Tom's grandparents migrated from Ohio, United States to India in November 1916. |
They lived in Chennai, then moved to Lahore. |
After the partition of India and Pakistan, his grandparents stayed in Pakistan while his parents moved to India, settling in Rajpur near Mussoorie. |
His parents founded the 'Massihi Dhyaan Kendra' ashram in Rajpur. |
Before pursuing acting, Tom worked as a teacher and Cricket coach in various schools in India and the US. |
His interest in acting sparked after watching the film Aradhana (1969) multiple times a week with his friends. |
Naseeruddin Shah, Benjamin Gilani, and Shabana Azmi were Tom's batchmates at FTII, Pune. |
Aside from acting, Tom authored popular books and worked as a sports journalist. |
He also did Hindi commentary for ESPN. |
Tom Alter conducted Sachin Tendulkar's first video interview in 1989. |
In 2008, he received the Padma Shri award from the Indian government. |
Diagnosed with Stage IV skin cancer in September 2017, Tom passed away later that month. |
Known for his excellence in Hindi and Urdu, Tom was often called "Blue-eyed Saheb". |
He has acted in various regional language films apart from Hindi films. |
Remembered for his iconic roles in movies like Kranti, Junoon, and Shatranj Ke Khilari. |
His Television serial roles in Shaktimaan and Captain Vyom are also cherished by many. |