Thomas Hill (actor)

Thomas Newton Hill Jr. (June 2, 1927 – April 20, 2009) was an Indian-born American character actor and director on stage for decades before starting in film in the mid-1960s and on television in the 1980s.

Thomas Hill
Born	Thomas Newton Hill Jr. (1927-06-02)June 2, 1927 Landour, Mussoorie, India
Died	April 20, 2009(2009-04-20) (aged 81) Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.
Other names	Tom Hill, Pancakes, Bernardo
Occupation(s)	Actor, director
Years active	1965–1993
Notable work	Koreander in The NeverEnding Story Father Andrew Doyle in V: The Final Battle

Early life

Thomas Newton Hill Jr. was born in India in 1927, to Disciples of Christ missionaries Thomas Newton Hill Sr. and Elma Alexander Hill. Thomas Jr. attended Woodstock School until 1940 when he was 13; he and his parents moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana. Then, he attended and graduated from Richmond High School, in Richmond, IN.

Career

Hill's first feature film performance was in the 1965 film The Slender Thread. Other film credits include The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981), Firefox (1982), and as the bookstore owner Mr. Coreander in The NeverEnding Story and its first sequel.

One of Hill's most prominent recurring roles was as the zany sidekick Jim Dixon on the 1980s TV series Newhart. Hill appeared as King Baaldorf in the short-lived 1980s fantasy TV series Wizards and Warriors.

His TV movie roles include Father Andrew Doyle in the 1984 NBC miniseries V: The Final Battle. He had guest appearances on such shows as St. Elsewhere, Remington Steele, The Facts of Life, Married... with Children, Coach, and Law & Order.

Personal life

In 2003, Hill retired to Bloomington, Indiana. He died from a heart attack on April 20, 2009, at age 81.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1965	The Slender Thread	Liquor Salesman
1971	McCabe & Mrs. Miller	Archer
1979	Quintet	Francha
1980	Hide in Plain Sight	Bobby Momisa
1980	The Nude Bomb	The President
1981	The Postman Always Rings Twice	Barlow
1981	True Confessions	Mr. Fazenda
1982	Firefox	General Brown
1982-1990	Newhart	Jim Dixon
1984	The NeverEnding Story	Carl Conrad Coreander
1984	V: The Final Battle	Father Andrew Doyle	3 episodes
1984	Cat on a Hot Tin Roof	Dr. Baugh	TV movie
1987	Black Widow	Attorney
1990	The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter	Carl Conrad Coreander
1990	An Empty Bed	Elmer

External links

• Thomas Hill at IMDb