Tom Davis (comedian)

For other people named Tom Davis, see Tom Davis (disambiguation).

Tom Davis
Birth nameThomas James Davis
Born(1952-08-13)August 13, 1952
St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedJuly 19, 2012(2012-07-19) (aged 59)
Hudson, New York, U.S.
MediumTelevision
Years active1972–2012
SpouseMimi Raleigh
(m. 1991, separated since 1999; his death)

Thomas James Davis (August 13, 1952 – July 19, 2012) was an American comedian, writer, and author. He is best known for his comedy partnership with Al Franken, as half of the comedy duo "Franken & Davis" on Saturday Night Live.

Life and career

Davis was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He attended The Blake School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he began his friendship and professional partnership with Al Franken. In 1975, Davis got his big break as one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live where he and Franken also performed together. The duo wrote the screenplay for and appeared in the film One More Saturday Night, and had brief appearances in Trading Places and The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash. Davis was a frequent guest on The Al Franken Show, appearing in sketches as various characters. In a well-known sketch on Saturday Night Live, he provided the voice calling into an interview with Dan Aykroyd's Jimmy Carter as the youngster that Jimmy Carter talked down from a bad trip. Davis created the SNL sketches "Theodoric of York, Medieval Barber" (with Steve Martin), "Nick The Lounge Singer" (with Bill Murray), "The Continental" (with Christopher Walken), and "Coneheads" (with Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin).

Illness and death

External videos
video icon Davis honored on the floor of the U.S. Senate by Sen. Al Franken, July 25, 2012, C-SPAN

In 2009, Davis was diagnosed with cancer. He was treated at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, where, on March 31, 2009, Dr. Eric Genden with minimally invasive robotic surgery, removed a tumor on Davis' right tonsil that had metastasized to an adjoining lymph node.[1]

Davis died on July 19, 2012, of throat and neck cancer, aged 59.[2]

Bibliography

  • Thirty-Nine Years of Short-Term Memory Loss (2009; ISBN 978-0-8021-1880-6)
  • Owsley and Me: My LSD Family by Rhoney Gissen Stanley and Tom Davis (2012; ISBN 978-0-9833589-3-0)

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1975–2003 Saturday Night Live Various 153 episodes, (final appearance)
1976 Tunnel Vision Tom
1977 The Paul Simon Special TV special
1979 Bob & Ray, Jane, Laraine & Gilda Merry Man Uncredited
1981 Steve Martin's Best Show Ever TV special
1983 Trading Places Baggage Handler #2
1983 The Coneheads Barry Paisner Voice, Animated TV Special
1984 Franken and Davis at Stockton State Himself TV special
1984 The New Show Herself TV series
1986 One More Saturday Night Larry Hays with Al Franken
1989 The Feud Teammate
1993 Coneheads Supplicant with Dan Aykroyd
1995 Trailer Park Host TV series
1998 Blues Brothers 2000 Prison Clerk
2001 Evolution Governor's Aide

References

  1. ^ Tuesday (April 27, 2010). "The Apiary – A Comedy Website". The Apiary. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  2. ^ "Tom Davis Dies at 59; 'SNL' Writer and Comedy Partner to a Future Senator". The New York Times. July 19, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  • Tom Davis at IMDb
  • Tom Davis Papers. General Collection of Modern Books and Manuscripts. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.