Trivia

On March 14, 1997, it was reported that he won a $475,000 defamation suit against Dennis Hopper. The lawsuit came about after remarks made by Hopper on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992) on 31 May 1994.

On January 29, 2010, Torn was arrested in Salisbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut, after police found him passed out, holding a loaded gun, on the floor of a bank that had just been broken into. Torn was drunk and thought the bank was his home. He was charged with criminal trespass, carrying a firearm without a permit, carrying a firearm while intoxicated, burglary and criminal mischief. He later entered a plea of guilty and was given a suspended 2.5-year prison sentence, three years of probation during which time he was forbidden from carrying a firearm and agreed to be subject to random drug and alcohol testing.

In 1970 a bullet was fired through the window of his home after he spoke out against the Vietnam War on The Dick Cavett Show (1968).

Served as a U.S. Army military police officer after college.

Played three American presidents: Ulysses S. Grant, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon.

Torn and his first wife had a daughter, Danae Torn. He and second wife Geraldine Page had a daughter and twin sons (Angelica Page, Tony Torn and John Torn). Although he and Page never divorced, their relationship deteriorated and Torn began a relationship with Amy Wright in 1976. Wright became his third wife, and had two daughters named Katie and Claire.

Grew up in Texas. He attended Texas A & M College, graduating in 1952. Later, studied acting at the University of Texas, where he joined Sigma Chi Fraternity.

Torn was born to a father of German, Austrian, and Bohemian (Czech), descent, and a mother of Moravian (Czech) and German ancestry. He grew up in Taylor, Texas, a farming community 30 miles northeast of Austin. His parents are buried in Taylor's local cemetery. As a graduate of Taylor High School, home of the Taylor Ducks, he was a member of the inaugural group inducted into the Duck Hall of Fame. He attended the ceremonies personally where he visited with many former classmates.

Was the league commissioner of GSN's Extreme Dodgeball.

Throughout his six decade career, he received 1 Academy Award nomination, 2 American Comedy Awards nominations, 9 Emmy Award nominations and 7 CableACE nominations. He won the Emmy Award, once, the American Comedy Award, once and the CableACE award, 3 times.

After his guest-starring role on #InsideRoy (2016), he retired from acting at age 85. He would die a few years later, on July, 2019, at age 88.

Was nominated for Broadway's 1960 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Dramatic) for "Sweet Bird of Youth," a performance he recreated in the film version with the same title, Sweet Bird of Youth (1962).

Was a close friend from boyhood of actor Larry Blyden. As boys, friends would refer to the two as "Torn and Bleedin'," Bleiden being the original spelling of the latter's name.

First cousin of Sissy Spacek. First cousin once-removed of actresses Schuyler Fisk and Madison Fisk. Godfather of Clay Liford.

Along with Garry Shandling and Jeffrey Tambor, Torn was one of the 3 actors to have appear in every episode of The Larry Sanders Show (1992).

Starred in two unrelated movies focusing on The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977) (playing Dwight Webb) and J. Edgar Hoover (1987) (playing Lyndon Johnson).

Before he was a successful actor, he was also a member of the Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets.

At age 25, Torn moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1956, to become an actor.

Had appeared in the music video for the They Might Be Giants song "Can't Keep Johnny Down".

Attended the Republican National Convention in New York in 2004.

Graduated from Taylor High School, in Taylor, Texas, in 1948, at only 17 years of age.

In 1997, he appeared in Men in Black (1997) and Hercules (1997). In "Men in Black" he plays "Zed", head of MIB. Also in that film, Tommy Lee Jones' character, "Kay", is swallowed by a giant cockroach, and escapes by blowing the creature up from the inside. In "Hercules", Torn plays "Zeus", head of the Olympian gods. In that film, Hercules is swallowed by the Hydra and escapes by cutting the creature's head off from inside.

Best remembered by the public for his starring role as the producer - "Artie" on The Larry Sanders Show (1992).

Born on exactly the same date as Mamie Van Doren.

His birthplace, Temple, Texas, is 27 miles east of Kileen, Texas.

His daughter Angelica Page has a birthday, 11 days after her father.

Bore a slight resemblance to Richard Karn.