Doug Savant as
Tom Scavo Born on June 21, 1964 in Burbank, California, Douglas Peter “Doug” Savant came into fame when he portrayed Matt Fielding, one of American television's openly gay characters, in the popular primetime drama, Melrose Place. He held on to the role for 6 seasons, with his character dying offscreen a year later due to a car crash. Savant then went on to find work on other productions, including the big screen monster film, Godzilla and television shows like Profiler, The Outer Limits, Harsh Realm, The District, That's Life, Family Law, The One, JAG, According to Jim, The Guardian, NYPD Blue,
24 ,
NCIS ,
Nip/ Tuck and
CSI .
In 2004, Savant began appearing as Tom Scavo on the popular ABC series, Desperate Housewives. During the first season, Scavo was only considered a recurring character, but because the viewers responded positively to both the character and Savant, the producers decided to make Savant a regular cast member in the following seasons. Academy Award nominee
Felicity Huffman plays Savant's wife on the show, and as to their on screen relationship, Savant said, I really don't want us to have an affair—I love the relationship so much. I keep asking everyone on set to please not give us any domestic strife! I have never felt so connected to any role, and it's because of how incredibly believable the relationship is. I would much rather deal with the everyday problems that most couples in America deal with—how do you keep the romance going when you have a career and kids, that kind of thing—versus the extramarital stuff.”
Prior to making it big on Melrose Place, Savant had not only worked on the films Masquerade (where he acted opposite Rob Lowe), Hanoi Hilton and Red Surf (where he acted opposite George Clooney), but had also been employed as a delivery driver for Dino's Pizza, an establishment owned by his cousin. At present, Savant and his wife, former Melrose Place co-star Laura Leighton, have two children. In addition, Savant has two children from his previous marriage to Dawn Dunkin.