Tom Troupe, who appeared in ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Cheers,’ dies at 97

Tom Troupe, a familiar name to American theatre, TV, and movie fans, died at the age of 97.

He passed away at his Beverly Hills residence, surrounded by family members. His publicist Harlan Boll confirmed the news, which was later reported by numerous top media outlets.

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Troupe’s death was due to natural causes. With a career that lasted more than 60 years, he touched audiences through both live performances and on-screen roles.

Many will remember him from his parts in some of the most iconic TV shows of all time, including ‘Star Trek’, ‘Mission: Impossible’, ‘Frasier’, and ‘Cheers’. His appearances made him a familiar face to television fans across multiple generations.

Born July 15, 1928, in Kansas City, Missouri, Tom Troupe began acting early in life. He acted in regional theater before relocating to New York City in the 1940s to take his dream more earnestly. There, he studied with acting coach legend Uta Hagen at the Herbert Berghof Studio.

Apart from his career in acting, Troupe had also worked in the Korean War. His acts of courage were rewarded with the Bronze Star, a major military award in America.

His breakthrough came in 1957 when he appeared on Broadway for the first time in ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’. A year later, in 1958, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue work in television and film. Throughout his lifetime, Troupe appeared in over 75 television series, among which were hits such as ‘The Wild Wild West’, ‘CHiPs’, ‘Cagney & Lacey’, ‘ER’, ‘Knots Landing’, and ‘Murder, She Wrote’.

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At the box office, he acted in a number of films like ‘Kelly’s Heroes’, ‘The Devil’s Brigade’, ‘Summer School’, and ‘My Own Private Idaho’, which he shared with River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves.

Troupe’s skills did not stay only with the silver screen and television. He was closely affiliated with the world of theatre and frequently performed in plays on the stage with his wife, Carole Cook. The pair spent almost six decades together before Carole’s death in 2023. Audiences adored their on-stage rapport, particularly in productions such as ‘The Lion in Winter’, ‘Father’s Day’, and ‘The Gin Game’.

In 2002, the pair achieved history by becoming the first married couple to be awarded the Theatre Ovation Award for Career Achievement.

Troupe also traveled around the nation with actress Barbara Rush in the play ‘Same Time, Next Year’. Also, he appeared in ‘The Diary of a Madman’, which was a play that he wrote.