# Tom Byrd

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Not to be confused with [Thomas Jefferson Byrd](/source/Thomas_Jefferson_Byrd).

**Thomas Byrd** (born May 18, 1960) is an American [actor](/source/Actor).

## Career

Byrd, who was raised in [Florida](/source/Florida), has primarily appeared on network [television](/source/Television) between 1981 and 2000.

Byrd's first television appearance was in 1981 on [ABC](/source/American_Broadcasting_Company)'s [situation comedy](/source/Situation_comedy) *[Laverne & Shirley](/source/Laverne_%26_Shirley)* in the episode entitled "Teenage Lust". His last role was in 2000 as Tim Walsh in two episodes of NBC's *[Frasier](/source/Frasier)* starring [Kelsey Grammer](/source/Kelsey_Grammer). In the interval, he appeared in such series as NBC's *[Family Ties](/source/Family_Ties)*, *[The Facts of Life](/source/The_Facts_of_Life_(TV_series))*, and *[Remington Steele](/source/Remington_Steele)* and CBS's *[Newhart](/source/Newhart)* and *[Murder, She Wrote](/source/Murder,_She_Wrote)* starring [Angela Lansbury](/source/Angela_Lansbury). Byrd has also done [stunts](/source/Stunts) in several [films](/source/Film), including *[Twilight Zone: The Movie](/source/Twilight_Zone:_The_Movie)* (1983), in which he had a small part as a soldier.[1]

During the 1983-1984 season, at the age of twenty-three, he was cast as a [teenager](/source/Adolescence), Boone Sawyer, an aspiring [Elvis Presley](/source/Elvis_Presley)-style [singer](/source/Singing) living in [Tennessee](/source/Tennessee) during the 1950s, in the short-lived [NBC](/source/NBC) [series](/source/Television_series) *Boone*.[1]

*Boone* was the replacement program (Mondays at 8 p.m. Eastern) for [Michael Landon](/source/Michael_Landon)'s *[Little House on the Prairie](/source/Little_House_on_the_Prairie_(TV_series))*, which concluded a nine-year run in the spring of 1983. The program was created by the author [Earl Hamner Jr.](/source/Earl_Hamner_Jr.), who had created the long running [CBS](/source/Columbia_Broadcasting_System) series *[The Waltons](/source/The_Waltons)*. A critic described *Boone* as "an excellent show that didn't get a chance" in the fierce competition of network television: *[That's Incredible!](/source/That's_Incredible!)* on [ABC](/source/American_Broadcasting_Company) and *[Scarecrow and Mrs. King](/source/Scarecrow_and_Mrs._King)* on [CBS](/source/CBS).[2]

[Barry Corbin](/source/Barry_Corbin) played Byrd's father, Merit Sawyer, who considered the pursuit of a musical career to have been unlikely to succeed. [Ronnie Claire Edwards](/source/Ronnie_Claire_Edwards) played Boone's Aunt Dolly. Other cast members included Elizabeth Huddle, as Boone's mother, [William Edward Phipps](/source/William_Phipps_(actor)) as Uncle Link Sawyer, the husband of Aunt Dolly, [Andrew Prine](/source/Andrew_Prine) as A.W. Holly, [Julie Anne Haddock](/source/Julie_Anne_Haddock) as Amanda, [Robyn Lively](/source/Robyn_Lively) as Banjo, and [Amanda Peterson](/source/Amanda_Peterson) as Squirt Sawyer. While 13 episodes were produced, the series was cancelled after 10 episodes aired in the fall of 1983, with the three remaining episodes [burned off](/source/Burning_off) in late July and early August 1984.[2]

In 1985, he played [Sam Neill](/source/Sam_Neill)'s son in the miniseries *[Kane & Abel](/source/Kane_%26_Abel_(miniseries))*, and later played an [inmate](/source/Incarceration) in *[Young Guns II](/source/Young_Guns_II)* (1990). The film, principally starring [Emilio Estevez](/source/Emilio_Estevez) and [Kiefer Sutherland](/source/Kiefer_Sutherland), still occasionally airs on the [American Movie Classic](/source/AMC_(TV_network)) network.[3]

In 1995, Byrd was cast as Lou Waller, the ex-jock [sportscaster](/source/Sportscaster) with a secret that he fears could ruin his career, in *[Live Shot](/source/Live_Shot)*, a short-lived drama series from [Rysher Entertainment](/source/Rysher_Entertainment) broadcast on the [UPN](/source/UPN) network during its initial season on the air. All UPN programs at the time were soon cancelled except for *[Star Trek: Voyager](/source/Star_Trek:_Voyager)*.[4]

## Filmography

Film and television Year Title Role Notes 1981 Laverne & Shirley Mike Episode: "Young at Heart" 1982 Quincy, M.E. Perry Jordan Episode: "Bitter Pill" 1982 Young Doctors in Love New Intern Feature film 1982 The Powers of Matthew Star Tom Episode: "The Accused" 1982 Gimme a Break! Dave Episode: "Sam's Imaginary Friend" 1982 The Facts of Life Leo Episode: "Different Drummer" 1983 Fantasy Island Ethan Episode: "The Devil Stick/Touch and Go" 1983 Alice Rudy Episode: "Tommy, the Jailbird" 1983 Twilight Zone: The Movie G.I. Feature film (Segment #1: "Time Out") 1983–84 Boone Boone Sawyer Main cast (13 episodes) 1983 Death Ride to Osaka Don Potter Television film (aka Girls of the White Orchid) 1984 Family Ties Rick Harmon Episode: "Ready or Not" 1984 St. Elsewhere Kevin Hooper Episode: "Equinox" 1984 Love Thy Neighbor Wayne Nelson Television film 1984 All Together Now Kip Parker Television sitcom pilot 1984 Wet Gold Chris Barnes Television film 1984 Remington Steele Chip Flowers Episode: "Breath of Steele" 1985 The Facts of Life Nick Episode: "With a Little Help from My Friends" 1985 Malice in Wonderland William Hopper Television film 1985 Kane & Abel Richard Kane Television miniseries 1986 Newhart Robert Cameron Episode: "Desperately Desiring Susan: Part 2" 1987 Ohara Danny Johnson Episode: "The Sparrow" 1988 Murder, She Wrote Paul Gambini Episode: "A Very Good Year for Murder" 1989 Out Cold Mr. Holstrom Feature film 1989 Nightingales Dr. Thomas Price Episodes: #1.4 / #1.9 1989 Guts and Glory: The Rise and Fall of Oliver North Robert Owen Television film 1990 Alien Nation Bud Anderson Episode: "Partners" 1990 Sydney Rick Episode: "You? You're a Private Eye?" 1990 Young Guns II: Blaze of Glory Pit Inmate Feature film 1991 True Colors Donald Jenkins Episode: "A Real Pain" 1994 One West Waikiki Frank Walker Episode: "Terminal Island" 1995 Live Shot Lou Waller Main cast (14 episodes) 1997 Unhappily Ever After Professor Alfred Episode: "College!" 2000 Frasier Tim Walsh "Something Borrowed, Someone Blue" (Parts 1 & 2)

## References

1. [Tom Byrd](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0126069/) at IMDb

1. [Boone](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084989/) at IMDb

1. [Young Guns II (1990)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100994/)

1. [UPN: Live Shot (Tom Byrd Biography)](http://www.vidiot.com/UPN/LS/Byrd.html)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tom Byrd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Byrd) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Byrd?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.