* Full name is rumoured to be Thomas John Patrick Welling; however only Tom's middle initial, "J", has been confirmed * Born on Tuesday April 26th 1977 * Born in Putnam Valley, West Point, NY USA * Is a Taurus * Is 6'3" (1.90m) * Has green/hazel eyes * Has dark chestnut brown hair * Wears US size 14 shoes (UK size 12.5) * Has two elder sisters and a younger brother, Mark * Graduated from Okemos High School on Sunday June 4th 1995 * Has been married to Jamie A. White since Friday July 5th 2002 * Has two Pugs (one is named Cook) and a Bernese Mountain Dog * Enjoys the work of Bob Saget, Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Steve Martin and Jerry Seinfeld * Favourite clothing labels include Ralph Lauren, YSL (formerly Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche), Gucci, Club Monaco, The Gap, Helmut Lang and Hermés * Favourite movie is Mutiny On The Bounty * Likes music by Radiohead * Overuses the phrase "There you go!" * Is part German, Irish, and Native American * Likes to eat blackberries * Prefers mustard & relish on hotdogsThomas J. Welling was born on Tuesday, April 26th, 1977, in Putnam Valley, West Point, New York. Shortly after Tom was born, his family moved to Janesville, Wisconsin, where his father, a company executive, oversaw the local General Motors assembly plant. On Thursday, February 14th, 1980, Tom's brother Mark was born.When Tom was in the third grade, his father's job necessitated a further relocation to Hockessin, Delaware. In Delaware Tom first attended Marbrook Elementary, which was followed a few years later by a stint at A.I. DuPont Middle School. Later he took his freshman year in high school at the Salesianum School in nearby Wilmington.The family remained in Delaware until shortly before the start of Tom's sophomore year. This final move of Tom's young life was to the aptly-named Auto State - Okemos, Michigan. His father, who has since retired, continued to work at General Motors for a few more years, and his mother was a self-styled "home engineer." Rounding out the family were Tom's two elder sisters.During his early years at school Tom showed a little of the acting ability that he would later use to great acclaim, making several appearances in school plays and pageants until his sixth grade year. A "jock" during his years in school, Tom also developed a passion for baseball, basketball – which he still plays whenever the opportunity arises – and soccer, going so far as to land a spot on the Junior Varsity baseball team in his sophomore year of high school.However soccer was Tom's most notable success, as he played on the team at each of his schools. He even became the third-string goalkeeper on the high school Varsity team during his senior year.Never particularly studious despite an enjoyment of history and other subjects, by Tom's own admission he did no better than "fair" in high school. On graduation from Okemos High School on Sunday, June 4th, 1995, he made the decision that he would rather not pursue a college education.Instead he chose to take on a more physically demanding, hands-on occupation, becoming a manual construction worker at a warehouse; on weekends Tom would often take spare shifts at a local store. He continued to live at home with his parents, and spent his free time hanging out with friends.In the spring of 1997 whilst Tom and a few friends were taking a vacation on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, the then 20-year-old was approached near a bar by an Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue shoot scout working under the world-famous photographer, Bruce Weber. Following a brief discussion Tom was offered the opportunity to model for the catalogue, which at that time was still in its infancy.Returning home to weigh-up his options, Tom ultimately decided to head to Lake George, New York, where the shoot was scheduled to take place. It was to be the start of a new career, and Tom made a respectable few thousand dollars for his efforts. In addition, it was at this shoot that Tom first met his long-time friend and later co-star, Ashton Kutcher.The pictures were published in the Christmas 1997 edition of the hugely-popular Abercrombie & Fitch Quarterly.Tom soon moved from his parents' home in Michigan, to Manhattan, where he modelled periodically over the next two years for New York Model Management and IMG Models.In February 1999 Tom took part in the runway show for Ralph Lauren's Fall 1999 collection at New York Fashion Week, and a few months later appeared in spreads for Adidas, Nike and Conde Nast.During this time period Tom also joined Louisa Models in Germany, taking assignments in Europe from their offices in Munich and Hamburg. On the Louisa Models website circa 1999 Tom's statistics were given as:* Height: 6'2" * Size: 40L * Chest: 39" * Waist: 34.5" * Hips: 38" * Shoes: 12.5 * Hair: brown * Eyes: hazelIn October 1998, Tom took part in the runway show for Romeo Gigli's 1999 Spring/Summer collection at Italy's Milan Fashion Week. Later, in the spring of 1999, he travelled to Spain to shoot the Autumn/Winter 1999 Thomas Burberry catalogue alongside another later co-star, Ian Somerhalder.Further work included shoots for Hachette Filipacchi, Vupiesse, Rocher Chocolates and Gucci.While working in Miami, Florida, in 1998, Tom met his future wife, Jamie A. White, in a local coffee shop. Jamie, who is two years Tom's senior, also worked in the modelling industry at the time.Tom and Jamie had briefly met on a number of previous occasions during their respective careers, however Jamie had apparently forgotten about those prior encounters. This led to her initially believing that she was being fed a line when Tom innocently commented, "I think I've met you before."At around the same time, back in Michigan, Mark was completing his final year at Okemos High School. He graduated on Sunday, June 7th, 1998. Mark later went on to attend Kettering University, graduating as a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) with a specialism in Biomechanics.Despite a reasonable amount of success, it soon became clear to Tom that he wasn't suited for the modelling world. Feeling stifled by the superficial nature of the business, he decided that a change of career was in order.With the encouragement of friends and family, and the help of a few industry contacts, Tom relocated to Los Angeles, California, in early 2000. It was his intention to become an actor. He and Jamie moved into a beachfront house located a short distance away from the home of Tom's youngest sister.With no acting training, and with no intention of taking formal lessons, Tom gave himself one year to decide whether this would be a more fulfilling career. His impression was that that acting didn't look too difficult.Numerous auditions followed, however Tom continued to make ends meet by modelling for a few more months. He had representation from the both the sister company of New York Model Management, L.A. Models, and the world-renowned Wilhelmina Models. On their hand-out cards Wilhelmina Models listed Tom's details as:* Height: 6'2" * Suit: 41L * Shirt: 16½-34 * Waist: 32" * Inseam: 33" * Shoes: 13 * Hair: brown * Eyes: greenMuch to his surprise, Tom soon realised that he found the auditioning process quite enjoyable. His first acting jobs were in television commercials for T.J. Maxx, Kmart, 7 Up and Verizon, along with a large role in the music video for the song 'Picture Perfect', by Angela Via, in March 2000.With the help of his agent, Jimmy Darmody at Creative Artists Agency, Tom's breakthrough role came in the fall of 2000.Following a stroke of bad luck involving the actor who had originally been cast in the role, Tom was called back for a part in the successful drama series Judging Amy.After an initial round of auditions involving actors aged 25 to 45, the character of karate teacher Rob Meltzer had been locked as a few years older than Amy. It was this development, rather than Tom's audition, that had lead to him initially being rejected for the role.However Tom's audition was so good that when circumstances called for a short-notice recast, he was brought back in - and the script was rewritten to accomodate the newly-created age discrepancy.The role of Rob, now Amy's ten-years-junior love interest, was originally planned to recur in only three episodes. Understandably, Tom was shocked when he subsequently learnt that his stint had been doubled to a six-episode arc. The reasoning behind the expansion was two-fold: in part due to the enjoyment of Tom's storyline by viewers, and in part due to his rapport with the crew and producers during his initial three-episode shoot.Though Tom was involved in a number of small projects during the first few months of 2001, these additional performances were both low-key and fairly unmemorable when compared to the publicity generated by Judging Amy.In May, Tom made an appearance in the series Special Unit 2, as Male Victim #1 in an episode entitled 'The Depths'. Recorded in Vancouver, Canada, Tom's role involved appearing on-screen for barely two minutes, before his character met an untimely demise at the hands of a sea-dwelling Merman.Shortly afterwards, in September, he also made a brief, almost cameo-like appearance as a frat boy in the pilot episode of the critically-acclaimed series Undeclared. However his real success was just around the corner.On a wave of magazine covers and rave reviews, Tom's highly successful leading-man debut came in October 2001, starring as the Boy-of-Steel Clark Kent in what would soon become the WB's biggest hit to date: Smallville.During a long casting process throughout the latter half of 2000, Tom had thrice turned down an offer to audition for the role. Basing his opinion solely on the short description that he had been given, he figured that the show would be "lame". However the casting directors were quickly running out of time to find their perfect Clark, having already auditioned hundreds of tall, handsome, raven-haired men for the part.Sure that Tom had the fresh-faced appeal they were looking for, the casting agents decided to ask him one final time. That final call came just a few weeks before the new year, as Tom was in the midst of filming Judging Amy. Perhaps feeling sorry for their predicament, he relented and finally took an audition.Reading from the now-infamous graveyard scene with Kristin Kreuk, Tom quickly realised that the show was completely different to what he had been expecting; far from finding it lame, he loved it.Tom stopped at a gas station on his way home from the final audition, intending to call his agent on a pay phone. Expecting a typical discussion about how well the audition may have gone, he was at first perturbed by being put on hold, and then stunned to learn that the show's producers were on the agent's other line - he had won the role! Overjoyed, he stood by the side