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Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

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Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Tom Wopat will forever be remembered as strapping, good ol' boy Luke Duke, the virile, blue-eyed, dark-haired, plaid-shirted rascal opposite equally good-looking John Schneider as Bo Duke, his strapping, plaid-shirted blond cousin on the bucolic 80s action series The Dukes of Hazzard (1979). Where others may have fallen by the TV wayside after the cancellation of such a popular series, both Tom and John moved on successfully. As for Tom, he reverted back to his first true love - music - successfully refocusing as a recording artist and musical leading man of Broadway, cabaret and regional shows.

The highly engaging Wisconsin native was born Thomas Steven Wopat on September 9, 1951, in Lodi, Wisconsin, the son of Ruth Arlene (Skarda) and Albin Carl Wopat, a dairy farmer. One of six brothers and sisters, Tom's father and maternal grandfather were of Czech descent. By age 12, he was singing and dancing in school musicals and, following high school graduation, decided to avidly pursue music as a viable profession. Studying at the University of Wisconsin, Tom dropped out to front a rock band as both guitarist and lead singer, and later found on-stage work in such musicals as "South Pacific", "West Side Story" and "Jesus Christ Superstar."

Appearing off-Broadway in 1978, Tom made his Broadway debut that same year as a replacement actor in the musical "I Love My Wife." Other musical shows around that time included "The Robber Bridegroom" (title role) and "Oklahoma!" (as Curly).

With solid, down-home good looks and appeal, it didn't take long for Hollywood to check Tom out. With relatively little TV exposure, Tom found sudden teen heartthrob stardom on the rollicking, down-home comedy series The Dukes of Hazzard (1979). During that period, he appeared elsewhere on an episode of "Fantasy Island," co-starred with singer Barbara Mandrell in the dramatic TV movie" Burning Rage (1984), and voiced the role of Luke Duke on the related animated version The Dukes (1983). During the 1981-82 season, stars Wopat and Schneider walked away from the hugely popular series after contractual disputes involving deserved pay raises and merchandise royalties. The producers tried to replace the popular duo with the similar good-looking pals Vance (played by Christopher Mayer) and Coy (played by Byron Cherry) for the following season, but the ratings dived alarmingly. The dispute with Wopat and Schneider was immediately settled, and the boys returned to the show in the next season and stayed until its 1985 cancellation.

During the show's run, Tom kick-started a recording career with his first (and self-titled) country album release in 1983. His output went on to include six other country albums before finally releasing a 2000 album of standard love songs.

In later years, Wopat made do with a few mini-movie efforts, reuniting with Schneider in the yuletide drama Christmas Comes to Willow Creek (1987); co-starring opposite Jean Smart as a famous rock singer in the romantic musical comedy movie Just My Imagination (1992); and appearing opposite Roxanne Hart in the action adventure Meteorites! (1998). He also showed up as a guest on a few TV series such as "Blue Skies," "Murder, She Wrote," "Crisis Center," "Home Improvement," and was seen in a recurring role on the sitcom Cybill (1995) as a stuntman and former husband of the Cybill Shepherd character.

Tom also re-sharpened his musical theater skills, finding commanding baritone leads as Billy Bigelow in "Carousel" (1986), Detective Stone in "City of Angels" (1990) and Sky Masterson in "Guys and Dolls" (1992). In 1999, he played the sharp-shooting Frank Butler opposite Bernadette Peters in the popular Broadway revival of "Annie Get Your Gun" and earned a Tony nomination in the process.

Guesting for the Cincinnati Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestras in programs featuring Broadway's finest music, Tom more than held his own in 2005 with his first straight-acting Broadway part as part of the excellent ensemble in the Tony-winning (for "Best Revival of a Play") production of "Glengarry Glen Ross" starring acting heavyweights Alan Alda and Liev Schreiber. That same year Wopat embarked on a 33-date national "Over The Rainbow" tour with Faith Prince featuring the gorgeous songs of Harold Arlen, a tour that included Carnegie Hall. Briefly playing slick lawyer Billy Flynn in "Chicago" in 2007, other Broadway musicals followed with "A Catered Affair," "Side by Side by Sondheim" and "Catch Me If You Can," as well as the 2013 legit play "The Trip to Bountiful."

As for on-camera work into the millennium, Tom returned for a few "Dukes of Hazzard" TV-reunions and video games. He also made a late, mid-career film debut in a featured role with the comedy drama Bonneville (2006) starring Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates and Joan Allen, and went on to appear in a number of others: The Understudy (2008), Jonah Hex (2010), Main Street (2010), Mariachi Gringo (2012), Django Unchained (2012), All in Time (2015). In addition, Tom was given a starring role in the gay-themed drama Fair Haven (2016) and appeared in the action western County Line (2017) with Jeff Fahey and Patricia Richardson. Among the ensemble of stars in the comedy Lost Cat Corona (2017), his more recent features include New Money (2017) and Delight in the Mountain (2019). On TV, Tom graced such popular programs as "Medium," "Smallville," "Blue Bloods," "The Blacklist," "Madam Secretary" and had a recurring sheriff role in the series Longmire (2012).

Divorced from his first wife of 15 years and the father of five, Tom is married to documentary producer and archivist Kirsten Larvick.

Beat out <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0000598/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">Dennis Quaid</a> and <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0574468/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">Gerald McRaney</a> for the role of Luke Duke on <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/title/tt0078607/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">The Dukes of Hazzard (1979)</a>.

Appeared on Broadway with <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0001613/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">Bernadette Peters</a> in the revival of Annie Get Your
Gun.

Reunited with <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0773884/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">John Schneider</a> on an episode of Schneider&#39;s <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/title/tt0279600/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">Smallville (2001)</a>.

Tom is one of eight children, having six brothers and one sister.

Acting mentor was <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0078940/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">James Best</a>.

Enjoys fishing for bass, panfish and large carp.

Once hosted his own show on TNN/The Nashville Network).

Currently performing in the David Mamet play, &quot;Glengarry,
Glen Ross&quot;, with Alan Alda, at the Royale Theatre in New York. (May 2005)

Was nominated for Broadway&#39;s 1999 Tony Award as best actor (musical)
for a revival of Annie Get Your Gun.

Tom&#39;s mother died in 1959 and his father died in 1983.

Currently starring in the play &#39;Catch me if you can&#39; in Seattle, Washington (August 2009)

Currently touring in &quot;Chicago, the Musical&quot; as Billy
Flynn. (January 2004)

Performs in McCarter Theatre&#39;s production of The Last
Of The Boys at the Berlind Theater in Princeton, New Jersey. (September 2004)

... until June 13 at Studio 54 on Broadway, one of the star performers in Roundabout Theatre Company&#39;s &#39;Sondheim on Sondheim&#39;. (March 2010)

Performed in 42nd St. on Broadway. (August 2002)

Trivia

Tom Wopat

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