Born in the back seat of a car on a snowy night in Eastern Wyoming to his strong willed mother and a Texas born cowboy. He spent his first seven years on the family’s 14,000-acre ranch, where he was the youngest of a close knit group of cousins and siblings. Those first years are what shaped him into who he was to become. He learned at an early year the value of family, hard work and the love of the land and nature. His mother, Margaret Mary West, raised him to challenge himself and be strong in the face of difficulty. Although being raised on his remote surrounding he was brought up with a great appreciation for art and culture. His grandmother loved to read and instilled that love into all her grandchildren. He would spend hours looking at books of paintings and photographs, imagining himself as the characters he saw in the exotic parts of the world.
At the age of seven his family moved to New Mexico where they once before had their ranch. His father, Byron Brown, continued to teach him to be a cowboy while his mother taught him to be an artist. He took dance classes from his aunt, where he enjoyed being the only boy on a stage of girls. He studied classical dance for many years and learned the value of his studies as he grew as an actor. When his father died of cancer four days after his ninth birthday, he turned inward and became angry about the loss. It was a difficult time for him and the family. He held on to his fathers cowboy culture and was happy at the idea of moving to Montana to be on another big ranch. Before they were able to sell their small horse ranch a film crew came to New Mexico to film Silverado. His mother took young Tom to a open casting call, where he got his big first break. His family decided to move to California, so he could pursue an acting career.
He continues to live between New Mexico, Montana and California. He and his wife raise their children with the same values they were brought up with.