of the road yelling giddily to anyone in earshot.It would be ten more months until Smallville received its television premiere, yet by January 2001 Tom was already under contract for the role that would eventually shoot him towards stardom.Following an extremely successful first year in the acting business, capped by his lead role on Smallville, Tom decided to take a further step towards achieving long-term success. Eschewing his earlier decision not to take acting lessons, he chose to build on the natural, raw talent which had already served him so well.Shortly after Tom began attending regular classes at the world-renowned Carter Thor Studio in Los Angeles, towards the end of 2001, the steady improvement in Tom's performance became readily apparent. When time permitted, those classes were supplemented with private lessons both on and off set.Unsure of how successful Smallville would ultimately become, Tom wisely chose not to get too settled in Vancouver, Canada, during its first season. Initially he would simply stay at hotels on weekdays, returning to Los Angeles at the weekends and during his time off.A self-professed "homebody," he preferred being at home with Jamie – at that time still his fiancée – and their three dogs, which include a Pug named Cook and a Bernese Mountain Dog.Tom and Jamie were married on Friday, July 5th, 2002, in a private ceremony held on the island of Martha's Vineyard. In attendance alongside other close friends and family members were Tom's Smallville co-stars, Kristin Kreuk and Michael Rosenbaum.At the wedding reception later in the evening, in a touching gesture intended to liven up the party a little, Tom requested that Michael perform a special rendition of the Van Morrison hit, 'Brown-Eyed Girl'. Of course, Michael complied. The couple flew out soon afterwards for a short honeymoon in Paris.The groom was gifted with a bespoke Yves Saint Laurent tuxedo to wear for the occasion, and he has since likened its perfectly tailored fit to "a second skin." Photography was provided by David Steinberg and Amy Vanneman from The Light House, two of the Vineyard's foremost wedding photography and video specialists.Shortly after they were married, with Smallville now a smash-hit, Tom and Jamie finally made the relocation from Los Angeles to Vancouver.All of Tom's hard work finally paid off on Sunday, August 4th, 2002, when he climbed on-stage to receive his first award: a surfboard award naming him as that year's "Choice TV Male Breakout Star" at the annual Teen Choice Awards. Despite numerous nominations for Smallville's cast and crew, Tom was the only one to walk away with an accolade that night.As shooting wrapped on Smallville's second season in mid-April 2003, Tom was readying himself for a hectic summer hiatus. He had reached yet another important milestone in his career earlier in the year, signing on for a role in his first movie.From a small pile of scripts delivered by his agent, one had immediately piqued Tom's interest: Cheaper By The Dozen, a Steve Martin vehicle described as an update of the 1950 movie of the same name. The original version had closely followed the memoirs of the Gilbreth family, on which it was based; however many of its fans were disappointed to learn that the family was to be renamed Baker for the contemporary remake.Ultimately those fans needn't have worried. The movie turned out to be more like a sequel than a remake, bearing only a passing connection to its sentimental namesake. Tom had been cast in the role of Charlie Baker, the eldest son in a family with twelve children.With his first movie completed, Tom's newly-gained experience both in front of and behind the camera was becoming highly evident. Proving that nothing beats on-the-job training, his performance had been raised to another level when Smallville returned to screens' a few months later.At a press conference held for Cheaper By The Dozen in December 2003, Tom was asked what had drawn him to the movie. He replied that having been a fan since childhood, he had accepted the role for three reasons: Steve Martin; Steve Martin; Steve Martin. The script had jumped out at him as soon as he spotted Steve's name on it.Tom and Steve became quite close during the movie's shoot in Santa Rosa, California, with Steve taking Tom under his wing - and, as Tom would later jokingly say, getting him into trouble.The pair would often sneak onto a blocked-off portion of the set to play basketball, and they were caught by security guards on more than one occasion. However Tom, ever the gentleman and possibly trying to avoid his own humiliation, refuses to say who was the more talented player of the two.In anticipation of Cheaper By The Dozen's nationwide release in the United States later that month, the movie's world premiere was held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, December 14th, 2003. The entire cast of the movie was present for the star-studded event.As their proud family members watched on from close by, Tom and Jamie walked arm-in-arm up the red carpet in front of a screaming crowd and the usual barrage of flash bulbs. It wasn't the first premiere Tom had attended, and it wouldn't be the last; however it was notable as the first premiere for a movie Tom appeared in.Following a very successful opening during the Christmas weekend, Cheaper By The Dozen went on to become a box-office hit around the globe. Against tough competition, the movie climbed to