Displaying astonishing versatility with a wide range of upcoming films, Thomas Jane is due to take his place among a select group of actors who combine a leading man's profile with a character actor's art of performance.
Jane stars in the role of baseball legend Mickey Mantle in the Billy Crystal helmed "61*" for HBO pictures. "61*" tells the story of the competition between the New York Yankees' Roger Maris and Mantle to break Babe Ruth's single- season home run record. Jane 's co-star is Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan). The telepic premieres on HBO in April, 2001.
Jane also stars in the suspense/thriller, "Original Sin." Written and directed by Michael Cristofer, the film is based on Cornell Woolrich's novel, "Waltz Into Darkness." Set in turn-of-the-century New Orleans, the story follows a wealthy businessman who marries a young woman he knows only through correspondence. He then discovers that his new bride and an accomplice murdered his real fiancee and are plotting to eliminate him. George Litto and Denise Di Novil produced the film which will also stars Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas.
Jane can also be seen in the independent thriller, "Under Suspicion." Directed by Stephen Hopkins, and written by Peter Iliff, the remake of the French film, "Gare de Vue," follows the efforts of a police investigator to coax a confession out of a prominent lawyer, who is a suspect in a double homicide. Jane stars opposite Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman and Monica Belucci as 'Detective Felix Owens,' who works with Freeman's character find the truth behind the crimes. The film made its audience debut at the 2000 Cannes Film festival.
Jane starred in Warner Bros' thriller, "Deep Blue Sea." Directed by Renny Harlin, the film is about a school of mako sharks that have been made smarter, faster, and more vicious through biomedical engineering. When things go horribly wrong in an offshore laboratory where the sharks are being studied, the survivors must find a way to escape. Jane plays 'Carter Blake,' the lab's shark wrangler, who leads the effort to escape the deadly fish. The film also stars Samuel L. Jackson, Saffron Burrows and LL Cool J.
In addition, Jane was seen in Dan Ireland's "The Velocity of Gary." Jane plays 'Gary,' an enigmatic male hustler who comes between a downwardly mobile couple played by Vincent D'Onofrio and Salma Hayek. When D'Onofrio's character is diagnosed with AIDS, the threesome are forced to examine what is truly important about their relationship. The film also stars Olivia d'Abo.
Jane also appeared in Terrence Malick's Academy Award nominated World War II drama, "The Thin Red Line." Based on James Jones' classic novel, Jane stars with Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Jim Caviezel, Woody Harrelson, John Cusack and Adrien Brody as a wounded soldier left behind by his platoon during the Battle for Guadalcanal.
Jane received critical praise for his work in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights." Starring opposite Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, and John C. Reilly, Jane played 'Todd Parker,' a coke-fiend with dangerously grandiose ambitions in the opus on the porn industry in the 70s and 80s. Also starring Burt Reynolds, Don Cheadle, and William H. Macy, the actors were
nominated for a 1998 SAG Award for Best Ensemble Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture.
Jane also received critical attention for his portrayal of Neal Cassady opposite Keanu Reeves and Claire Forlani in Stephen Kay's independent drama, "The Last Time I Committed Suicide." Based on a letter written to author Jack Kerouac in the 1950s by Cassady, the film explores the experiences of one of the founding influences of the Beat Generation, and the inspiration for Kerouac's classic novel, On the Road.
Other film credits include Skip Woods' "Thursday" with Aaron Eckhart and James LeGros, John Woo's "Face Off" with Nicolas Cage and John Travolta, and Lance Lane's "Junked," where Jane reprised the role of 'Switch,' which he originated in the stage production at the Marilyn Monroe Theatre. Jane made his film debut at the age of 17 in Jher Jangli's "Pavamati Sanja Ragam." His role in the movie marked the first time an Indian film had a caucasian actor in a heroic lead.
On stage, Jane also received notice for his role of 'Chris' in Arthur Miller's "All My Sons" at the Odyssey Theater. Other theatre credits include "Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?" at Baltimore Center Stage, "Pastels" at the Studio Theater, "Strange Snow" at the Sal Romeo Theater, "The Idiot," and "Jews Without Money" at the Whitefire Theater, and "Roy's Coffee Shop" at the Road Theater.
Jane currently lives in Los Angeles.