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©2007 Brainerd Dispatch

'Vanished' is gone; Schmid's career goes on.

By JOHN HANSEN
Entertainment Editor

December 21, 2006

When Fox's "Vanished" vanished from the airwaves after nine episodes this fall, loyal viewers weren't the only ones who were disappointed. So was 1981 Brainerd High School graduate Tom Schmid, who had a recurring role as an evil conspirator on the serial drama.

"This year, all the serials' ratings have dropped," Schmid, the son of Chuck and Linda Schmid of Brainerd, said in a recent phone interview from his home in Toluca Lake, Calif. "What they got was lower than what they expected. The ratings were higher than some other Fox shows that are still on the air, but it's more expensive. They were also running into a lot of overtime in the first handful of episodes and they really tightened the ship."

Schmid can't help but wonder if "Vanished" might have been his big splash if it hadn't been canceled.

"It may have been three more episodes and I go out in blaze of glory," he said. "Or it might've been a breakthrough."

Tom Schmid had guest roles on "Vanished" and "Criminal Minds" this year.

Schmid didn't become a household name in 2006, but he at least achieved "Haven't-I-seen-that-guy-before?" status. In an episode of the hit CBS procedural "Criminal Minds," he played a villain similar to the twisted mastermind of the "Saw" movies.

"I went in (to audition) for the father of one of the victims. I guess the director thought I'd be a better perpetrator," Schmid said with a laugh. "It's more disturbing to have someone who looks like me doing psychotic acts but not act like a psychotic. As an audience member, you're disturbed that it's not someone who looks like Willem Dafoe."

In two episodes of "Vanished," Schmid played a member of vast conspiracy that engineered the kidnapping of Sara Collins, a senator's wife. Although the investigation of the sinister group was cut short, the kidnapping arc was wrapped up in episodes 10-13, available to PC users on Fox's Web site. (At www.tomschmid.com, you can see a clip of Schmid electro-shocking Sara in one of those episodes.)

Again, Schmid played this villain like an average Joe. After all, the character - who demonstrates piloting skills along with his propensity for torture - wouldn't see himself as evil.

"I'd describe him as a worker bee, probably a brother for the conspiracy," Schmid said. "He probably gets a phone call on an unlisted cell phone, and whatever he's doing for work, he takes the day off. I asked for a wedding ring and you can see it in (my) first episode. It's more disturbing if he's a normal guy. He goes home and plays catch in the backyard with Junior."

While serials like "Vanished" are struggling, telenovelas - primetime soaps that wrap their story in a matter of weeks - seem to be hot. This spring, Schmid will play a doctor in nine episodes of MyNetworkTV's latest entry, tentatively titled "The Heiress." He called former Brainerd resident Jim Baltzell, now a radiologist at the University of Minnesota, for advice.

"I treat four patients but lose two," Schmid said with a laugh. "It's not a medical show, so there were no medical technicians on set. I was shocking someone back to life, so it was helpful to know what to do, where to place my hands."

Schmid will take a break from shocking people to come home for the holidays and recharge for 2007. He should feel content about what's on his plate.

In addition to the telenovela, look for the actor in: