After three years as a full-time cast member playing a teenaged hunk on The Young and the Restless, and at the height of his career, in 1989, Thom Bierdz dropped out of acting when his mother was murdered by his younger brother, Troy. After years of psychotherapy and learning to come to terms with the tragedy, Thom wrote a mesmerizing book about the experience, "Forgiving Troy". Thom also discovered his gift for painting during that time, and became a prolific artist with a wide range of subjects from landscapes to abstracts, often taking commissions to paint portraits of loved-ones or pets.
In 2009, the powers that be at The Young and the Restless cared enough about Thom to bring his character, Phillip Chancellor III, back from the dead. With art imitating life, it was explained that Phillip faked his death to hide the fact that he was gay; just as the actor had been ‘in the closet' himself during that time. Thom, as Phillip, continues to be a recurring character on The Young and the Restless. He also plays the recurring character of Bobby Burton on the serialized web series, Old Dogs & New Tricks.
In addition, Thom currently does "live painting" interactive exhibitions for charities, fund-raisers, and private events where the finished art is auctioned off to benefit the event.
After several years of living in a studio in Hollywood, toward the end of 2011, Thom packed up his hundreds of canvases and moved to Lake Arrowhead, CA, where he enjoys the solitude and finds inspiration with his dog, Deen. Thom actively keeps in touch with his fans with two Facebook pages.
Keep up with Thom on Facebook, and at www.thombierdz.com.
PLACE OF BIRTH: Kenosha, Wisconsin
DATE OF BIRTH: March 25, 1962
MARITAL STATUS: Single
CHILDREN: None
