Tom Hennesy

Tom Hennesy
Born(1923-08-04)August 4, 1923
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedMay 23, 2011(2011-05-23) (aged 87)
OccupationsActor, stuntman

Tom Hennesy (August 4, 1923 – May 23, 2011)[1] was an American actor and stuntman. He is known for playing the Gill-man on land in Revenge of the Creature, the second installment of the Creature from the Black Lagoon trilogy.

Early life

Hennessy was born in Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Career

Hennessy began his film and television career as a stuntman and actor while he was in college and playing football at USC. Hennessy played the title role in the Universal horror film Revenge of the Creature, the sequel to Creature from the Black Lagoon. Hennessy served in the United States Navy during World War II. Hennessy acted in and performed stunts for numerous John Wayne and John Ford films. Hennesy was the stunt double for many stars, including Rock Hudson, Randolph Scott, Rod Cameron, Jeff Chandler, and more.

Hennessy also worked as a general secondary and elementary school teacher in many Hollywood studios. His students included Natalie Wood, Annette Funicello, Paul Anka, Sal Mineo, Tim Considine, Molly Bee, Tommy Rettig, and Lauren Chapin.

Filmography

Television

  • The Mickey Rooney Show - episode "Tiger Mulligan" (1954) - Jack Corey
  • The Mickey Rooney Show - episode "The Basketball Star" (1955) - Tom
  • Further Adventures of Spin and Marty (1956) - North Fork Counselor
  • 26 Men- episode - Cattle Embargo (1958) - Jeff Conley
  • Colt .45 - episode - Amnesty (1959) - Harry
  • Tales of Wells Fargo - episode - The Barefoot Bandit (1961) - Miller Sledge
  • Thriller - episode - The Return of Andrew Bentley (1961) - The Familiar
  • Gunsmoke - episode - Cody's Code (1962) - Art (uncredited)
  • Have Gun - Will Travel - episode - Taylor's Woman (1962) - Clyde Moss
  • Temple Houston - episode - The Law and Big Annie (1964)
  • Hondo - episode - Hondo and the Comancheros (1967) - Poker Player (uncredited)

Stuntman filmography

References

  1. ^ "Tom Hennesy". AllMovie. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  2. ^ Pitts, Michael (December 13, 2012). Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films, 2d Ed. McFarland. p. 28. ISBN 9781476600901 – via Google Books.