "The Flash: The Once And Future Flash Review & Discussion". Screen Rant. April 25, 2017. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  28. ^ Keene, Allison (October 25, 2017). "New 'The Flash' Images Introduce Danny Trejo's Breacher". Collider. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  29. ^ Agard, Chancellor (December 4, 2018). "'The Flash' recap: A poignant (and twisty!) journey to the past worthy of 100 episodes". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
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