Pittsburgh actor builds impressive body of work
Native Pittsburgher Tom Atkins has a long a celebrate stage, television and film career.
Tom Atkins is portraying Ebenezer Scrooge in "A Musical Christmas Carol" through Sunday at the Byham Theater for the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera.
photo courtesy of Pittsburgh CLO
Tom Atkins portrays Art Rooney Sr. in the stage and film version of "The Chief"
photo courtesy of thechiefmovie.com
Tom Atkins
Tom Atkins has reached iconic cult status among classic horror film fans but his impressive body of stage and screen work also makes him one of the most recognizable actors in the world.
Atkins, a Pittsburgher through and through, will reprise his role as Ebenezer Scrooge in “A Musical Christmas Carol” for the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera on stage at the Byham Theater through Sunday.
“I love playing Scrooge in ‘A Musical Christmas Carol,’ said Atkins. “I know it’s a David Bell adaptation, but the words of Dickens have been bringing the joy of Christmas and redemption to life for years and I’m thrilled to be saying them every night at the Byham.”
Atkins grew up on the North Side, a son of a steel worker. The Mt. Oliver kid with rugged good looks enlisted in the Navy following graduation from Carrick High School. When he completed his duty, Atkins came home and attended Duquesne University where he discovered acting.
“I was in my 20s when I discovered acting and I liked it a lot. When I graduated I went to New York. I got an agent in my first year there at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and I got the first job I auditioned for. It was a Broadway show called ‘Keep it in the Family,’ a little kitchen table family kind of play – nothing big,”Atkins said in an interview with classichorrorfilm.com
Atkins traded the stage for the screen when he moved to Los Angeles and landed a role in the film “The Detective,” that starred Frank Sinatra. From there it was a slew of horror and sci-fi thrillers that became cult classics including “The Fog,” “Escape from New York,” “Halloween III, Season of the Witch” “Creepshow,” and Atkins’ personal favorite, “Night of the Creeps.”
“It was the most fun film I’ve ever worked on. It was a pure giggle from beginning to end,” said Atkins.
He loved the nod the 1986 film gave to 50s horror and the great lines he got to deliver. Although it never got a big release, the movie still developed a huge cult following and in 2009 was released on DVD.
Among his small screen credits are “MnAnSnH,” “Baretta,” “The Fall Guy,” “Xena: Warrior Princess,” “Walker, Texas Ranger” “Homicide” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”
Atkins played Lt. Alex Diehl in the popular 70s television series “The Rockford Files” with James Garner. He reprised that role for a series of “Rockford Files” movies in the 1990s.
Atkins has also appeared in blockbuster action films including “Lethal Weapon” and “Striking Distance,” which starred the three rivers of his beloved hometown.
He returned to Pittsburgh in the mid-80s, and has remained a yinzer ever since.
“I’m a hometown guy,” said Atkins.
Beginning in 2003, Atkins starred in the critically acclaimed, “The Chief,” a biographical one-man stage play about Pittsburgh Steelers founder and owner Art Rooney, written by Gene Collier and Rob Zeller. The show had several revivals at Pittsburgh Public Theater through 2014, all starring Atkins. In 2010, Atkins portrayed Rooney in the movie version released on DVD.
Among his other Pittsburgh stage credits are “Macbeth” which he played alongside Jean Smart and the role of Scrooge in “A Musical Christmas Carol” which he has performed for seven years.
Performing before a hometown crowd is one of Atkins’ greatest joys.
“I am particularly tickled to get out to the lobby as soon as I get out of costume, to visit with the folks who have come to see Christmas Carol,” he said.
Atkins continued, “Many of them have made it a tradition and come every year. The faces of the little boys and girls light up when they see me and old Scrooge gets lots of Christmas hugs and photos with the kids.”
The CLO’s “A Musical Christmas Carol,” now in its 23rd year, also stars fellow Pittsburghers Jeffrey Howell (Bob Cratchet) and Matei Zivanov (Tiny Tim).
Pittsburgh CLO, together with Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Pittsburgh CLO will conduct a food drive during all performances of “A Musical Christmas Carol.” Audience members are invited to help fellow Pittsburgh residents by dropping non-perishable food items in barrels stationed in the Byham Theater lobby.
It’s that giving spirit that makes Atkins happy to be part of the classic tale.
Tickets for “A Musical Christmas Carol” available at 412-456-6666 or online at pittsburghCLO.org.