Tommy Lee Jones Biography

Tommy landed his first stage roll on Broadway in ‘A Patriot for Me’, and spent subsequent years working in television. With his ambition outstretching his achievements, he headed west to seek out the bright lights and opportunities of Los Angeles.

After his first marriage to Katharine Lardner failed, he fell into the Hollywood world of partying and dating. It was during this time of excess that he met his second wife, Kimberlea Cloughley, to whom he remained married until 1995.

Tommy’s career throughout the 1980’s remained very much TV based, and it wasn't until the early part of the 1990s that he came to the attention of studio bosses. He received an Academy Award nomination for his performance in Oliver Stones 'JFK' in 1991, and went on to star in ‘Under Siege’. However, it was for his role as U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard in ‘The Fugitive’, opposite Harrison Ford, that he won an Oscar.

By the time he picked up his little gold statue, he was fast on his way to becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest male stars - able to command leading roles in big budget blockbusters such as ‘Batman Forever’ and ‘Men in Black I & II’.

Although he was achieving success on the silver screen, Tommy was harbouring an ambition to direct a feature film, having worked his magic on 1995 television movie ‘The Good Old Boys’. He realised his dream with 2005's ‘The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada’, which was well received by critics. He won the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as Satellite Award and Independent Spirit Award nominations.

Further recognition came with his next three movies. A Gotham Awards nod for best ensemble cast in 2006's ‘A Prairie Home Companion’ was swiftly followed by accolades for the Coen Brother's 2007 hit ‘No Country for Old Men’. Tommy picked up a San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor and was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA Award for his supporting role in the film. He continued his good form in the same year by also gaining an Academy Award nomination for ‘In the Valley of Elah’.

Although 2009's ‘In the Electric Mist’ broke his critical acclaim streak, 2010's ‘The Company Men’ put him back in the spotlight with a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination. Tommy is due to appear in ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ in 2011 and will be hoping to leave behind the negative reception of ‘Men in Black II’ with a third instalment of the science fiction action comedy film.

He married his third wife Dawn Laurel in March 2001 and lives in Texas.