Often cast as Southern good-ol'-boys or rednecks, Torn can turn his introspection into flamboyance in an instant and has proved ideal for volatile supporting characters in several Tennessee Williams plays, including ORPHEUS DESCENDING (1958), SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH (1959) and THE GLASS MENAGERIE (1975). In SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH, for instance, he brought real menace to the role of "Boss" Finley's vacuous son Tom Jr., a role he recreated in the 1962 film version. (17 years later, in a made-for-TV adaptation, he would also get a crack at Tom Sr.) Torn's film debut was in fact in a feature version of Williams' BABY DOLL (1956) and, several decades later, he also enjoyed himself immensely as Big Daddy in a 1984 made-for-cable version of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. His many Southern, regional or rustic characters have also had their more dour, reflective or gentle sides as well, though; witness Torn's excellent work in such very fine films as BIRCH INTERVAL (1977), HEARTLAND (1979) and CROSS CREEK (1983).
Torn also appeared in a couple of Norman Mailer's cinematic improvisations of the late 1960s, BEYOND THE LAW (1968) and MAIDSTONE (1970) and was perhaps at his most manic playing himself in the ill-fated, rarely seen Jean-Luc Godard/D.A. Pennebaker experiment, ONE A.M. (1971). In that same strange experimental period, though, Torn could also play it relatively straight in Francis Ford Coppola's charmingly way-out handling of the mild comedy-drama, YOU'RE A BIG BOY NOW (1966), as a father at a loss to understand his son. As the years have gone by, he has frequently found his thoughtful, adaptable demeanor suited for historical personages, be they Lyndon Johnson in the TV-movie J. EDGAR HOOVER (1987), Carlo Ponti in another telefilm, SOPHIA LOREN: HER OWN STORY (1980) or enigmatic poet Walt Whitman, both in the CBS movie, SONG OF MYSELF (1976) and later in the offbeat Canadian feature BEAUTIFUL DREAMERS (1990).
TV-movies and miniseries kept Torn very busy in the 80s, and in the 90s he even ventured into series TV on the splendid HBO comedy, "The Larry Sanders Show." As Artie, the chillingly efficient producer of the show-within-the-show, Torn smoothly alternated between edgy obsequiousness and snarling vindictiveness. He won back-to-back Cable ACE awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for this classic portrayal.
Torn began doing occasional directorial work in the theater beginning with The Beard (1968). His one stint at helming a feature, though, was the unfortunate Whoopi Goldberg comedy, THE TELEPHONE (1988), the release of which the actress attempted to prevent.
Subsequent notable credits include DOLLY DEAREST (1992), BEYOND THE LAW, ROBOCOP 3 and WHERE THE RIVERS FLOW NORTH (all 1993), CANADIAN BACON and HOW TO MAKE AN AMERICAN QUILT (both 1995), FOR BETTER OR WORSE and DOWN PERISCOPE (both 1996), MEN IN BLACK (1997), SENSELESS (1998), THE INSIDER (1999), WONDER BOYS (2000), FREDDY GOT FINGERED (2001), MEN IN BLACK II (2002), ROLLING KANSAS and LOVE OBJECT (both 2003), WELCOME TO MOOSEPORT, EULOGY and DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY (all 2004), FORTY SHADES OF BLUE, THE SISTERS and YOURS, MINE AND OURS (all 2005), MARIE ANTOINETTE and ZOOM (both 2006), THREE DAYS TO VEGAS, TURN THE RIVER and BEE MOVIE (voice) (all 2007), and CHATHAM, AUGUST, LUCKY DAYS, AMERICAN COWSLIP and CAT TALE (voice) (all scheduled for 2008 release).
Formerly married to actress Ann Wedgeworth, Torn was married to actress Geraldine Page from 1961 until her death in 1987.
Nominated for Supporting Actor 1983: CROSS CREEK
1 nomination