Thomas Jane

Thomas Jane (born Thomas Elliott III; February 22, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in the films Boogie Nights, Deep Blue Sea (1999), The Sweetest Thing (2002), The Punisher (2004), The Mist (2007), 1922 (2017), and The Predator (2018). Jane's television roles include Mickey Mantle in the television film 61* (2001), Ray Drecker in the HBO series Hung (2009–2011), for which he was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards, and Josephus Miller in the Syfy/Amazon Video series The Expanse (2015–2019).

Outside his acting career, he has edited and written various comic books, the first of which was Bad Planet (2005). He made his directorial debut with the crime thriller Dark Country (2009). He has also modelled for various magazines, including Men's Health and Da Man. Jane will portray Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy in the 5th season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Early life and education Jane was born Thomas Elliott III on February 22, 1969, in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Cynthia (née Jane), an antiques dealer, and Thomas Elliott Jr., a genetic engineer. He later changed his surname to his mother's maiden name, as there was already a member of the Screen Actors Guild with his birth name.

He attended Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School but dropped out and started taking acting classes while working at a hardware store. He was initially homeless and lived out of his car, often doing street performances to earn money: "I had two songs in my repertoire that I hammered to death, 'Hey Joe' and 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door'. People used to pelt me with change just to shut me up."

Jane is an alumnus of the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.

Career Jane began his acting career in 1986 at age 17 after his acting coach suggested he audition for the lead male role opposite Vijayashanti in the Indian romantic comedy Padamati Sandhya Ragam (1987), which was being filmed in the Washington metropolitan area. As a result, he spent eight months filming including six months in India. The production ran out of money to pay him, so the actor was given an RV used in the film which he sold to finance his move to Hollywood.

After arriving in Hollywood, Jane's early roles included Zeph in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui, and the film Nemesis (1992). He also had supporting roles in several high-profile films, including The Crow: City of Angels (1996), Face/Off (1997), Boogie Nights (1997), The Thin Red Line (1998), Thursday (1998), and Magnolia (1999). After starring in the science fiction horror film Deep Blue Sea (1999), and receiving critical acclaim as baseball player Mickey Mantle in 61* (2001), Jane received offers for leading roles beginning with Andre Stander in the South African film Stander (2003), for which he gained further critical acclaim.

Along with director Jonathan Hensleigh and Avi Arad, Jane has said he was the first and only actor to be asked to play the title role in the film The Punisher (2004). He turned down the role twice, as he did not have much interest in the superhero genre. When they asked him the second time to play the Punisher, Tim Bradstreet's artwork of the character secured his interest. After finding out that the character was not a traditional superhero, but more of an antihero and a vigilante crime fighter, he accepted, became a fan, then trained for several months with Navy SEALs, gaining more than of muscle. Later, in 2025, Jane declared: "I was miscast as Frank Castle. He's an Italian. He's got black hair and a whole different sort of lineage… I'm not that guy. I had to dye my hair black and become a different guy. I'm happy the part is now played by someone who is more right for that role. I had fun, and I did the best I could with it. I'm very grateful for it, but I'm not that guy."

In addition to starring in the film, he contributed his voice to the video games The Punisher and Gun (both 2005). He also co-owns RAW, an entertainment company which he runs with Steve Niles and Tim Bradstreet. RAW Studios, the company's comic-book division, released Bad Planet (written by Jane) through Image Comics. Jane became a spokesperson for Niles and the cover model for comic-book character Cal McDonald in 2006. In addition to his screen work, Jane has appeared several times on stage, and received strong critical reviews as Tom in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, and as Chris in Arthur Miller's All My Sons. He has also portrayed a fictionalized version of himself in an episode of the television series Arrested Development.

Jane did not return in the planned sequel to The Punisher. Lions Gate Entertainment had approved a direct sequel due to the strong sales of the film on DVD. However, the project lingered in development for over three years. Jonathan Hensleigh completed a first draft of the script before leaving the project in 2006. John Dahl was in talks to direct the film, but cited his dislike of the script and the reduced budget as his reasons for refusing. In a statement on May 15, 2007, and in two audio interviews, Jane said that he pulled out of the project due to creative differences and the studio's further reduction of the budget.

Jane said in June 2007 that Zack Snyder had expressed interest in casting him for the role of the Comedian for the adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel Watchmen (1986–1987), but because he was too busy, he turned down the role, which was eventually given to Jeffrey Dean Morgan. His directorial debut was the 2009 film Dark Country, in which he also played the main character. In 2009, Jane starred with Ving Rhames in the crime film Give 'Em Hell, Malone, which premiered at San Diego Comic-Con.

On December 18, 2008, HBO announced it was picking up the black comedy Hung, and Jane was contracted to star in the show. He plays the character of Ray Drecker, a high-school history teacher and basketball coach, who after attending a self-help class while being down on his luck, decides to market the large size of his penis as a path to success. The series was renewed for a second season, which aired in the summer of 2010. The show was renewed for a final season, which aired in fall of 2011.

Jane appeared on the June/July 2010 cover of Men's Fitness magazine.

On June 7, 2012, Jane released a digital EP, Don't Come Home, under the pseudonym Rusty Blades. At the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con, Jane debuted an independently financed Punisher short film, Dirty Laundry, directed by Phil Joanou and co-starring Ron Perlman.

Jane portrayed one of the lead roles in the critically acclaimed The Expanse, playing detective Joe Miller for four of the show's six seasons.

Jane co-starred in Shane Black's The Predator (2018), a direct sequel to the 1987 film Predator and the 1990 film Predator 2.

Jane plays a lead role in the Australian crime drama series Troppo, the first season of which aired in 2022 and the second in 2024.

