Tom Drake

Who was Tom Drake?

Tom Drake, born Alfred Sinclair Alderdice in Brooklyn, New York, was an American actor. Drake made films starting in 1940 and continuing until the mid-1970s, and also made TV acting appearances.

He was excused from serving in World War II due to heart problems. Despite this limitation, he did act in British naval training films. He got his break after starring in the 1942 Broadway smash Janie, after which he was signed to a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

After a number of films, Drake co-starred with Judy Garland in Meet Me in St. Louis as John Truett, the boy next door. He appeared in more than forty films in all, including Mrs. Parkington, The Green Years, as composer Richard Rodgers in the biography Words and Music, and, in a role at the opposite end of the character spectrum from John Truett, as the leader of a gang of criminals in Warlock. He also had a minor role in the movie The Singing Nun, playing Ed Sullivan's producer Mr. Fitzpatrick.

From 1950 thereafter, Drake had roles in numerous television series, such as NBC's Cimarron City, ABC's Land of the Giants and CBS's Perry Mason.

Drake died of lung cancer in 1982.