Thom Gossom Jr.

Thom Gossom Jr. is an American actor and writer who has also worked in communications. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1952, he studied communications at Auburn University, where he was the Southeastern Conference's first Black athlete to join as a walk-on, secure a full scholarship, and finish his degree. He later earned a master's in communication from the University of Montevallo. His film credits included Fight Club, Jeepers Creepers II (2003), and Miss Evers' Boys (1997). On television, he starred as Israel in the Emmy-winning NYPD Blue episode Lost Israel and played Ted Marcus, a city councilman, on In the Heat of the Night, Judge Blake Winters in Boston Legal, and Judge Kenneth Shepard on Reckless. His stage roles included the one-man play Speak of Me As I Am, which he wrote, plus Fences and American Buffalo. He also wrote and produced Quiet Courage, about James Owens, and published the memoir Walk-On.