Tom Welling lives in Vancouver, Canada with his wife Jamie. He also has a home in Los Angeles, California. Welling also owns a house in Florida.
Biographical Information
He was born Thomas Patrick Welling on April 26, 1977 in Putnam Valley NY. His father was an executive for General Motors. He has two older sisters. Jamie and Rebecca. He has a younger brother named Mark.
The Welling family moved around a lot when Tom was young. From New York they went to Wisconsin, then Delaware and Michigan. The young Welling was into sports. He played basketball, football and baseball.
Tom Welling graduated from Okemos High in 1995. He worked in the construction business until 1998. At the suggestion of a camera scout, he tried modeling. He moved to Los Angeles and embarked on a modeling career.
Early Acting Career
While modeling, he also decided to take up an acting career. He started by appearing in TV commercials and music videos. In 2001 he landed a role in the drama series Judging Amy. He also made appearances in Special Unit 2 and the comedy show Undeclared.
Smallville
He was chosen among scores of actors to play the role of Clark Kent in Smallville. The show would focus on Clark Kent’s years before becoming Superman. Tom Welling was picked for the role. It premiered on October 2001.
It would gain an audience share of over 8.5 million. Welling actually rejected the role twice. He changed his mind after going through the script.
He also said that he has never been a fan of Superman and has never read the comic book series. The success of the show made him one of the biggest new stars of 2001. People magazine included him in their list of one of the major breakthrough stars of 2001. He was also chosen in the Teen Choice Awards as Choice Breakout Star for his role in Smallville.
Other Projects
Welling has also embarked on a film career. He appeared in the 2003 film Cheaper by the Dozen. Among his co-stars in the movie were Hillary Duff and Steve Martin. Tom Welling would later appear in the horror film the Fog (2005). Also in 2005 Welling appeared in the sequel to Cheaper by the Dozen.
He has also shown interest in directing. In season five of Smallville he directed the episode Fragile. In season six he directed the Hydro episode. He also took the helm in the Apocalypse and Injustice episodes.
Besides Kent he has played other roles in Smallville. This includes Lionel Luthor and Bizarro. He has also been named a co-executive producer of Smallville. He has won twice in the Teen Choice Award for his role as Clark Kent. He was also at the Comic Con (August 2009), the first time he had graced the event.
While Tom Welling continues to be known for his role as Clark Kent, he has been trying out his hand playing other characters. As executive producer of Smallville, he’s expected to play a more pivotal role in the shows development.