# Tom Rack

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**Tom Rack** is a Canadian actor and writer best known for his portrayal of henchman Zigesfeld in the 1991 film *[If Looks Could Kill](/source/If_Looks_Could_Kill_(film))*, and for twice portraying physicist Dr.[Robert Oppenheimer](/source/Robert_Oppenheimer).

## Career

A character actor with an impactful presence, Rack has worked extensively in film, television and on stage.

He began his career on stage in Montreal, at the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts before appearing at the Phoenix Theatre, Laurentian Theatre, Théâtre du Rideau Vert and Centaur.

Many of his formative years as an actor were spent working with the [National Film Board of Canada](/source/National_Film_Board_of_Canada) doing voice-over work for short films. Among his first feature film roles was Dr. Meister in *[The Blue Man](/source/The_Blue_Man_(film))* in 1985 and Faulkner in *[Toby McTeague](/source/Toby_McTeague)* in 1986, both films which were nominated for two [Genie Awards](/source/Genie_Awards). His best known role came in 1991, when he played the villain Zigesfeld in the James Bond spoof *[If Looks Could Kill](/source/If_Looks_Could_Kill_(film))* starring [Richard Grieco](/source/Richard_Grieco).[1] He has portrayed Doctor [Robert Oppenheimer](/source/Robert_Oppenheimer) on screen twice, in the 1987 mini-series *[Race for the Bomb](/source/Race_for_the_Bomb)*[2] and in the 1996 TV movie *Einstein: Light to the Power of 2*.[3] In 2003, he had a supporting role as the leading character's father in *Chasing Holden*, starring [DJ Qualls](/source/DJ_Qualls).[4] Other notable roles include Mirak in the 1996 TV movie *Ivana Trump's For Love Alone*[5] and Brother Abel, a psychotic priest in the 2002 [Sherlock Holmes](/source/Sherlock_Holmes) television flick *[The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire](/source/The_Case_of_the_Whitechapel_Vampire)*.[6] Rack also made brief appearances in the blockbuster films *[Jesus of Montreal](/source/Jesus_of_Montreal)*, *[300](/source/300_(film))* and *[The Greatest Game Ever Played](/source/The_Greatest_Game_Ever_Played)*.

Rack has supplied voices for animation including *[Animal Crackers](/source/Animal_Crackers_(TV_series))*, *[The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures](/source/The_Country_Mouse_and_the_City_Mouse_Adventures)*, *[Billy and Buddy](/source/Billy_and_Buddy)*, *[Sea Dogs](/source/Sea_Dogs_(TV_series))*, *[Lucky Luke](/source/Lucky_Luke_(1983_TV_series))*, *[Daft Planet](/source/Daft_Planet)*, *[Princess Sissi](/source/Princess_Sissi)*, *[The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo](/source/The_Magical_Adventures_of_Quasimodo)*, *[Arthur](/source/Arthur_(TV_series))*, *[Marsupilami](/source/Marsupilami)*, *[Ratz](/source/Ratz_(TV_series))*, *Ivanhoe*, *[Wunschpunsch](/source/Wunschpunsch)*, *[Ripley's Believe It or Not!](/source/Ripley's_Believe_It_or_Not!)*, *[A Miss Mallard Mystery](/source/A_Miss_Mallard_Mystery)* and *[Patrol 03](/source/Patrol_03)*. He wrote one episode of [Nickelodeon](/source/Nickelodeon)'s *[Are You Afraid of the Dark?](/source/Are_You_Afraid_of_the_Dark%3F)*, called "The Tale of the Pinball Wizard" in which he also played two characters,[7] and in addition, he played The Watcher in the episode *The Tale of Watcher's Woods*.[8]

Rack appeared as a contestant on *[Jeopardy!](/source/Jeopardy!)* on September 27 and 28, 1993, amassing a total of $18,300 in winnings as a one-day champion.[9] He lives in [Montreal](/source/Montreal), [Quebec](/source/Quebec).

