Thomas Mikal Ford
| Thomas Mikal Ford | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 5, 1964 Los Angeles, CA, U.S. |
| Died | October 12, 2016 (aged 52) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1985–2016 |
| Website | tommygotajob |
Thomas Mikal Ford (September 5, 1964 – October 12, 2016) was an American actor best known for his role as Tommy Strawn in the sitcom Martin and for his recurring role as Mel Parker in the UPN sitcom The Parkers.
Ford was born in Los Angeles and raised in Long Beach, California. His mother worked as a school secretary and his father as a pipe-fitter.
As a child, Ford wanted to be a preacher. When he took drama lessons and started acting in high school plays, he decided to go into acting instead. After earning Associate of Arts degree from Long Beach City College in 1985, Ford transferred to the University of Southern California, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in acting.
In Martin, Ford played Tommy Strawn who was, at times, the straight man for Martin Lawrence's jokes, but he very often inserted scene-stealing "bald-headed logic" and witty comments in odd situations. Also, his character was often the subject of many jokes regarding his mysterious employment status, though Tisha Campbell-Martin revealed he was a counselor and presumably unemployed after Ford complained that his character lacked development. Ford received an NAACP Image Awards nomination in 1996 in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
After Martin ended, Ford found success in the detective drama New York Undercover as Lieutenant Malcolm Barker. He appeared on the UPN sitcom The Parkers in the recurring role of Nikki's ex-husband and Kim's father, Mel Parker, in seven episodes. He played Ben Cummings in The Power of Passion as one of the characters whose wife cheats on him with the pastor. He was also known as "The Pope of Comedy", due to exposure as a judge on TV One's comedy competition show Bill Bellamy's Who's Got Jokes?
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