Thomas Harry Cherones, Jr. (/tʃʌˈroʊnɛs/ chə-ROH-ness; born September 11, 1939)[1] is an American director and producer of several TV series. He is best known for his work on Seinfeld, where he directed 81 of the 86 episodes of the first five seasons. For his work directing the series, he won a Directors Guild of America Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award as producer.[2]
Tom Cherones | |
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 Cherones in 2020 | |
| Born | Thomas Harry Cherones, Jr. September 11, 1939 Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S. |
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Early life
editCherones was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where his father, Tom Cherones, Sr. operated a radio and television repair shop.[1] His grandfather was a Greek immigrant. His mother was Hazel Belle Hyche. He has a younger brother, Bill Cherones, who also worked in Hollywood.[1]
Cherones graduated from the University of New Mexico in 1961 with a bachelor's degree in journalism and received a master's degree in telecommunications from the University of Alabama in 1966. From 1961 to 1965, he was a lieutenant in the United States Navy.[3]
Television career
editCherones began working in educational television while a student at the University of Alabama and later produced and directed programs for WQED in Pittsburgh.[3] His first work after moving to Hollywood in 1975 was as a production manager for General Hospital.[3]
I had done a lot of work in various jobs before I got to Seinfeld, and they pretty much all looked the same. As a producer and director, I was in a position to make this one look different. Larry and Jerry asked me early on, “Can we do this? Can we do that?” I said, “We can do anything. You write it and I’ll shoot."
Tom Cherones, interview with The Hollywood Reporter.[4]
Cherones began as a television director on My Sister Sam in the 1980s. In the 1990s, he directed and produced Seinfeld (81 episodes) and NewsRadio (56 episodes). His work on Seinfeld won him praise as well as an Emmy, a DGA Award and a Golden Globe Award. Cherones also worked on Welcome Back Kotter, Caroline in the City, Annie McGuire, and Ellen.
Several of Cherones's Seinfeld episodes are considered highlights of the series, including "The Chinese Restaurant," "The Parking Garage," and "The Contest," with the latter featured in rankings of the greatest television episodes of all time.[5] Within Seinfeld, he appears in a cameo as the fictional director in "The Pilot." Cherones left Seinfeld after season five at Jerry Seinfeld's request: "He was tired of the same thing, I guess. We changed writers almost every season, and finally he just wanted somebody else, another presence, to try to keep it fresh," Cherones said.[6]
In 2003, Cherones was inducted into the Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame.[7] He was also inducted into the University of Alabama College of Communication and Information Sciences Hall of Fame in 2001.
Later life
editFrom 2002 to 2014, Cherones taught a film production course at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where he had earned a master's degree in 1976. In 2012, Cherones published his first novel, The Hardly Boys, a parody of the old Hardy Boys books.[8][9]
Personal life
editCherones has two children, Susan and Scott, from his first marriage. He moved to Hollywood in 1975 with his second wife, Joyce Keener, who died in 2006.[10]
Cherones is married to photographer Carol E. Richards. They divide their time between Florence, Oregon, and Taos, New Mexico.
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | My Sister Sam | Director | 1 episode |
| Supervising Producer | 4 episodes | ||
| 1988 | Annie McGuire | Director | 1 episode |
| Supervising Producer | 7 episodes | ||
| Just in Time | Director | 1 episode | |
| Supervising Producer | 5 episodes | ||
| Philby | Producer | TV Movie | |
| The Silence at Bethany | Producer | ||
| 1990–1994 | Seinfeld | Director | 80 episodes |
| Supervising Producer/Producer | 82 episodes | ||
| 1994–1995 | Ellen | Director | 23 episodes |
| 1995 | Pins and Needles | Director | TV Movie |
| 1995–1996 | Caroline in the City | Director | 9 episodes |
| 1996 | Men Behaving Badly | Director | 1 episode |
| The Faculty | Director | 3 episodes | |
| Boston Common | Director | 1 episode | |
| 1996–1999 | NewsRadio | Director | 57 episodes |
| 1999 | Oh, Grow Up | Director | 4 episodes |
| Ladies Man | Director | 1 episode | |
| Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Director | 1 episode | |
| 2003 | The Pitts | Director | 1 episode |
| 2006 | Desperate Housewives | Director | 1 episode |
| 2009 | Reaper | Director | 1 episode |
References
edit- ^ a b c Harrington, Amy (June 6, 2011). Tom Cherones Interview Part 1 of 2. Archive of American Television. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ Mayberry, Carly (December 29, 2014). "Prolific 'Seinfeld' director calls Florence home". Coos Bay World. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Four Distinguished Communication Leaders to be Inducted into C&IS Hall of Fame at UA". The University of Alabama. October 1, 2001. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
- ^ "'Seinfeld' Director on Cancellation Fears, Crazy Hours and Classic Episodes". The Hollywood Reporter. June 24, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time" TV Guide; June 15, 2009; Pages 34–49
- ^ Harrington, Amy (June 6, 2011). Tom Cherones Interview Part 2 of 2. Archive of American Television. Event occurs at 30:44. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ "The Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame". Theatretusc.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
- ^ "Port Hole Publications". Port Hole Publications. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
- ^ "HOME". The Hardly Boys. Archived from the original on June 25, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
- ^ "Obituary: Joyce Keener". LancasterOnline. March 23, 2006. Retrieved June 13, 2018.