Tom Rack

Tom Rack is a Canadian actor and writer best known for his portrayal of henchman Zigesfeld in the 1991 film If Looks Could Kill.

Tom Rack
OccupationActor, voice actor, writer
Years active1983-2010

Career

A character actor with an impactful presence, Rack has worked extensively in film, television and on stage.

He began his career on stage in Montreal, at the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts before appearing at the Phoenix Theatre, Laurentian Theatre, Théâtre du Rideau Vert and Centaur.

Many of his formative years as an actor were spent working with the National Film Board of Canada doing voice-over work for short films. Among his first feature film roles was Dr. Meister in The Blue Man in 1985 and Faulkner in Toby McTeague in 1986, both films which were nominated for two Genie Awards. His best known role came in 1991, when he played the villain Zigesfeld in the James Bond spoof If Looks Could Kill starring Richard Grieco.[1] He has portrayed Doctor Robert Oppenheimer on screen twice, in the 1987 mini-series Race for the Bomb[2] and in the 1996 TV movie Einstein: Light to the Power of 2.[3] In 2003, he had a supporting role as the leading character's father in Chasing Holden, starring DJ Qualls.[4] Other notable roles include Mirak in the 1996 TV movie Ivana Trump's For Love Alone[5] and Brother Abel, a psychotic priest in the 2002 Sherlock Holmes television flick The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire.[6] Rack also made brief appearances in the blockbuster films Jesus of Montreal, 300 and The Greatest Game Ever Played.

Rack has supplied voices for animation including Animal Crackers, The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures, Billy and Buddy, Sea Dogs, Lucky Luke, Daft Planet, Princess Sissi, The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo, Arthur, Marsupilami, Ratz, Ivanhoe, Wunschpunsch, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, A Miss Mallard Mystery and Patrol 03. He wrote one episode of Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark? called The Tale of the Pinball Wizard in which he also played two characters[7] and in addition, he also played a lead role as The Watcher in the episode The Tale of Watcher's Woods.[8]

Rack appeared as a contestant on Jeopardy! on September 27 and 28, 1993, amassing a total of $18,300 in winnings as a one-day champion.[9] He lives in Montreal, Quebec.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1984 The Bay Boy Sol Silver
1985 The Blue Man Dr. Meister
1986 The Vindicator Truck Driver
1986 Toby McTeague Faulkner
1987 Wild Thing Braindrain
1989 Jacknife William Green
1989 Jesus of Montreal Doctor
1989 Mindfield Mick
1990 Cursed Sexton
1990 Whispers Dr. Rudge
1991 If Looks Could Kill Zigesfeld
1991 Lola Zipper Rostrovitch
1993 Stalked Dr. Bork
1997 Strip Search Locust
1998 Provocateur Kurt's Uncle
1998 The Sleep Room Dr. Weinrich
1998 Free Money Reverend Schmidt
1999 The Long Winter Marchand anglais
2001 Xchange Mr. Finerman
2003 Chasing Holden Governor Lawrence
2003 Deception Dr. Lewis
2003 The Human Stain Bobcat
2004 A Different Loyalty British Agent
2005 The Greatest Game Ever Played Black Top Hatted Man
2006 300 Ephor #3
2007 Steel Toes Magistrate

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1984 The Bay Boy Sol Silver
1987 Ford: The Man and the Machine John Dodge
1987 Race for the Bomb Robert Oppenheimer 2 episodes
1991 The Final Heist Philippe Cameron
1992-1994 Are You Afraid of the Dark? Sheriff/Security Guard; Watcher 2 episodes: "The Tale of the Pinball Wizard" (Writer) and "The Tale of the Watcher's Woods"
1993 Vendetta II: The New Mafia Vito
1995 Young Ivanhoe Edward
1995 Hiroshima Under Secretary of the Navy Ralph Bard
1996 Ivana Trump's For Love Alone Mirak
1996 Einstein: Light to the Power of 2 Dr. Robert Oppenheimer
1998 Windsor Protocol Dr. Harold Flegg
1998 The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures Voices 2 episodes: "Klondike Mice" and "Matador Mice"
1999 Ripley's Believe It or Not Additional voices 26 episodes
2000 Someone Is Watching Mr. Walters
2000 The Audrey Hepburn Story Gilbert Miller
2000 Nuremberg Hans Fritzsche 2 episodes
2001 Varian's War Reinhold Neibuhr
2002 The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire Brother Abel
2003 The Reagans Elie Wiesel
2004 Her Perfect Spouse Dr. Schneider
2008 A Teacher's Crime Evan

References
  1. Baldwin, Daniel (29 July 2016). "From Grieco With Love: Remembering 'If Looks Could Kill'". Forbes. Forbes Magazine.
  2. Banco, Lindsey Michael (May 15, 2016). The Meanings of J. Robert Oppenheimer. University of Iowa Press. p. 231. ISBN 9781609384203.
  3. Zad, Martie (July 6, 1997). "Einstein Sheds Light for Jelly Beans". The Washington Post.
  4. Pardi, Robert. "Chasing Holden". TV Guide.
  5. Rose, Alex (May 17, 2019). "Unfortunately for all of us, Ivana Trump's For Love Alone was shot in Montreal". cultmtl.com.
  6. "The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure". Baker Street Dozen.
  7. "Are You Afraid of the Dark?: The Tale of the Pinball Wizard". The TV Database.
  8. Woods, Maggie. "Are You Afraid Of The Dark? The Complete Series 3 & 4". Motorbar.
  9. "Tom Rack". J! Archive.
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