Age: 60
Birthplace: Burbank, California, U.S.
Douglas Peter "Doug" Savant (born June 21, 1964) is an American actor. He played Matt Fielding in Melrose Place (1992-97) and Tom Scavo in the ABC's Desperate Housewives (2004-12).
Savant first gained notice for playing a younger version of Mac McKenzie (played by Kojak alumnus Kevin Dobson) on the CBS night time soap opera Knots Landing. He was paired with future Desperate Housewives co-star Nicollette Sheridan, who played a younger version of the Anne Matheson character portrayed by Michelle Phillips.
In the 1980s, he appeared in such films as Masquerade starring Rob Lowe, Teen Wolf with Michael J. Fox, and Trick or Treat with Marc Price and Ozzy Osbourne. Additionally, he was the central character in an episode of The Outer Limits called "The Hunt." In the episode, he played an android that is being hunted for sport.
From 1992 to 1997, Savant starred as Matt Fielding on Melrose Place, a role that was notable for being one of the first mainstream openly gay characters on television. However, his role was censored greatly by the network - notably a kiss between Matt and guest star Ty Miller during the season two finale was edited out at the last minute by FOX. Savant left the series after five seasons and, a year later, his character was killed off-screen in a car crash.
After this, Savant guest starred on series such as Profiler, Harsh Realm, Firefly, JAG, NCIS, Nip/Tuck, NYPD Blue, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and a four-episode arc on 24. He also appeared as Sgt. O'Neal in the 1998 movie Godzilla.
In 2008, Savant starred in the television movie What Color Is Love? He played a lawyer named Peter Marcheson helping a girl, Nicole Alpern (Jennifer Finagan), win back her son in a custody battle.
Savant played Tom Scavo on ABC's Desperate Housewives from 2004 to 2012. In the first season (2004-05), Tom was a recurring character, credited as a guest-star in the episodes where he appeared. Married to Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman), he was out of town regularly on business. Viewer response to Savant and his character led the producers to contract him as a series regular from season two onwards, and Tom and Lynette were portrayed as the most stable couple on the series.
In May 1998, he married his Melrose Place co-star Laura Leighton. They have two children together: Jack (born October 10, 2000) and Lucy (born June 9, 2005). Savant also has two children from a previous marriage whom Leighton helped raise, Arianna (born January 17, 1992) and Madeline (born July 20, 1993).
Film appearances | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1984 | Swing Shift | Actor | |
1985 | Secret Admirer | Boy | |
1985 | Teen Wolf | Brad | |
1986 | Trick or Treat | Tim Hainey | |
1987 | The Hanoi Hilton | Ashby | |
1988 | Masquerade | Mike McGill | |
1989 | Paint It Black | Eric Hinsley | |
1990 | Red Surf | Attila | |
1990 | Shaking the Tree | Michael | |
1993 | Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence | Dr. Peter Myerson | |
1998 | Godzilla | Sgt. O'Neal | |
2000 | Dropping Out | Doctor | |
2001 | The One | Cop | Uncredited |
2006 | All You've Got | Sam McDonald | |
2014 | April Rain | Special Agent Singleton |
Television appearances | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1985 | Cagney and Lacey | Dwayne Patterson | Episode: Violation |
1986 | Hotel | Elliot Jessup | Episode: Scapegoat |
1986 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Joey Medwick | Episode: Road Hog |
1986-87 | Knots Landing | Young Mack Mackenzie | 7 episodes |
1987 | The Facts of Life | Dwayne | Episode: A Winter's Tale |
1987 | Stingray | Cdt. Thomas O'Conner | Episode: Night Maneuvers |
1988 | In the Heat of the Night | Scott LaPierre | 2 episodes |
1990 | China Beach | Richard | Episode: The Thanks of a Grateful Nation |
1990 | The Knife and Gun Club | Dr. Barrow | TV Movie |
1990 | Jake and the Fatman | John Bronski | Episode: God Bless the Child |
1991 | Aftermath: A Test of Love | Jeff | TV Movie |
1992 | Columbo | Detective Dennis Mulrooney | Episode: No Time to Die |
1992 | Bonnie & Clyde: The True Story | Deputy Sheriff Ted Hinton | TV Movie |
1992-98 | Melrose Place | Matt Fielding | Series Regular 162 episodes |
1995 | Burke's Law | Actor | Episode: Who Killed the World's Greatest Chef? |
1995 | Fight for Justice: The Nancy Conn Story | Richard Mark Ellard | TV Movie |
1996 | Terminal | Dr. Sean O'Grady | TV Movie |
1998 | Love Boat: The Next Wave | Josh Walters | Episode: Smooth Sailing |
1998 | The Outer Limits | Kel | Episode: The Hunt |
1999 | Profiler | Toby Watson | Episode: Inheritance |
1999 | A Face to Kill For | Virgil | TV Movie |
1999 | First Daughter | Grant Coleman | TV Movie |
2000 | Harsh Realm | Sergeant Sommers | Episode: Kein Ausgang |
2000 | First Target | Grant Coleman | TV Movie |
2001 | That's Life | J.T.'s Cousin | Episode: Or What's a Heaven For? |
2001 | The District | Jeffrey Riverton | Episode: To Serve and Protect |
2001 | Family Law | Harold Raines | Episode: Sacrifices |
2002 | Firefly | Commander Harken | Episode: Bushwhacked |
2002 | JAG | Navy Seals Commander | Episode: Dangerous Game |
2002 | First Shot | Grant Coleman | TV Movie |
2002 | According to Jim | Rick | Episode: The Bachelor |
2004 | 24 | Craig Phillips | 4 episodes |
2004 | The Guardian | Eric Kane | Episode: Legacy |
2004 | Faultline | Prof. Anthony McAllister | TV Movie |
2004 | NYPD Blue | Jason Foster | Episode: "Chatty Chatty Bang Bang" |
2004 | NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service | Father Larry Clannon | Episode: "A Weak Link" |
2004 | Nip/Tuck | Joel Gideon | Episode: Joel Gideon |
2004 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Paul Brady | Episode: "Swap Meet" |
2004-12 | Desperate Housewives | Tom Scavo | Series Regular 176 Episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, 2006 Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, 2007 Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, 2008 Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, 2009 |
2008 | What Color is Love? | Peter Marcheson | TV Movie |
2012 | Hot in Cleveland | Scott | Episode: "Two Girls and a Rhino" |
2013 | Vegas | Mr. Binder | Episode: "Road Trip" |
2013 | Rizzoli & Isles | Judge Roger Thorson | Episode: "Judge, Jury & Executioner" |
2013 | Drop Dead Diva | Jacob Joardi | Episode: "Jane's Secret Revealed" |
2013 | Criminal Minds | Malcolm Taffert | Episode: "The Caller" |
2014 | Hawaii Five-0 | Robert Young | Episode: "Wawahi moeʻuhane"- Broken Dreams |
2015 | Scorpion | Wilson Adler | Episode: "Tech, Drugs, and Rock 'n Roll" |
2016 | The X-Files | Augustus Goldman | Episode: "Founder's Mutation" |