Chong, Tommy 1938- (Thomas Chong)

views updated

Chong, Tommy 1938- (Thomas Chong)

PERSONAL

Full name, Thomas B. Kin Chong; born May 24, 1938, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; son of Stanley (a truck driver) and Lorna Jean (a waitress; maiden name, Gilchrist) Chong; married Maxine Sneed, 1960 (divorced, 1970); married Shelby Fiddis (an actress and producer), 1975; children: (first marriage) Rae Dawn (an actress) and Robbi Lynn (an actress); (second marriage) Precious (daughter), Paris (son), Gilbran (son; a musician); Marcus (informally adopted son; an actor). Avocational Interests: Physical fitness, salsa dancing.

Addresses:

Manager—Group Management, 800 South Robertson Blvd., Suite 5, Los Angeles, CA 90035. Publicist—Liza Anderson, Anderson Group Public Relations, 8060 Melrose Ave., 4th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90046.

Career:

Actor, writer, director, comedian, songwriter, producer, and musician. Member of the musical groups the Shades and Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers; City Works (improvisational comedy troupe), founder and performer; with Richard "Cheech" Marin, member of comedy duo Cheech & Chong, 1969-85. Nice Dreams Enterprises (internet retailer), former owner; Cong Glass, owner, 1999.

Awards, Honors:

Grammy Award (with Richard "Cheech" Marin), best comedy album, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, 1973, for Los Cochinos; and several Grammy Award nominations (with Marin) for best comedy album, including 1971, for Cheech & Chong, 1972, for Big Bambu, 1974, for Cheech & Chong's Wedding Album, 1976, for Sleeping Beauty, and 1985, for Cheech and Chong Get Out of My Room.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

Anthony "Man" Stoner, Up in Smoke (also known as Cheech and Chong's "Up in Smoke" and Cheech and Chong: Up in Smoke), Paramount, 1978.

(As Thomas Chong) Chong, Cheech & Chong's Next Movie (also known as High Encounters of the Ultimate Kind), Universal, 1980.

Chong, Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams (also known as Nice Dreams), Columbia, 1981.

Chong and Prince Habib, Things Are Tough All Over, Columbia, 1982.

Chong, Still Smokin' (also known as Cheech and Chong: Still Smokin'), Paramount, 1983.

El Nebuloso, Yellowbeard, Orion, 1983.

Himself, It Came from Hollywood, Paramount, 1983.

Himself, Group Madness, 1983.

Corsican brother Lucien, The Corsican Brothers (also known as Cheech & Chong's "The Corsican Brothers "), Orion, 1984.

(As Thomas Chong) Pepe, After Hours, Warner Bros., 1985.

The man, Get Out of My Room (also known as Cheech & Chong: Get Out of My Room), 1985.

The Canadian Conspiracy, 1986.

Title role, Far Out Man! (also known as Soul Man II), New Line Cinema, 1990.

Merle Shine, Tripwire, New Line Cinema, 1990.

Stoner, The Spirit of '76, Castle Rock Entertainment, 1991.

Life after Sex, 1991.

Voice of Root, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest (animated; also known as FernGully 1), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1992.

Red, Senior Trip (also known as National Lampoon's "Senior Trip", Senior School, and La folle excursion de National Lampoon), New Line Cinema, 1995.

Armando/Ernesto, McHale's Navy, Universal, 1997.

Squirrel Master, Half Baked, Universal, 1998.

Himself and Carlos, Best Buds (also known as Tommy Chong's "Best Buds"), MCA/Universal, 1998.

Anthony "Man" Stoner (in archive footage), Grass, 1999.

Hippie, High Times Potluck, 2001, Ardustry Home Entertainment, 2003.

Dee's connection, The Wash, Lionsgate, 2001.

Himself, You'll Never Wiez in This Town Again, 2002.

Himself, Pauly Shore Is Dead, CKrush Entertainment, 2004.

QP, Secret Agent 420, 2000, Fondu Productions, 2005.

Jimbo Leary, Evil Bong, Full Moon Pictures, 2006.

A/k/a/ Tommy Chong, Blue Chief Entertainment, 2006.

American Stag (documentary), Corticrawl Productions, 2006.

Greasy Rider (documentary), Plotkin Productions, 2006.

Prisoner in private prison, American Drug War: The Last White Hope (documentary), Sacred Cow Productions, 2007.

Deputy Tom, Chinaman's Chance, Plus Entertainment, 2008.

Film Director:

(Uncredited) Up in Smoke (also known as Cheech and Chong's "Up in Smoke" and Cheech and Chong: Up in Smoke), 1978.

Cheech & Chong's Next Movie (also known as High Encounters of the Ultimate Kind), Universal, 1980.

(As Thomas Chong) Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams (also known as Nice Dreams), Columbia, 1981.

(As Thomas Chong) Still Smokin' (also known as Cheech and Chong: Still Smokin'), Paramount, 1983.

The Corsican Brothers (also known as Cheech & Chong's "The Corsican Brothers"), Orion, 1984.

Far Out Man! (also known as Soul Man II), New Line Cinema, 1990.

Film Executive Producer:

Best Buds (also known as Tommy Chong's "Best Buds"), MCA/Universal, 1998.

