Thomas Carroll Neal Jr. (January 28, 1914 – August 7, 1972) was an American actor and amateur boxer. Between 1932 and 1934, he was an amateur boxer who fought in many fights. As an actor, he was best known for his starring role in the critically lauded film Detour and for having a widely publicized affair with actress Barbara Payton. In 1965, his wife was found shot dead, and he was later convicted and imprisoned for involuntary manslaughter. After release, he died in 1972 of heart failure.
Early years Born in Evanston, Illinois, Neal was one of three children born to banker Thomas, Sr. and Mayme Neal (née Martin). He had two older sisters, Mary Elizabeth and Dorothy Helen. His great uncle was John Drew, the noted thespian. Neal and his sisters were raised in a spacious ten-room home in Chicago. He attended Lake Forest Academy and Evanston Township High School before enrolling at Northwestern University where he majored in mathematics.O'Dowd 2007 p. 148 During college, Neal played several sports and, for a time, competed in amateur boxing matches. He was also a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity and was active in the drama club.
Career Neal dropped out of Northwestern after a year, and moved back to Chicago. He appeared in various stage productions in summer stock before making his way to New York City in 1933. Neal made his Broadway debut in 1935. In 1938, he first appeared in film in Out West with the Hardys, part of the Mickey Rooney "Hardy family" movie series.
Neal appeared in many low budget B-movies in the 1940s/1950s. In 1941 he starred with Frances Gifford in the Republic Pictures 15-episode serial Jungle Girl. Perhaps his most memorable role was that of Al Roberts in the classic film noir Detour alongside Ann Savage. They went on to make five movies together.
Personal life Neal was married three times and had one child. His first marriage was to actress and singer Vicky Lane whom he married in 1948. Lane divorced Neal in 1949, citing "mental and physical cruelty".
In 1935, at the age of 21, Neal made headlines for announcing his engagement to marry 32-year-old Inez Norton, the ex-Follies girl and former girlfriend of slain gangster Arnold Rothstein. According to newspaper accounts, the engagement was broken off after the intervention of Neal's father.
In the early 1950s, Neal met actress Barbara Payton at a party. The two began dating, but Payton ended the relationship after meeting and becoming engaged to actor Franchot Tone. Despite her engagement, Payton began seeing Neal again. On September 14, 1951, Neal, Payton, and Tone made headlines after Neal got into a physical altercation with Tone over Payton in her front yard. Neal beat Tone severely while Payton reportedly watched the fight. Tone suffered severe injuries, including a smashed cheekbone, a broken nose, and a brain concussion, for which he was hospitalized. After he recovered, Tone and Payton married on September 28, 1951. Payton left Tone after 53 days and returned to Neal. Tone filed for divorce in March 1952, citing Payton for adultery. Neal and Payton announced their engagement in May 1953, but eventually ended their relationship later that year.O'Dowd 2007 pp. 243, 248
Shortly after their breakup, Neal married Patricia Fenton. His only child, Patrick Thomas Neal, was born in 1957. Fenton died the following year from cancer. In 1992, Patrick Neal (who goes by the name Tom Neal, Jr.) appeared in one film, playing the role of Al Roberts in a 1992 independent remake of Detour.O'Dowd 2007 p. 156
Later years and death After his much publicized fight with Franchot Tone, Neal was blacklisted in Hollywood, as was Payton. He acted sporadically but became more known for his tumultuous on-and-off relationship with Payton. Neal and Payton attempted to capitalize on the interest in their relationship by starring together in the low-budget Western The Great Jesse James Raid in 1953. The film did reasonably well but did nothing to revitalize the couple's careers.O'Dowd 2007 p. 242 In June 1953, Neal and Payton accepted an offer to star in the touring production of The Postman Always Rings Twice. Their performances were largely panned and the tour ended in September 1953. Neal and Payton broke up for the final time in November 1953.
