Thomas Newton Hill Jr. (June 2, 1927 – April 20, 2009) was an Indian-born American

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

and director on stage for decades before starting in film in the mid-1960s and on television in the 1980s.

Early life

Thomas Newton Hill Jr. was born in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in 1927, to

Disciples of Christ The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...

missionaries Thomas Newton Hill Sr. and Elma Alexander Hill. Thomas Jr. attended Woodstock School until 1940 when he was 13; he and his parents moved to

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 United S ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. Then, he attended and graduated from Richmond High School, in Richmond, IN.

Career

Hill's first feature film performance was in the 1965 film '' The Slender Thread''. Other film credits include '' The Postman Always Rings Twice'' (1981), ''

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'' (1982), and as the bookstore owner Mr. Coreander in ''

The NeverEnding Story ''The Neverending Story'' () is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, published in 1979. The first English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was published in 1983. It was later adapted into a film series and a television series. Plot T ...

'' and its first sequel. One of Hill's most prominent recurring roles was as the zany sidekick Jim Dixon on the 1980s TV series ''

Newhart ''Newhart'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from October 25, 1982, to May 21, 1990, with a total of 184 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons. The series stars Bob Newhart and Mary Frann as an author and his wife, respe ...

''. Hill appeared as King Baaldorf in the short-lived 1980s fantasy TV series ''

Wizards and Warriors ''Wizards & Warriors'', titled ' in Japan, is an Action game, action platform game, platform video game developed by Rare (company), Rare and published by Acclaim Entertainment for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in North Ame ...

''. His TV movie roles include Father Andrew Doyle in the 1984

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miniseries '' V: The Final Battle''. He had guest appearances on such shows as ''

St. Elsewhere ''St. Elsewhere'' is an American medical drama television series created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982, to May 25, 1988. The series stars Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd, and William Daniels as ...

'', ''

Remington Steele ''Remington Steele'' is an American television series co-created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason. The series, starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan, was produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on NBC from October 1, 1982, ...

'', '' The Facts of Life'', '' Married... with Children'', ''

Coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

'', and ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...

''.

Personal life

In 2003, Hill retired to

Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in Monroe County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. The population was 79,168 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-most populous city in Indiana and ...

. He died from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on April 20, 2009, at age 81.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Thomas 1927 births 2009 deaths American male stage actors American male film actors American male television actors People from Bloomington, Indiana American theatre directors 20th-century American male actors American expatriates in British India