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Thomas Robert "Tom" Laughlin (August 10, 1931 – December 12, 2013) was an American B-movie actor and director, screenwriter, author, educator and political activist. Laughlin was best known for his series of ''Billy Jack'' films. He was married to actress Delores Taylor from 1954 until his death. Taylor also co-produced and acted in all four of the ''Billy Jack'' films. His unique promotion of ''The Trial of Billy Jack'' (TV trailers during national news and an "opening day" nationwide release) was a major influence on the way films are marketed. In the early 1960s, Laughlin put his film career on hiatus to start a Montessori preschool in Santa Monica, California; it became the largest school of its kind in the United States. In his later years, he sought the office of President of the United States in 1992, 2004, and 2008. He also was involved in psychology and domestic abuse counseling, writing several books on Jungian psychology and developing theories on the causes of cancer. ==Early life and career (1931–1960)== Laughlin was born in Minneapolis, and grew up in Milwaukee, where he attended Washington High School. While in high school, he was involved in an athletic controversy that made headlines throughout the city. It was caused by Laughlin being forced to attend another school for a brief period, making him ineligible to play football at his former school on his return.〔 〕 Laughlin attended college at the University of Wisconsin, before transferring to Marquette University; he played football at both. He played safety and halfback at Marquette. Laughlin decided to become an actor after seeing a production of ''A Streetcar Named Desire''. According to a 1956 newspaper interview, he became involved in the drama program at Marquette after being encouraged by a university professor, Father John J. Walsh. While a student he also formed a stock group and directed and starred in a production of Arthur Miller's ''All My Sons''. He finally transferred to the University of South Dakota, where he majored in radio acting, directing and producing.〔 He met his future wife Delores Taylor in South Dakota. Laughlin wrote the original screenplay for the film ''Billy Jack'' in 1954, after witnessing the treatment of Native Americans in his wife's hometown, Winner, South Dakota.〔Casuso, Jorge ''The Legend of Billy Jack'', Billy Jack Enterprises, 1999〕 The two wed on October 15, 1954.〔 He began his on-screen acting career in the 1955 television series ''Climax!''.〔 From there he went on to appear in several feature films including: ''These Wilder Years,'' ''Lafayette Escadrille'', ''Tea and Sympathy''〔 and ''South Pacific''. He appeared in several episodes of various television series throughout the late 1950s. In 1959, he was cast as young Tom Fowler in the episode "The Fight Back" of the NBC western series, ''Riverboat''. In the story line, Fowler has made himself the boss of Hampton, a corrupt river town near Vicksburg, Mississippi. He blocks farmers from shipping their crops to market. In a dispute over a wedding held on the river vessel, the ''Enterprise'', a lynch mob led by Fowler comes after Captain Grey Holden (series star Darren McGavin). Also appearing in this episode are John Ireland as Chris Slade and Karl Swenson as Ansel Torgin.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title="The Fight Back", ''Riverboat'', October 18, 1959 )〕 In 1959, Laughlin appeared in the film ''Gidget'' as "Lover Boy". However, he failed to make any money in the early years, having told ''People'' magazine in 1975, "We were living on $5 a week and eating Spam. I stole Christmas cards from a church so I could write home saying how well we were, but then I couldn't afford the stamps." Laughlin's first starring role was in Robert Altman's 1957 film ''The Delinquents'', in which he played Scotty White, a teenager who gets mixed up with a gang when he is told he can no longer see his girlfriend.〔 Despite the film's low budget, it became a cult film, with Alfred Hitchcock among its fans. However, Laughlin and Altman did not get along well, having sharply differing views on acting; Altman later describing Laughlin as "an unbelievable pain in the ass."〔 Laughlin made his directorial debut later that year with ''The Proper Time'', though the film wasn't released until 1960. The film was a romantic drama set on the campus of University of California, Los Angeles. Laughlin shot the film on the campus in six days working with a $20,000 budget. Laughlin wrote, directed, and starred in ''The Young Sinner.'' Originally filmed in 1960, and shot in Milwaukee over a period of 14 days, it is the story of a star high school athlete who falls deeper and deeper into trouble after being caught in bed with his girlfriend. The film was intended to be the first of a trilogy entitled ''We Are All Christ''. It premiered in 1963 under the original title ''Among the Thorns'', which was changed to ''The Young Sinner'' upon its 1965 re-release. In 1960, Laughlin planned to make a film, ''Poison in Our Land'', based on the true story of a Texas couple affected by atomic radiation, but the project was never realized. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tom Laughlin」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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