## Filmography

### Film

Year Title Role Notes 1984 The Bay Boy Sol Silver 1985 The Blue Man Dr. Meister 1986 The Vindicator Truck Driver 1986 Toby McTeague Faulkner 1987 Wild Thing Braindrain 1989 Jacknife William Green 1989 Jesus of Montreal Doctor 1989 Mindfield Mick 1990 Cursed Sexton 1990 Whispers Dr. Rudge 1991 If Looks Could Kill Zigesfeld 1991 Lola Zipper Rostrovitch 1993 Stalked Dr. Bork 1997 Strip Search Locust 1998 Provocateur Kurt's Uncle 1998 The Sleep Room Dr. Weinrich 1998 Free Money Reverend Schmidt 1999 The Long Winter Marchand anglais 2001 Xchange Mr. Finerman 2003 Chasing Holden Governor Lawrence 2003 Deception Dr. Lewis 2003 The Human Stain Bobcat 2004 A Different Loyalty British Agent 2005 The Greatest Game Ever Played Black Top Hatted Man 2006 300 Ephor #3 2007 Steel Toes Magistrate

### Television

Year Title Role Notes 1984 The Bay Boy Sol Silver 1987 Ford: The Man and the Machine John Dodge 1987 Race for the Bomb Robert Oppenheimer 2 episodes 1991 The Final Heist Philippe Cameron 1992, 1994 Are You Afraid of the Dark? Pinball Wizard/Security Guard; Watcher 2 episodes: "The Tale of the Pinball Wizard" (also writer) and "The Tale of Watcher's Woods" 1993 Vendetta II: The New Mafia Vito 1995 Young Ivanhoe Edward 1995 Hiroshima Under Secretary of the Navy Ralph Bard 1996 Ivana Trump's For Love Alone Mirak 1996 Einstein: Light to the Power of 2 Dr. Robert Oppenheimer 1998 Windsor Protocol Dr. Harold Flegg 1998 The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures Voices 2 episodes: "Klondike Mice" and "Matador Mice" 1999 Ripley's Believe It or Not Additional voices 26 episodes 2000 Someone Is Watching Mr. Walters 2000 The Audrey Hepburn Story Gilbert Miller 2000 Nuremberg Hans Fritzsche 2 episodes 2001 Varian's War Reinhold Neibuhr 2002 The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire Brother Abel 2003 The Reagans Elie Wiesel 2004 Her Perfect Spouse Dr. Schneider 2008 A Teacher's Crime Evan

## References

1. Baldwin, Daniel (29 July 2016). ["From Grieco With Love: Remembering 'If Looks Could Kill'"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielbaldwin/2016/07/29/from-grieco-with-love-remembering-if-looks-could-kill/). *Forbes*

1. Banco, Lindsey Michael (May 15, 2016). *The Meanings of J. Robert Oppenheimer*. University of Iowa Press. p. 231. ISBN 9781609384203.

1. Zad, Martie (July 6, 1997). ["Einstein Sheds Light for Jelly Beans"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1997/07/06/einstein-sheds-light-for-jelly-beans/58b299a9-438d-4acd-9b3e-e9c593ebeef3/). *The Washington Post*

1. Pardi, Robert. ["Chasing Holden"](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/chasing-holden/review/133580/). *TV Guide*

1. Rose, Alex (May 17, 2019). ["Unfortunately for all of us, Ivana Trump's For Love Alone was shot in Montreal"](https://cultmtl.com/2019/05/ivana-trump-for-love-alone/). *cultmtl.com*

1. ["The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure"](http://www.bakerstreetdozen.com/frewernews.html). *Baker Street Dozen*

1. ["Are You Afraid of the Dark?: The Tale of the Pinball Wizard"](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/are-you-afraid-of-the-dark/episodes/266210). *The TV Database*

1. Woods, Maggie. ["Are You Afraid Of The Dark? The Complete Series 3 & 4"](https://www.motorbar.co.uk/dvd_afraidofthedark.htm). *Motorbar*

1. ["Tom Rack"](http://j-archive.com/showplayer.php?player_id=10740). *J! Archive*

## External links

- [Tom Rack](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0705211/) at IMDb
- [Reisler Talent Agency Profile](http://www.reisler.ca/reisler-talent-men-Tom-Rack.html)

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