number two in the US charts in its first week of release. On its release in the United Kingdom in February 2004, the film shot straight to the number one spot.Though Tom was noticeably absent from the celebrity and promotional scene throughout the first six months of 2004, in the summer rumours persisted about the possibility of him starring in the new Superman movie.This rumour was further substantiated in August, when Tom once again appeared at the Teen Choice Awards. With a beaming smile on his face, he stated that he had recently signed on for "a movie" - but added that he was sworn to secrecy and couldn't divulge any details about it.Yet more rumours and news reports abounded for the next few months, until finally, at the end of October, it was announced that the new Superman movie would be starring a relatively unknown actor named Brandon Routh.In spite of this, rampant speculation and endlessly circulating rumours continued to surround Tom for the remainder of the year; however he wasn't only member of the Welling family to be garnering attention.In the summer it came to light that Mark had also decided to give acting a shot. Taking a calculated risk, he had given up his job as a mechanical engineer in Pontiac, Michigan, and flown out to California. His movie debut came in the starring role of an independant feature entitled Wrestling, which is currently still awaiting release.Wrestling is scheduled to be shown on the festival circuit during the summer and fall of 2005, where it is hoped the movie will catch the eye of a distributor.In February 2005, Tom finally signed on to tackle his first lead movie role. In an updated remake of John Carpenter's 1980 classic horror movie, The Fog, he recreated the character of Nick Castle for a new generation.Yet it was only thanks to an impromptu meeting between Tom and the movie's producer, David Foster, on a flight to Los Angeles, that he had entered contention for the role. Noticing that David was repeatedly staring at her husband, Jamie had engaged him in conversation, and shortly thereafter she introduced him to Tom.The Fog was filmed in and around Vancouver in late spring. During a light-hearted and informal on-set press conference held in the midst of the shoot, Tom spent much of his time either in hysterical laughter, or ducking bashfully away from co-star Selma Blair - particularly when Selma began throwing parts of her anatomy around the room!Surprisingly, that wasn't to be Tom's only hiatus project. A few weeks later Tom flew out to Toronto, Canada, to film Cheaper By The Dozen 2, the sequel to his 2003 hit, Cheaper By The Dozen.Tom returned to the role of Charlie Baker alongside the entire cast of the first movie, with a few new additions thrown in to shake things up. Those additions included Eugene Levy and Carmen Electra, as an unlikely husband and wife whose large family competes against the Bakers' at every turn.Almost simultaneously, Mark began filming on his second movie, the compelling and bittersweet Circling Serita. During the course of the shoot Mark proved himself to be a multi-talented one-man production crew, when necessary acting as the movie's star, co-director, and writer.The fifth season of Smallville debuted to very impressive, record-breaking figures for the WB Network on September 29th. At the end of July, Tom had appeared at an industry press junket to announce a few of the more notable aspects of the upcoming season: those included a guest appearance from James Marsters, an appearance on the show by Aquaman, and early plans for the show's 100th episode celebrations.As if that wasn't enough, Tom seemed especially happy to reveal that he would hopefully be making his directorial debut on one of the season's later episodes.Continuing Tom's good fortune, The Fog was released nationwide in the United States on October 14th, 2005. Showing a disappointing lack of faith from the studio, the film's world premiere was cancelled a few weeks before it was due to take place; likewise, very little fanfare accompanied the release.Nevertheless, The Fog still managed to attain the coveted number one spot on its opening weekend; Tom's debut leading film role had been a success - albeit a limited one.Cheaper By The Dozen 2 fared similarly. Tom was not present for the movie's premiere, which was held at the Mann Village Theatre on December 13th, nor for any of the cast's subsequent media appearances. Following its release on Wednesday, December 21st, the movie ultimately placed fourth on its opening weekend.In January 2006, Smallville celebrated the airing of its 100th episode. Unfortunately Tom was quite ill at the time, however he was soon well enough to begin directing his first episode. In early February, Tom directed the eighteenth episode of Smallville's fifth season, 'Fragile'. The episode received very respectable ratings, and reviews, when it finally aired on April 13th.Mark's movies, Wrestling and Circling Serita, will probably be released some time in 2006.During Tom's rare time off from the filming of Smallville and other projects, he likes to spend time with his friends and family. He passes his spare time by reading, running, skiing on Whistler Mountain in Vancouver, playing basketball, and going to the gym.Both Tom and Jamie are avid horse riders, with Jamie occasionally competing in dressage competitions. Tom, Mark and their father also enjoy playing golf, a sport at which all three are quite proficient.