In August 2024, actor Jon Bernthal revealed that he trained with Thomas Jane to prepare for his role in the Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again. The collaboration, which brought together two actors known for portraying the Punisher, highlights Jane's continued influence in the action genre.

In December 2025, it was announced that Jane will portray Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy in the 5th season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. In January 2009, Arquette filed for divorce from Jane on the grounds of irreconcilable differences, but the couple reconciled and Arquette sought to abandon the divorce petition six months later. However, they proceeded with the divorce, which was finalized on July 1, 2011. The pair were granted joint custody of their child.

Jane and former Hung co-star Anne Heche announced that they were in a relationship in 2019; however, they had separated by the time of Heche's death in 2022.

For the vigilante action film The Punisher (2004), Jane underwent intense military-style preparation, learning multiple martial arts and military psychology, including studying the ways of the samurai. During filming, he stood at a height of 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm) and weight on 175 pounds (79.38 kg), having bulked up by 20 pounds.

Jane is known for his preference for going barefoot, including at film premieres and while on set.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes Ref. 1987 Padamati Sandhya Ragam Chris Debut film 1992 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Zeph Credited as Tom Janes 1993 Nemesis Billy 1994 At Ground Zero Thomas Quinton Pennington Credited as Tom Elliott 1996 The Crow: City of Angels "Nemo" 1997 The Last Time I Committed Suicide Neal Cassady Face/Off Burke Hicks Boogie Nights Todd Parker 1998 Thursday Casey Wells The Velocity of Gary Gary Zack and Reba Sparky Stokes The Thin Red Line Private Homer Ash 1999 Deep Blue Sea Carter Blake Molly Sam Junked Switch Magnolia Young Jimmy Gator Cameo appearance 2000 Under Suspicion Detective Felix Owens 2001 Original Sin Bill • Walter Downs • Mephisto Eden Dov 2002 The Sweetest Thing Peter Donahue 2003 Dreamcatcher Henry Devlin Stander Andre Stander 2004 The Punisher Frank Castle • The Punisher Credited as Tom Jane 2006 The Tripper Buzz Hall Also executive producer 2007 The Mist David Drayton 2008 The Butler's in Love The Butler Short film Mutant Chronicles Sergeant Mitch Hunter Direct–to–VOD film Killshot Wayne Colson 2009 Give 'Em Hell, Malone Malone Direct–to–DVD film Dark Country Dick • Bloodyface Direct–to–DVD film; also director and producer 2010 DC Showcase: Jonah Hex Jonah Hex Voice role; short film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Vegan Police Officer Uncredited cameo appearance 2011 I Melt with You Richard Also executive producer 2012 LOL Allen Williams The Punisher: Dirty Laundry Frank Castle • The Punisher Short film; also producer 2013 Sirius Narrator Documentary film Pawn Shop Chronicles The Man Direct–to–VOD film Buttwhistle Grumisch 2014 White Bird in a Blizzard Detective Scieziesciez Drive Hard Peter Roberts Direct–to–VOD film Heavenly Sword Loki Voice role; direct–to–VOD film Reach Me "Wolfie" 2015 Vice Roy Direct–to–VOD film Into the Grizzly Maze Beckett Moore Broken Horses Gabriel Heckum 2016 Standoff Carter Greene Direct–to–VOD film; also executive producer The Veil Jim Jacobs Direct–to–VOD film Before I Wake Mark Hobson USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage Lieutenant Adrian Marks The World's Biggest Asshole Coleman F. Sweeney Short film 2017 Hot Summer Nights Sergeant Frank Calhoun 1922 Wilfred "Wilf" Leland James 2018 A.X.L. Chuck Hill The Predator Baxley 2019 Crown Vic Ray Mandel 2020 The Vanished Paul Michaelson Direct–to–VOD film Hunter's Moon The Sheriff Money Plane Harry Greer Run Hide Fight Todd Hull Breach Admiral Kiernan Adams Direct–to–VOD film 2021 The Last Son Solomon Also executive producer Apache Junction Al Longfellow Direct–to–VOD film Warning David 2022 Vendetta Dante Direct–to–VOD film Murder at Yellowstone City Thaddeus Murphy Direct–to–VOD film; also executive producer Dig Scott Brennan Slayers Elliot Jones 2023 Bad Hombres Rob Carlton One Ranger Alex Tyree Direct–to–VOD film; also executive producer 2024 Bosco Hunt Also executive producer 2025 Play Dirty Philly Webb Salvation Whitney Frontier Crucible Charlie "Mule" McKee Also executive producer

Television Year Title Role Notes Ref. 1990–1991 She-Wolf of London Johnny Episode: "Heart Attack"; credited as Thomas Bridgett 1995 High Tide Barry Episode: "Barry" 1997 Hollywood Confidential Lee Television film 1999 Jonni Nitro Brack Also director (Short web animation series) 2001 61* Mickey Mantle Television film 2004 Arrested Development Himself Episode: "The One Where They Build a House" 2006 Medium Clay Bicks Episodes: "Four Dreams: Parts 1 & 2" 2009–2011 Hung Ray Drecker Lead role; 30 episodes 2015 Texas Rising James Wykoff Episodes: "Fate and Fury" & "Blood for Blood" 2015–2019 The Expanse Joe Miller • The Investigator Main role (seasons 1–2), Special appearances (seasons 3–4); 24 episodes (also directed episode: "Mother") 2019 Robot Chicken The Punisher (voice) Episode: "Spike Fraser in: Should I Happen to Back Into a Horse" 2022–2024 Troppo Ted Conkaffey Lead role; 16 episodes (also executive producer & directed 2 episodes) TBA Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy Post-production (season 5)

Video games Year Title Voice role 2005 The Punisher Frank Castle / The Punisher Gun Colton White

Discography Albums Year Artist Album Notes 2012 Rusty Blades Don't Come Home Singer-songwriterGuitarist