Tom Verica
Born in Philadelphia, Tom Verica had early experience in front of the camera: as a teenager, he accompanied his sister on an audition for a local dance show and both of them landed spots. After high school, he briefly attended college at East Stroudsburg State College in Pennsylvania, before moving to New York City to pursue a stage career. In 1991, while starring in the Broadway hit "Prelude to a Kiss," Verica was cast in a recurring role on the legal drama "L.A. Law" (NBC, 1986-1994). He played Bill Castroverde, a character created to help fill the void left when stars Harry Hamlin and Jimmy Smits departed the series. His first role as a series regular role came in the short-lived soap "Central Park West" (CBS, 1995-96), which was followed by the Tea Leoni comedy "The Naked Truth" (ABC, 1995-96; NBC, 1996-98). Verica next played astronaut Dick Gordon in the acclaimed HBO mini-series "From the Earth to the Moon" (HBO, 1998). He had a recurring role on the drama "Providence" (NBC, 1999-2002), before co-starring in the 1960s period drama "American Dreams" (NBC, 2002-05). Verica played family patriarch Jack Pryor, a conservative World War II vet coping with social changes in the world. He also made his TV directorial debut on "American Dreams," and for nearly a decade that became his primary craft. Verica directed over twenty episodes of TV shows, from "Ugly Betty" (ABC, 2006-2010) to "Scandal" (ABC, 2012-). In 2014, Verica's acting again took center stage, when he premiered as Sam Keating, husband of Annalise Keating (Viola Davis), in the Shonda Rhimes-produced hit "How To Get Away With Murder" (ABC, 2014-).