Tom Alter Age, Wiki and Bio

Tom Alter

Quick Info

ProfessionActor, Writer, Sports Journalist
NationalityIndian
Date of Birth22/06/1950
Age74 years
BirthplaceMussoorie, Uttar Pradesh, India (now in Uttarakhand)

Physical Stats & More

Height180 cm
Weight80 kg
Eye ColorBlue
Hair ColorWhite

Educational Qualification(s)

SchoolWoodstock School, Mussoorie
CollegeStudied at Yale, US for a year and left, Film and Television Institute of India in Pune (1972-1974, under Roshan Taneja)
Educational QualificationGraduate

Personal Life

ReligionChristianity
HobbiesReading Urdu Shayari, Playing and watching Cricket

Relationships & More

Marital StatusMarried
Affairs/GirlfriendsCarol Evans (Carol and Tom were classmates in Woodstock School, Mussoorie)
Wife/SpouseCarol Evans
Marriage DateYear 1977
Children
SonJamie Alter (Sports Writer and Editor)
DaughterAfshaan

Family

FatherNot Known (a Teacher)
MotherNot Known
Siblings
BrotherJohn (Poet and a Teacher)
SisterMartha Chen (Teacher at Harvard University)
SpouseCarol Evans
Children
SonJamie Alter
DaughterAfshaan

Favourites

Favourite ActorRajesh Khanna
Favourite ActressSharmila Tagore
Favourite FilmAradhana (1969)
Favourite SportCricket

Some Lesser Known Facts

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.