Thomas Welling was born on 26 April 1977, in West Point, New York. His early years were spent in Wisconsin, Delaware, and Michigan, where he grew up surrounded by his father, a retired executive for General Motors, his mother, a home engineer, and his three siblings, two elder sisters and a younger brother.

In his early years at school, Welling showed a little of the acting ability he would later use to great effect, when he appeared in several school plays and pageants until sixth grade. He was athletic in high school, he developed a passion for Basketball, which he still plays whenever the opportunity arises, dabbled with baseball, and excelled at soccer, where he played as third string Goalkeeper in the high school Varsity team.

He graduated from Okemos High School, in Okemos, Michigan, in 1995, and decided not to pursue a College degree. Instead, he became a construction worker, living at home with his parents for a few more years, and hanging out with friends.

His first big break was landing six episodes on Judging Amy, playing opposite Amy Brenneman in a romantic role that drew raves. He landed the role of Kent after a nationwide search for a fresh face to play the part.

He lives in Los Angeles when not filming Smallville (in Vancouver), with his wife Jamie (July 2002 in Martha Vineyard) and his dogs, which include a pug dog named Cook. When not working, he enjoys reading, playing basketball with friends and running.

Smallville's Tom Welling tells us what it's like to play an adolescent Clark Kent and why becoming an actor was the scariest thing he'd ever done.

The WB: We need to get the really important questions for our viewers out of the way. Are you seeing anyone?
Tom: Yes.

The WB: We hear you are new to this whole acting business. What were you doing before this?
Tom: I kind of fell into modeling. It was fun. I did some print work, some commercial work in New York. I had a great time, but acting is what I want to be doing.

The WB: It seems to be working out. Before Smallville you had guest-starred on a number of episodes of Judging Amy. What was it like to find out you had gotten the lead on a new show?
Tom: It was great! I was really excited.

The WB: How did you find out you'd gotten the role on Smallville?
Tom: Actually, I went to the final screen test and on my way home I stopped at a gas station and I called my manager to tell him how it went, because I don't have a cell phone or anything. So I'm at a pay phone. By the time I called, they had already called him to tell him I had it. And so it was kind of like "Hey, the audition went well!" And he goes, "Yeah, I know. You got it." I didn't believe it at first.

The WB: Is it weird playing the role of Superman?
Tom: Well, oddly enough, it can all be forgotten because, basically, it precludes everything else. There is no Superman at this point.

The WB: In other words, we get to see what it would have been like to sit next to Clark Kent in algebra class, way before he went on to superhero fame?
Tom: Clark is a kid in high school who's got a lot of secrets and he's looking for understanding from the people around him, and trying to find out who he is and what his purpose in life is. The superhuman powers that he does have are just now coming about. He's had his strength since he was a child but as far as the x-ray vision goes, those things are just kind of happening to him. They come and go and he has no control over them.

The WB: So, in addition to acne and his voice cracking, poor Clark would have to worry about sneezing and accidentally blowing down a wall?
Tom: Down the line he'll have some x-ray vision where he won't necessarily be able to see people without their clothes on, but maybe see into their hearts. Or maybe he'll see into their stomachs and see what food they're digesting. It's not always going to be a pleasant thing.

The WB: What's a typical night out for you?
Tom: Dinner at about 8 p.m., home by 10.

The WB: Are you serious?
Tom: Yeah. I guess I'm just a homebody. I go out every once in a while.

The WB: So we're not going to see you in any of the tabloids?
Tom: Probably not.

The WB: You're not going to set fire to any hotel rooms?
Tom: No, I haven't done that for years.

The WB: What's the most adventurous thing you've ever done?
Tom: My move to Los Angeles to become an actor is probably the craziest thing I've done. It probably put me at the most risk in my life - financially, romantically, professionally, everything. It was just a really big step to take.