---
name: "Tommy Swerdlow"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/tommy-swerdlow"
fi1m_id: "tommy-swerdlow"
imdb_id: "nm0842476"
tmdb_id: 12965
wikidata_id: "Q25355569"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "1 January 1962"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-10-04T23:20:37.712675+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Tommy Swerdlow

## Identity

Tommy Swerdlow

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/tommy-swerdlow
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** tommy-swerdlow
- **IMDb ID:** nm0842476
- **TMDB ID:** 12965
- **Wikidata ID:** Q25355569
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Swerdlow, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q25355569, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0842476/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/12965

Writer. Born 1 January 1962 in New York City, New York, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 1 January 1962, New York City, New York, USA
- **Active:** 1986–present
- **Also known as:** Tom Swerdlow
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 2: 1 acting, 1 writing
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 43 (1), 1990s 73 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Swerdlow, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q25355569, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0842476/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/12965

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*Cool Runnings*](https://film.one/film/cool-runnings.md) (73)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Tommy Swerdlow is an American screenwriter, actor and director. He began his career as an actor in the 1980s with roles in films including *Real Genius* (1985), *Howard the Duck* (1986) and *Spaceballs* (1987). He later turned to screenwriting, often in partnership with Michael Goldberg.

Swerdlow received screenplay credit on *Cool Runnings* (1993) and co-wrote *Little Giants* (1994), *Bushwhacked* (1995) and *Snow Dogs* (2002). His later credits include the screenplay for *The Grinch* (2018) and story and screenplay for *Puss in Boots: The Last Wish* (2022). He made his directorial debut with *A Thousand Junkies* (2017), in which he also acted and which he co-wrote.

*Sources: wikimili.com, en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, vice.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

### Performed in (1)

- *Howard the Duck* (1986), Fi1m 43, as Ginger Moss — [page](https://film.one/film/howard-the-duck.md)

### Wrote (1) — the average rests on these

- *Cool Runnings* (1993), Fi1m 73, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/cool-runnings.md)

## Complete filmography (17)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Puss in Boots: The Last Wish* (2022), Story, Screenplay
- *The Grinch* (2018), Screenplay
- *A Thousand Junkies* (2017), as Tommy · Writer, Producer, Director
- *Snow Dogs* (2002), Screenplay
- *Bushwhacked* (1995), Screenplay
- *The Fifteen Minute Hamlet* (1995), as King
- *Little Giants* (1994), Screenplay
- *Cool Runnings* (1993), Screenplay — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/cool-runnings.md)
- *Blueberry Hill* (1988), as Ray Porter
- *Child's Play* (1988), as Jack Santos
- *Hamburger Hill* (1987), as Pvt. Martin Bienstock
- *Spaceballs* (1987), as Troop Leader
- *Sledge Hammer!* (1986), series, as Rusty Vulture
- *Howard the Duck* (1986), as Ginger Moss — Fi1m 43, [page](https://film.one/film/howard-the-duck.md)
- *Real Genius* (1985), as Bodie
- *The Wild Life* (1984), as Dork
- *All The Kids Do It* (1984), as Denny

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/tommy-swerdlow