Thomas Mikal Ford portrayed interesting characters

Thomas Mikal Ford's face graced both television and movie screens during the late 1980s and the 1990s. He was born on September 5, 1964, and passed away on October 12, 2016 at the age of 52. The cause of death was said to be a stomach aneurysm and his many fans were left in shock. Ford was a comedian as well as an actor and he left his audience in stitches. His most famous role was portraying Thomas "Tommy" Strawn on the sitcom MARTIN which aired on FOX from 1992 until 1997. He received an NAACP Image Awards nomination in 1996 for his role as Tommy in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

On MARTIN Tommy Strawn was usually, 9but not always) the straight man to the antics of Martin, (Martin Lawrence) and Cole, (Carl Antony Payne II). Ford's fans may also fondly recall some of his other roles. He portrayed Lt, Malcolm Barker, on NEW YORK UNDERCOVER which ran on FOX from 1994-1999 and also played Mel Parker from 1999-2001 on the UPN series THE PARKERS. In 1993, Thomas Mikal Ford produced and directed the play SOUTH OF WHERE WE LIVE. It told the story of six African-American professionals who return to the neighborhoods where they were raised and learn about the social issues that currently are taking place.

The actor also portrayed "Mink" in the Kid 'n Play movie CLASS ACT. In Harlem Nights, he played Tommy Smalls and was in the 1997 crime drama AGAINST THE LAW. Ford said that he wanted to be a preacher early on but decided on acting instead. He attended Long Beach City College and earned an Associate of Arts degree in 1985 He transferred to the University of Southern California, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in acting.

Ford had another role that left an impression on his fans that was on March 9. 1989 on the NBC sitcom A DIFFERENT WORLD. This was actually the actor's first television role and based on viewer response "he nailed it."In the season 2 episode "The thing about women" Jaleesa Vincent, (Dawn Lewis) is visited by her ex-husband Lamar Collins who is portrayed by Ford. He shows up at her dorm and first runs into her friends Whitley, (Jasmine Guy), Kim (Charnelle Brown) and Freddie, (Cree Summer).

The women are smitten by the smooth talking Lamar whom Whitley refers to as a 'silver tongue devil" which turns out to be an accurate description. He kisses their hands and says all the right words and when Jaleesa walks down the dorm steps he appears to be blown away by her. Walter Oakes, (Sinbad) is the man that Jaleesa is currently dating and he shows up as comic relief to mock his rival. He even mimick's Lamar referring to Jaleesa as "baby girl,"

In this one episode of A DIFFERENT WORLD, Tommy Strawn plays to perfection the man who is a sneak, a snake, and a con artist. The way he moves, the tone of his voice, and his addressing Jeleesa as "baby girl" indicates that he is not a man to be trusted. Lamar attempts to come off as suave and debonair but raises red flags among viewers. in season one Jaleesa admitted that her ex-husband had cheated on her and had a child with another woman. When Tommy Strawn gives a face to Lamar all that is mentioned is that Jaleesa came home one night to find her spouse in bed with a woman named Sondra.

During their dinner date, Lamar admits that he is still living with Sondra because he needs a place to stay. At that point, Ms. Vincent says she is completely over him and walks out of the restaurant. This performance launched Strawn's career and he was not alone in that respect. There were other actors who later became famous who were also in a single episode of A DIFFERENT WORLD. These include Tommy Davidson, Halley Berry, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Michael Delorenzo, Marisa Tome, Tisha Campbell and many more. Delorenzo and Ford worked togeter on NEW YORK UNDERCOVER and Campbell was his co-star on MARTIN,