Biography
University of Missouri graduate Tom Berenger began his theater work in regional repertory. Once he hit New York, he was employed in several TV soap operas, most prominently as the ill-fated Timmy Siegel on
One Life to Live. His first film acting ranged from the grittier urban demands of Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) to the cavalier heroics of Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979). After such relatively sympathetic assignments as
The Big Chill in 1983, Berenger followed in the role of the sociopathic, battle-scarred Sergeant Barnes in
Platoon (1986), a performance that earned him an Oscar nomination. This did not, however, stop the versatile actor from trying future good-guy roles like the irresponsible baseball player in
Major League (1988). Berenger continued to successfully fluctuate between heroes and villains into the '90s, with a few side trips into television, notably in an amusing, unheralded guest stint in the waning days of the sitcom
Cheers. In 1998, he gave a particularly good portrayal of a villainous low life in
Robert Altman's adaptation of
John Grisham's
The Gingerbread Man. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide