Biography
Tom Towles (20 March 1950 – 2 April 2015) was an American character actor known for portraying villains and intimidating supporting roles in film and television. Born and raised in Chicago, he served in the United States Marine Corps before beginning his career in Chicago theatre with the Organic Theatre Company, where he also collaborated on writing.
He made his screen debut in an uncredited role in Dog Day Afternoon (1975). Towles gained recognition for his performance as Otis in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), for which he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. His other film credits include Night of the Living Dead (1990), The Rock (1996), House of 1000 Corpses (2003), The Devil's Rejects (2005), Miami Vice (2006), Halloween (2007) and Grindhouse (2007).
On television he had a recurring role as Inspector Anthony Lastarza in the first season of NYPD Blue (1993–94) and appeared in series including Seinfeld, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Firefly. He also received writing credits, including story and teleplay for an episode of NYPD Blue.
