Tom McLaren (actor/author)

Tom McLaren is an American actor and published author, best known for his roles in the feature films Expelled (film), The Exorcism of Molly Hartley, and Santa's Little Helper (film) and in the Netflix television series Lost in Space (2018 TV series). McLaren co-authored the award-winning book Styling the Stars: Lost Treasures from the Twentieth Century Fox Archive, and Thornsby by Fred McLaren: the Complete Comic Collection.
== Early Life ==
McLaren was born in Springfield, Illinois, the son of artist and comic creator Fred McLaren. He spent his childhood years in New Lenox, Illinois before moving to London, Ontario and then Royal Oak, Michigan where he met and married his wife Mary. McLaren holds a BBA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Wayne State University. He started his adult life as a corporate finance executive at Warner Bros.|Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century Fox, and in 2012 he made a mid-life career change and began acting in film, television and commercials.
== Career ==
=== Actor ===
In the fall of 2011, following a successful career as a corporate finance executive, McLaren embraced his creative side and started taking acting classes. He signed with his first agent in January 2012, and then booked his first commercial (for Toyota) one month later. More commercials, short films, independent movies, and television shows followed. In 2014, McLaren's feature film career began when he starred as the father of internet superstar Cameron Dallas in Expelled (film)|Expelled, produced by Awesomeness (company)|Awesomeness TV. Expelled (film)|Expelled astounded the industry when it debuted in the number one spot on the digital sales charts on its first day of release. Roles in the Fox horror movie The Exorcism of Molly Hartley with Devon Sawa, the holiday film Santa's Little Helper (film)|Santa's Little Helper with WWE superstar The Miz, and the comedy All American Bikini Car Wash soon followed. McLaren has also starred in numerous indie feature films including Death Pool, As I Am, S'ids Lake, Miss Arizona, and There's No Such Thing as Vampires|There's No Such Thing as Vampires. In 2019, McLaren guest-starred on the Netflix series Lost in Space (2018 TV series)|Lost in Space.
=== Author ===
in 2014, McLaren co-authored the book Styling the Stars: Lost Treasures From the Twentieth Century Fox Archive with actress Angela Cartwright. CBS This Morning interviewed McLaren about the book on the October 25, 2014 show. The book received the IBPA 2015 Benjamin Franklin Award and appeared on numerous 'Best Gift' lists. In 2020, McLaren authored his second book, Thornsby by Fred McLaren: The Complete Comic Collection, a tribute to his father Fred McLaren. 
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
2013	Monster & Me 	Dr. Collier 	
2013	City of Dreams 	Professor Simon 	
2014	A Day of Havoc 	Mark Stewart 	
2014	Expelled 	Phil 	
2015	Mac Daddy & the Lovers 	Dr. Geoffrey 	
2015	It's In the Streets 	Fred 	
2015	Miles Away 	Dr. Brown 	
2015	All American Bikini Car Wash 	Professor Dugan 	
2015	The Exorcism of Molly Hartley 	Father James 	
2015	Santa's Little Helper 	Harvey 	
2016	Quadrant 9EV9 	Dr. Gerard Phillips	
2016	Supercar Man 	Father 	Int'l Independent FIlm Award winner, Hollywood Int'l Film Festival winner, LA Shorts Award winner
2016	The Purging Hour 	Chris Carter 	aka Home Video
2017	Mac Daddy's Vegas Adventure 	Dr. Coleman 	
2017	Death Pool 	Mr. Taylor 	
2017	Lana Golan 	Professor Madden 	
2017	Caged 	Dave 	
2017	Vermin Town 	Mr. Morton 	
2018	Swipe Left 	Kevin Herald 	
2018	Miss Arizona 	Officer Stephen 	IndieFEST Film Award Winner,Bentonville Film Festival Award wInner
2018	The Opiate Diaries 	Preacher 	
2018	Killer Looks 	Dr. Tom Baker 	
2019	S'ids Lake 	Mr. Gabriel 	American Golden Picture Int'l Film Festival Winner
2019	Blue Pig 	Scientist 	USA FIlm Festival winner, Top Shorts Film Festival winner, Hollywood Film Competition winner
2019	As I Am 	Charles 	
2020	The Wolfsbane Case 	Bart 	
2020	Tidy Tim's 	Loan Ranger Agent 	
2020	There's No Such Thing as Vampires	Detective Sykes 	
=== Television ===
 	Title 	Role 	Notes
2012	Harry's Law 	Lawyer 	
2012	Diagnosis: Dead or Alive	Family Doctor 	
2012	Heroine Legends 	Dr. Parrish 	recurring
2012	Unusual Suspects 	Lou Eliopulos, ME 	
2013	Justice for All 	Dr. Ronald Noble 	
2014	CBS This Morning 	Self 	
2014	Tabloid 	Dr. Howard Appledorf	
2014	My Crazy Ex 	Detective Daniels 	
2017	Chat Like Love 	Teacher 	recurring
2016	Back Stabber 	Ricky Knight 	recurring
2018	High School Drama 	Mr. Wesley 	TV Movie
2019	Lost in Space 	Resolute Officer 	
== Books and Publications ==
* Styling the Stars: Lost Treasures from the Twentieth Century Fox Archive (2014) Hardcover
** Styling the Stars, Independent Book Publishers Association|IBPA 2015 Benjamin Franklin Awards, Gold Winner, Cover Design: Large Format
* Styling the Stars: Lost Treasures from the Twentieth Century Fox Archive (2017) Softcover
* Thornsby by Fred McLaren: The Complete Comic Collection (2020) Hardcover
* Thornsby by Fred McLaren: The Complete Comic Collection (2020) Softcover
Category:American actors
Category:American authors
Category:People from Springfield, Illinois