With his acting career over, Neal moved to Palm Springs, California, and became a gardener. He later started his own landscaping business. In 1961, Neal married receptionist Gail Bennett in Las Vegas. On April 2, 1965, police were summoned to the couple's Palm Springs home by Neal's attorney. They discovered Bennett's body on the couch, partially covered by a blanket, with a gunshot wound in the back of her head. It was later determined that Bennett had been shot with a .45 caliber gun on April 1. Neal, who was not at the home when police arrived, became an immediate suspect. He surrendered to police on April 3 and was indicted on one charge of murder on April 10.
At his trial, Neal admitted that he and Bennett were separated at the time of her death but said that her death was accidental. He testified that on April 1, he had returned to the couple's Palm Springs home from Chicago, where he had been living, to see if a reconciliation was possible. Neal said the two began fighting after he accused Bennett of sleeping with other men. He claimed that Bennett pulled out a gun and held it to his head, and the two began to struggle. During the ensuing struggle, Neal said that the gun accidentally discharged, killing Bennett. Although prosecutors sought the death penalty, a jury convicted Neal of involuntary manslaughter on November 18, 1965. On December 10, he was sentenced to one-to-fifteen years in prison, of which he served six. On December 6, 1971, he was released on parole. After his release, Neal went back to working as a landscaper and gardener.
On August 7, 1972, Neal was found dead in his bed by his son at his home in North Hollywood, California. His death was later attributed to heart failure.
Amateur boxing record + Amateur boxing recordTome Neal at Bosing-Scoop.comResultRecordOpponentMethodDateRoundTimeEventLocationNotes style="text-align:center;" Loss31-3-0 J.H. IsbellKOMarch 31, 19342Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Loss31-2-0 "Modest" Bill SmithKOFebruary 27, 19342Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win31-1-0Frankie HagenKOFebruary 24, 19341Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win30-1-0Harry GardnerKOFebruary 21, 19341Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win29-1-0Sid StonemanKOFebruary 14, 19341Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win28-1-0Frankie HaganPTSJanuary 30, 19343Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win27-1-0Basil BarnettKOJanuary 24, 19342Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win26-1-0George KrauseKOJanuary 16, 19341Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win25-1-0Bob DelmontKOJanuary 7, 19341Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Loss24-1-0Brad SimmonsKOJanuary 1, 19341Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win24-0-0Herman ZeinmanKO19331Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win23-0-0William BeltranKO19331Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win22-0-0Lloyd BlakeKO19331Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win21-0-0Lawrence "Larry" O'NeilKO19331Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win20-0-0Igg RosenbergKO19331Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win19-0-0Melvin KenyonKO19331Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win18-0-0Gary KeersKO19331Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win17-0-0Samuel RodgwayKOMay 28, 19331Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Exch16-0-0"Irish" Tommy MitchellKOMay 21, 19331Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win15-0-0Jim CrawfordKOMay 14, 19331Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win14-0-0Max LevineKOMay 7, 19331Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win13-0-0Leo HartKOMay 1, 19331Cambridge, Massachusetts style="text-align:center;" Win12-0-0Paul