Thomas Gomez

After graduating from high school in 1923, Thomas Sabino Gomez answered a help-wanted ad, which led to his joining the theater group of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. He had not previously considered acting as a career. He continued working with the Lunts, traveling across the country and refining his acting abilities. Eventually, he began performing in New York's legitimate theater. His film debut took place in 1942 in *Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror*, where he played a villain. While filming that movie, he lived at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. He was known as a methodical individual who had his daily newspaper delivered to his room, where it was placed on a growing stack. When he had time to read, he would have a bellboy enter the room and lift the stack of papers, from which he would take the bottom paper. Gomez was an active union member and served on the board of directors of the Screen Actors Guild for more than 40 years. In the late 1940s, he bought a home in the Hollywood Hills, where he lived until his death. Although his film career primarily consisted of supporting roles, on Broadway he was a star, performing lead roles in productions such as *A Man for All Seasons*. He was also known for his love of gourmet dining and was a regular at many of the best restaurants in Hollywood and New York. A heavyset man, he weighed over 290 pounds for most of his life. Just before his death, his doctor placed him on a diet, and at the time of his death, he weighed less than 150 pounds. He was survived by a sister who lived in New York.