Thomas Roy(I)

Thomas Roy was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and grew up in Hatboro, Pennsylvania. His father was Walter Roy, an interior designer for the Philadelphia Wanamaker's Department Store and a well-known local stage actor in the area. His mother was Mildred MacCorkell, a lifelong teacher, orator, and fine artist. He had one sister, Marian Lynne Roy, deceased. Thomas began his acting career, officially, in the 11th grade at Upper Moreland Senior High School, playing the lead character in a comedy entitled "June Mad", though his family and his teachers stated that he was always acting up, due, it turns out, to ADHD, which was not a diagnosis ever delivered in those years. He had the lead role again in his senior year, then attended West Chester University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in English Secondary Education. Upon graduation in 1966, he served three years in the US Navy, in Jacksonville Florida before returning to Pennsylvania to teach 8th grade English in Ephrata. In the same town were radio stations WGSA-AM and WIOV-FM and, in 1971, he began a part-time job at both stations which in three months turned into a full-time radio career which lasted for more than 20 years. His work in broadcasting including morning show host, talk show host, and news director. Through the years 1971-1991, he simultaneously worked as a semi-professional actor at the Fulton Opera House in Lancaster PA, Gretna Theatre in Mount Gretna PA and The Independent Eye in Lancaster PA, now in Sonoma County CA. In 1992 he joined Actors Equity, AFTRA and the Screen Actors Guild, landing his first principal film role in 1994 in Terry Gilliam's "12 Monkeys". During the years 1995-2010 Thomas was an actor, writer, director, and producer at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, while simultaneously working on Saturday Night Live, Pete & Pete, The Answer Man and Night Catches Us. He retired from the Renaissance Faire in late 2010 and spends his time teaching Improv, Acting, Directing and Actor Self-Marketing. His most recent work was as a principal character campaign worker in the in-production HBO mini-series "Game Change", focusing on the abortive McCain/Palin presidential campaign. Thomas is married to Ruth Deck Roy. Together they have one son, Michael Thomas Roy, born 1990. Thomas has two daughters from a prior marriage, and they are Melissa Roy Monti, born 1970, and Jill Roy-Hill, born 1974.