Film Work; Song Performer:

"Basketball Jones Featuring Tyrone Shoelaces," Being There (also known as Chance), 1979.

Title song, Born in East L.A., 1987.

Television Appearances; Series:

Leo, That '70s Show, Fox, 1999-2006.

Television Appearances; Specials:

The 25th Annual Grammy Awards, 1983.

The Making of "The Corsican Brothers," 1984.

Presenter, The 56th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1984.

The Tommy Chong Roast (also known as Playboy Comedy Roast: Tommy Chong), 1985.

The Importance of Being Funny in America, 1987.

Baloney, CBC, 1989.

Comedy Gold, CBC, 2005.

The Comedy Can Television Series, Comedy Network, 2007.

The Union: The Business behind Getting High, Super-Channel, 2007.

Interviewee as prisoner in private prison, American Drug War: The Last White Hope, Showtime, 2007.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

The Drug Years, VH1, 2006.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

The Tomorrow Show (also known as Tomorrow and Tomorrow Coast to Coast), 1981.

T. R. "Jumbo" Collins, "Trust Fund Pirates," Miami Vice, NBC, 1986.

The Howard Stern Show, 1991.

"George Runs into an Old Friend," The George Carlin Show, Fox, 1994.

Van Elsinger, "Stoker," Sliders, Fox, 1997.

Barry Chen, "Wild Cards," Nash Bridges (also known as Bridges), CBS, 1997.

Howard Stern, 1997.

Carl, "Tie-Dying the Knot," Dharma & Greg, ABC, 1999.

Voice of Chief Running Pinto, "Cherokee Hair Tampons, " South Park (animated), Comedy Central, 2000.

Comic, People Uncut, 2005.

Comic, The Standard, 2005.

Sunday Morning Shootout, AMC, 2005.

Howard Stern on Demand (also known as Howard TV on Demand), 2005, 2006.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!, ABC, 2006.

Mr. Gutierrez, "George Joins the Neighborhood Wha-tcha and Raises the Vigil-ante," George Lopez, ABC, 2007.

The Bronx Bunny Show, Starz, 2007.

The Colbert Report, Comedy Central, 2007.

Urban Rush, 2007.

Voice of Laird Boony, "The Story of 420," Code Monkeys (animated), G4, 2008.

Television Executive Producer:

The Family Martinez (special), CBS, 1986.

Trial and Error (series), CBS, 1988.

Stage Appearances:

The Marijuana-Logues, Actors Playhouse, New York City, 2004.

Internet Appearances; Episodic:

Tom Green Live!, 2006.

RECORDINGS

Albums; with Cheech and Chong:

Big Bambu, Warner Bros. Records, 1972.

Cheech & Chong, Ode Records, 1972.

Los Cochinos, Reprise, 1973.

Cheech & Chong's Wedding Album, Reprise, 1974.

Sleeping Beauty, Warner Bros. Records, 1976.

Let's Make a New Dope Deal, Warner Bros. Records, 1987.

Cheech and Chong Get Out of My Room, MCA Records, 1987.

Cheech and Chong's Greatest Hit, Reprise, 1991.

Videos:

Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues (also known as Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues), 1988.

Voice of hippie, Scarface: The World Is Yours (video game), Vivendi Universal Games, 2006.

WRITINGS

Screenplays:

(With Richard "Cheech" Marin) Up in Smoke (also known as Cheech and Chong's "Up in Smoke" and Cheech and Chong: Up in Smoke), Paramount, 1978.

(With Marin) Cheech & Chong's Next Movie (also known as High Encounters of the Ultimate Kind), Universal, 1980.

(As Thomas Chong; with Marin) Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams (also known as Nice Dreams), Columbia, 1981.

(As Thomas Chong; with Marin) Things Are Tough All Over, Columbia, 1982.

(As Thomas Chong; with Marin) Still Smokin' (also known as Cheech and Chong: Still Smokin'), Paramount, 1983.

(With Marin) The Corsican Brothers (also known as Cheech & Chong's "The Corsican Brothers"), Orion, 1984.

Far Out Man! (also known as Soul Man II), New Line Cinema, 1990.

Best Buds (also known as Tommy Chong's "Best Buds"), MCA/Universal, 1998.

Songs Featured in Films:

Title song, Up in Smoke (also known as Cheech and Chong's "Up in Smoke" and Cheech and Chong: Up in Smoke), Paramount, 1978.

"Earache My Eye," Cheech & Chong's Next Movie (also known as High Encounters of the Ultimate Kind), Universal, 1980.

"Save the Whales," Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams (also known as Nice Dreams), Columbia, 1981.

"Chilly Winds," Things Are Tough All Over, Columbia, 1982.

Still Smokin' (also known as Cheech and Chong: Still Smokin'), Paramount, 1983.

Get Out of My Room (also known as Cheech and Chong: Get Out of My Room), 1985.

Far Out Man! (also known as Soul Man II), New Line Cinema, 1990.

(Uncredited) Senior Trip (also known as National Lampoon's "Senior Trip", Senior School, and La folle excursion de National Lampoon), New Line Cinema, 1995.

"Don't Kick Her in the Butt," The Assault, 1996.

Also cowrote the song "Does Your Mama Know about Me."