Whatever Happened to Tom Villard, Star of ‘We Got It Made’?

ONE CRAZY SUMMER, Tom Villard, 1986. — ©Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection

What To Know

Tom Villard was an American actor best known for his role in the 1980s sitcom We Got It Made and appeared in several films and TV shows throughout his career.
Despite early success, Villard struggled to find consistent leading roles and became one of the few openly gay actors in Hollywood during a time of widespread stigma.
He publicly disclosed his AIDS diagnosis in 1994 to raise awareness before passing away later that year at the age of 40, leaving a legacy of courage and advocacy.

Today, actor Tom Villard is best known for his work on the eighties sitcom We Got It Made and a number of films from that same era, including One Crazy Summer with John Cusack. But he actually had a much larger career he should be remembered for — as well as a decision he made during the nineties that forever changed his life.

How did Tom Villard get his start?

WE GOT IT MADE, Tom Villard, Matt McCoy, Teri Copley, 1983-88

Everett Collection

Although he was born in Waipahu, Hawaii, on November 19, 1953, Tom Villard grew up in Spencerport, New York. The son of a teacher and a photochemical engineer, he attended Allegheny College before moving to New York City to pursue acting. Once there, Tom trained at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where he was a shining star among the students.

Soon, Tom began landing roles on TV and in movies. One of the earliest roles I remember seeing him in was the 3D movie Parasite, released in 1982, which also happened to be Demi Moore‘s first feature film. The two would star in another movie together later in the decade.

In 1983, Tom landed one of the leading roles in the NBC sitcom We Got It Made. In a nutshell, while the show wasn’t a big hit for the network, it was popular enough to become a first-run syndicated program after it was canceled by NBC. Without a doubt, it was a breakout role for Tom.

Throughout the eighties and into the early nineties, Tom guest starred in various television shows like Moonlighting, The Golden Girls, and In the Heat of the Night. He also landed some pretty darn cool roles on the big screen in movies like Heartbreak Ridge, My Girl, and Popcorn. But before those movies, Tom was in another favorite of mine: One Crazy Summer, starring alongside John Cusack, Demi Moore, and Bobcat Goldthwait. Folks, if you haven’t seen this one, you’ve definitely got to track it down. Along with Better Off Dead, which was made by the same people, this movie is one of the funniest comedies from the eighties.

According to one of my favorite Golden Girls blogs, Tom said this in 1988 while talking to the San Luis Obispo County Telegram-Tribune:

“I figure we’re all here for a reason. My thing is to make people laugh, and I always feel when I’m on a film set that I’m fulfilling my destiny.”

How Tom Villard became one of the first openly gay actors in TV

ONE CRAZY SUMMER, Bobcat Goldthwait, Tom Villard, John Cusack, 1986.

At the time, Tom was in the closet about being gay, and throughout his career, he played mostly straight roles. However, when he was diagnosed with AIDS and Kaposi’s sarcoma in 1992, he knew that his time in the closet was coming to an end.

According to a 1994 article by Casey Davidson, who was writing for POZ magazine, in February of that year, Tom made a courageous appearance on Entertainment Tonight, where he publicly acknowledged that he was gay and that he had AIDS. That made him one of the first actors at the time to be so open about both.

While disclosing the disease, Tom said: “In terms of how people with AIDS are perceived in this country right now as lepers … it’s really important for me to get out there. I’ve been in your living room for 15 years.”

After his disclosure, Tom found that there were an awful lot of people, even in Hollywood, who suddenly wouldn’t let him in the door for auditions. Despite the obstacles being placed in front of him, Tom chose to embrace “being an actor with a purple nose.” Because he had Kaposi’s sarcoma, an AIDS-related skin disorder, he often called the splotch at the end of his nose his “red ribbon.” During this time, Tom was willing to don makeup for a role, but he refused to do so for auditions.

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Throughout it all, Tom had a strong support system that included his partner, production designer Scott Chambliss, whom he called his “genius, whiz-kid husband”, and his manager, Bill Melamed, who said that Tom had one of the most open spirits he had ever known.

Tom Villard died of AIDS-related pneumonia on November 14, 1994, just five days before his 41st birthday. It was a life cut short by a disease that we didn’t know a lot about way back then. However, with that said, it was also absolutely a life well lived. Tom’s willingness to publicly come forward paved the way for many who have followed since then.