Tom Reese

Tom Reese was an American actor.

A former U.S. Marine and military policeman who was 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, Reese had several memorable onscreen fistfights, battling Elvis Presley in Flaming Star (1960), Tony Curtis in 40 Pounds of Trouble (1962), Glenn Ford in The Money Trap (1965), and Dean Martin in the Matt Helm movie Murderers' Row (1966).

One of Reese’s most recognizable television roles was in the 1961 ”Midnight Sun" episode of The Twilight Zone. Reese played the intruder who bursts into the New York City apartment occupied by two women (Lois Nettleton and Betty Garde) as the planet is growing increasingly hotter.

Reese made his mark in TV westerns, with appearances in episodes of Have Gun - Will Travel, Death Valley Days, Destry, The Wild Wild West, The Virginian, Rawhide, Laredo, Bonanza, The High Chaparral, and Gunsmoke.

Reese also was known for his portrayal of the cigar-loving Sgt. Thomas Velie on the single season of the 1975-76 NBC detective series Ellery Queen, starring Jim Hutton and David Wayne.

Reese died December 12, 2017, in Studio City, California. He was 89.