Thomas Ian Griffith

Thomas Ian Griffith

CountryUnited States United States
GenderMale
BirthdayMar 18, 1962
BiographyThomas Ian Griffith (born March 18, 1962) is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, musician, and martial artist.

His best-known roles include Terry Silver in John G. Avildsen's 1989 martial arts film The Karate Kid Part III, which he later reprised in the fourth through sixth and final season of the Netflix television series Cobra Kai (2021–2025), as well as voicing his character in the video game Cobra Kai 2: Dojos Rising (2022); head vampire Jan Valek in John Carpenter's 1998 neo-Western action horror film Vampires; warrior Taligaro in Raffaella De Laurentiis' 1997 sword and sorcery picture Kull the Conqueror; recurring character Larry Sawyer in the first season of The WB's teen drama series One Tree Hill (2004); and Catlin Ewing in NBC's soap opera Another World from 1984–1987. He also portrayed screen legend Rock Hudson in ABC's 1990 television biopic Rock Hudson, and serial killer Doug Clark in CBS's 2000 television biopic A Vision of Murder: The Story of Donielle.

Griffith wrote, story edited, co-produced, or supervised produced over sixty episodes of NBC's fantasy police procedural drama horror program Grimm from its second through sixth and final season (2012–2017), and has written, supervised producer, or co-executive produced over thirty episodes of Netflix's romantic drama series Virgin River during its fifth through seventh seasons (2023–2025). He and his wife, Mary Page Keller, formed the independent film production company Ian Page Productions in the late 1980s, through which they produced a handful of films, including Night of the Warrior (1991), Ulterior Motives (1991), Excessive Force (1992), and Avalanche (1999).

During the early 1990s, he was positioned to be one of Hollywood's next big action stars. From critics and journalists, he received frequent comparisons to actors like Jean Claude van Damme, Steven Seagal, Chuck Norris, Jeff Speakman, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren, and even Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, and Mickey Rourke. Writing for the New York Daily News in 1992, Nancy Stedman offered, "He's being touted as a better-looking version of Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jean-Claude Van Damme. But with a difference: Muscles are a sideline with Griffith; he has spent years acting in theater." At the eighth annual ShowEast film industry conference held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in October 1992, Griffith received the Star of Tomorrow Award.

Biography from the Wikipedia article Thomas Ian Griffith. Licensed under CC-BY-SA. Full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Part of Crew

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
48 Hours
Running

48 Hours

48 Hours is a CBS news magazine that investigates intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all aspects of the human experience. Over its long run, the show has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, driven the reopening -- and resolution -- of cold cases, and changed numerous lives. CBS News correspondents offer an in-depth look into each story, with the emphasis on solving the mystery at its heart. The program and its team have earned critical acclaim, including 20 Emmys and three Peabody Awards.

Invasion
Running

Invasion

Earth is visited by an alien species that threatens humanity's existence. Events unfold in real time through the eyes of five ordinary people across the globe as they struggle to make sense of the chaos unraveling around them.

Wednesday
Running

Wednesday

Smart, sarcastic and a little dead inside, Wednesday Addams investigates a murder spree while making new friends — and foes — at Nevermore Academy.

Alien: Earth
Running

Alien: Earth

When the mysterious deep space research vessel USCSS Maginot crash-lands on Earth, Wendy and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet's greatest threat.

Peacemaker
Running

Peacemaker

This James Gunn-created series continues the saga of Peacemaker, a vainglorious superhero/supervillain who believes in peace at any cost — no matter how many people he has to kill. After a miraculous recovery from his duel with Bloodsport, Peacemaker soon discovers that his freedom comes at a price.