"My Wedding Day Was The Happiest Day of My Life"
by M.J. Bevans
TV By Day
September 1975
You
can't take Tom Berenger strictly at face value. Underneath those remarkable
good looks and rugged male demeanor, there's a lot more going on than you
might suspect. The young actor, who plays Tim Siegal on One Life to
Live, has done his share of living and has had his ups and downs. But,
today, he is a man who knows who he is, what he wants and what he has to
do to get it. There's been soul searching and conflict, but now Tom 'Berenger
is definitely on his way.
While his looks will certainly
help him get there, they have also been a problem for the actor. "I used
to worry a lot about my looks," he confessed. "You know, they can be a
liability in that they limit the roles one can play.
"When I first came to New
York, for example, I auditioned for Joseph Papp and the Public Theater.
While they liked me, they said I was too good-looking for some of their
roles. They were interested in a tougher looking type.
"Many times people tell me
I look like Paul Newman, but I'm Tom Berenger. It's hard to live in someone's
else's shadow. I hope to bring my own unique sense of life to a part and
not always have to be compared to Paul Newman."
Perhaps because of his frequent
comparison to Newman, Tom has been very publicity shy and of late has found
himself reverting to the ways of his childhood when he "stuck pretty much"
to himself.
"I was very introverted...very
much a loner," he revealed. "And now I feel like I'm becoming more that
way. I don't have much time for socializing. Much of my energy goes into
my career."
Tom will tell you that his
best friend is his wife, Barbara. They met six years ago on a sandy beach
at Indiana State Dunes Park. During the years that followed, they dated
on and off, and finally tied the knot one year ago.
Describing Barbara, Tom said,
"She's very attractive, but more important, she's really a down-to-earth
type--very unpretentious and more of a homebody. More than glamorous, she's
gutsy and unselfish. She's been very supportive to me, helping me with
my lines, dealing with the long hours-just always there.
"If I had to choose the happiest
time of my life, it would have to be the time I got married. The ceremony
was held in a small chapel at the United Nations, and we only had about
fifteen people attending. We spent a dream night at the Plaza Hotel and
then honeymooned at a very quiet spot on St. John, the Virgin Islands.
Then we went to Chicago for a big reception for family and friends.
"We've gotten through the
first year very well, so I assume the rest will be smooth sailing. If you
want me to tell you the secret to a good relationship I would have to say
that it's more than just love and sex. You have to be good friends and
respect each other's individualism."
Because Tom has a limited
time schedule since he's been on the soap opera, he and Barbara try to
spend as much time together as possible. They like seeing films and going
to the theatre, and when they can, traveling. They do not live in the heart
of the city, but in nearby Queens.
"I chose to live in Queens
because when I first came to New York I was working for an airline and
my airline employees lived in Queens," the attractive actor explained.
"I had come to New York after spending several months in Puerto Rico."
After his childhood in Chicago's
South Side, the young daytime actor lived in Kansas City, Missouri, Dallas
and finally Puerto Rico before making the commitment to acting and settling
in New York.
"My mom still lives in Chicago,
as does my sister. My dad died recently. We had a good relationship, but
as a kid I didn't see him too much. He was a traveling salesman, usually
gone during the week."
"Now that we're more adult,
my sister and I are closer. I suppose in a way she has had to live in my
shadow, since I'm the eldest, and a son...a big football player," Tom grinned.
"I first started thinking
about being an actor when I was in college at the University of Missouri.
I auditioned for a television play, and the director, who has some professional
New York credits, encouraged me to pursue acting. In college I had a double
major--drama and film editing.
"I worked with 16 millimeter
film upon graduating, and from Kansas City I went on to Dallas. All of
this time I suppose I had an unrealized commitment to acting. But then,
I guess I ran away from acting. I was afraid of the business--I still am."
Tom "ran away" to Puerto Rico.
"It was a beautiful place to live for the first month, but after that you
almost prayed for a rainy day to break the monotony of the sunshine. I
came to New York with the idea I would probably pursue my acting and after
a few months I left the airline and committed myself fully to an acting
career.
"But, I 'm glad I ran away
from acting for a while because during that time I did a lot of living
which I needed to do. My acting career is very important to me now. My
greatest wish is to be a very good actor, but I don't like thinking about
it. I need more training and self confidence.
"Right now I'm studying acting
at Herbert Berghof Studios. I'm also taking fencing and studying voice.
I don't like the way I sound."
Since coming to New York,
Tom has appeared in several commercials, did a fashion layout for Esquire
and was featured in a play. He was to star as Beau in Bus Stop at
the Manhattan Theater Club, but the play conflicted with his schedule on
One Life.
Tom said that in contrast
to his character, Tim Siegel, he would handle his life differently. "Tim's
emotionally several years younger than I am, and he's much pushier than
I would be. Right now his major conflict is that he's in love with a girl
he cannot have."
As for Tom Berenger, well,
the honestly shy actor finds it difficult to talk about his personal feelings.
"I'm a practical person " he said, "and not at all philosophical, though
I can be idealistic. I'm a loner. I like to read a lot and my favorite
authors include Hemingway, Salinger, Goldman, Fitzgerald, and most especially,
Thomas Wolf. I've done some of my own writing, some plays, but I've thrown
them all away.
"As a person, I try to keep
things in perspective. Acting is such fantasy, that I try to balance it
with a home life and a social life." concluded Tom, a soft spoken young
man who's cool and bright on the outside, warm and thoughtful when you
get to know him.
thanks to Dutch.