BenjaminPTS19323Evanston, Illinois style="text-align:center;" Win11-0-0Fred ChapmanKO19323Evanston, Illinois style="text-align:center;" Win10-0-0Paul BenjaminKO19323Evanston, Illinois style="text-align:center;" Win9-0-0Rod ConleyKO19322Evanston, Illinois style="text-align:center;" Win8-0-0Paul GilmoreKO19321Chicago, Illinois style="text-align:center;" Win7-0-0Jack LewisKO19323Chicago, Illinois style="text-align:center;" Exch6-0-0Eddie MitchellKO19321Chicago, Illinois style="text-align:center;" Win5-0-0Ernest BrantKO19321Chicago, Illinois style="text-align:center;" Win4-0-0Karl Brenner-EggersKO19321Chicago, Illinois style="text-align:center;" Win3-0-0Norman MartinPTS19323Chicago, Illinois style="text-align:center;" Win2-0-0Albert LeikmanKO19321Chicago, Illinois style="text-align:center;" Win1-0-0Keith NewmanKO19321Chicago, Illinois
Filmography + Film Year Title Role Notes 1938 Out West with the Hardys Aldrich Brown 1939 Burn 'Em Up O'Connor 'Hank' Hogan 1939 Four Girls in White Dr. Phillips 1939 Honolulu Ambulance Intern Uncredited 1939 Within the Law Richard Gilder 1939 Prophet Without Honor Matthew Fontaine Maury Short, Uncredited 1939 6,000 Enemies Ransom 1939 Stronger Than Desire Reporter Uncredited 1939 They All Come Out Joe Z. Cameron 1939 Another Thin Man Freddie Coleman 1939 Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President Johnny Crusper 1940 The Courageous Dr. Christian Dave Williams 1940 Crime Does Not Pay Frank WatsonEpisode "Jack Pot" in the MGM series 1940 Sky Murder Steve – Pilot 1940 Flight Command Hell Cat Uncredited 1941 Under Age Rocky Stone 1941 Jungle Girl Jack Stanton Serial, Alternative title: Edgar Rice Burrough's Jungle Girl 1941 Top Sergeant Mulligan Don Lewis 1941 The Miracle Kid Jimmy Conley 1941 Ten Gentlemen from West Point Cadet Uncredited 1942 One Thrilling Night Frankie Saxton 1942 The Pride of the Yankees Fraternity Boy Uncredited 1942 Flying Tigers Reardon 1942 Bowery at Midnight Frankie Mills 1943 China Girl Captain Haynes Uncredited 1943 No Time for Love Sandhog Uncredited 1943 Air Force Marine Uncredited 1943 She Has What It Takes Roger Rutledge 1943 Good Luck, Mr. Yates Charlie Edmonds 1943 Behind the Rising Sun Taro Seki 1943 There's Something About a Soldier Wally Williams 1943 Klondike Kate Jefferson Braddock 1944 The Racket Man Matt Benson 1944 Two-Man Submarine Jerry Evans 1944 The Unwritten Code Sgt. Terry Hunter 1944 Thoroughbreds Rusty Curtis 1945 Crime, Inc. Jim Riley Alternative title: Crime Incorporated 1945 First Yank Into Tokyo Major Steve Ross 1945 Detour Al Roberts 1945 Club Havana Bill Porter 1946 Blonde Alibi Rick Lavery 1946 The Brute Man Clifford Scott Alternative title: The Brute 1946 My Dog Shep District Attorney Herrick 1947 The Hat Box Mystery Russ Ashton Short 1947 Cry Wolf Hotel Desk Clerk Uncredited 1947 The Case of the Baby Sitter Russ Ashton Short 1948 Beyond Glory Captain Henry Jason Daniels 1949 Bruce Gentry Bruce Gentry Alternative titles: Daredevil of the SkiesBruce Gentry, Daredevil of the Skies 1949 Amazon Quest Thomas Dekker Jr. 1949 Apache Chief Lieutenant Brown 1949 Red Desert John Williams 1950 Radar Secret Service Mickey Moran 1950 The Daltons' Women Mayor 1950 Joe Palooka in Humphrey Takes a Chance Gordon Rogers 1950 I Shot Billy the Kid Charley Bowdry 1950 Train to Tombstone Dr. Willoughby 1950 The Du Pont Story Alfred V. du Pont 1950 Call of the Klondike Tom Mallory 1950 King of the Bullwhip Benson 1951 Fingerprints Don't Lie Prosecuting Attorney 1951 Navy Bound Joe Morelli 1951 Stop That Cab Lefty 1951 Danger Zone Edgar Spadely (2nd Episode) 1951 G.I. Jane Timothy R. 'Tim' Rawlings 1951 Let's Go Navy! Joe 1951 All That I Have Bert Grayson 1951 The Valparaiso Story 1951 Venture of Faith 1953 The Great Jesse James Raid Arch Clements 1958 The Last Hurrah Tom – Mourner at Wake Uncredited