Tom Verica (born May 13, 1964) is an American actor, director, and producer, best known for his role as Sam Keating in the ABC drama How to Get Away with Murder (2014-2020). He also played Jack Pryor in the NBC critically acclaimed drama American Dreams from 2002-2004. As a director, he is known for Shonda Rhimes' dramas. He currently is an executive producer and director of the Netflix drama Bridgerton. From 2012 to 2018, Verica served as executive producer and director of ABC Scandal.
Verica was born on May 13, 1964, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to real estate agent parents. He is of Italian descent on his father's side and German descent on his mother's side.[1] [2] His first television role was on the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children in 1987. He later had a recurring role in L.A. Law, and guest-starred on Home Improvement, Picket Fences, and NYPD Blue. In film, he appeared in Die Hard 2, Fathers' Day, Red Dragon, and Zodiac.
Verica was a regular cast member of the CBS primetime soap opera Central Park West from 1995 to 1996. He played astronaut Dick Gordon in the HBO miniseries From The Earth To The Moon (1998), appeared in The Naked Truth and Providence, and from 2002 to 2005 starred opposite Gail O'Grady in the NBC family drama, American Dreams.[3] After the series was canceled, Verica guest-starred on , House, Boston Legal, Grey's Anatomy, and The Closer, and had recurring roles in The 4400 and The Nine.
In the early 2000s, Verica began his career as a television director. He directed the episodes of over 20 television shows, such as American Dreams, Boston Legal, Dirty Sexy Money, Ugly Betty, Army Wives, The Mentalist, and Body of Proof. He was a recurring director of Shonda Rhimes' dramas Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and Scandal.[4] In Scandal he has served as co-executive producer since 2012. In 2014, he was cast opposite Viola Davis in the ShondaLand series, How to Get Away with Murder.[5] From 2018 to 2019, he also produced For the People.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Die Hard 2 | Kahn | |
| 1993 | Eight Hundred Leagues Down the Amazon | Manoel | |
| 1997 | Fathers' Day | Peter | |
| Loose Women | Detective Laurent | ||
| 1999 | Love American Style | Ron | Segment: "Love and the Heimlich Maneuver" |
| Making Contact | |||
| 2002 | Murder by Numbers | Asst. D.A. Al Swanson | |
| Red Dragon | Charles Leeds | ||
| 2006 | Flags of Our Fathers | Lieutenant Pennell | |
| 2007 | Zodiac | Jim Dunbar | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Donato and Daughter | Bobby Keegan | |
| 1994 | Greg Bennett | ||
| Breach of Conduct | Lt. Ted Lutz | ||
| 1995 | Not Our Son | Randy Litchfield | |
| 1996 | The Assassination File | Jack Byrne | |
| 1998 | Lost in the Bermuda Triangle | Brian Foster | |
| 2009 | Princess Protection Program | Joe Mason | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | All My Children | Duncan | Unknown episodes | |
| 1989 | Quantum Leap | Impala | Episode: "Camikazi Kid - June 6, 1961" | |
| 1991 | L.A. Law | Billy Castroverti | 9 episodes | |
| 1992 | Home Improvement | Charlie | Episode: "Luck Be a Taylor Tonight" | |
| Picket Fences | Brian Ronick | Episode: "The Snake Lady" | ||
| 1993 | South Beach | Brooke Wyatt | Episode: "Stake Out" | |
| Moon Over Miami | Jake | Episode: "Black River Bride" | ||
| Seinfeld | Doctor | Episode: "The Conversion" | ||
| 1995 | NYPD Blue | Dr. Paul Druzinski | Episode: "Travels with Andy" | |
| Matlock | Craig Browning | Episode: "The Scam" | ||
| 1995–1996 | Central Park West | Mark Merrill | 18 episodes | |
| 1996 | The Big Easy | Tyrell | Episode: "Hotshots" | |
| 1997 | Gun | The Quick Talking Agent | Episode: "The Shot" | |
| Almost Perfect | Steven Ecstacy | Episode: "This Is What Happens When You Don't Watch PBS" | ||
| 1997–1998 | The Naked Truth | Jake Sullivan | 22 episodes | |
| 1998 | From the Earth to the Moon | Dick Gordon | 3 episodes | |
| 1999 | Providence | Kyle Moran | 13 episodes | |
| 1999–2002 | Will & Grace | Danny | 2 episodes | |
| 2001 | Frasier | Jim | Episode: "A Day in May" | |
| Citizen Baines | Andy Carlson | 4 episodes | ||
| 2001–2004 | State of Grace | Tommy Austin | 6 episodes | |
| 2002 | Crossing Jordan | Mitch Weyland | Episode: "Blood Relatives" | |
| Baby Bob | Jake | Episode: "The Tell-Tale Art" | ||
| Touched by an Angel | Brian | Episode: "The Bells of St. Peters" | ||
| 2002–2005 | American Dreams | Jack Pryor | 61 episodes | |
| 2005 | The Bad Girl's Guide | Keith | Episode: "The Guide to in and Out" | |
| The 4400 | Dr. Max Hudson | 3 episodes | ||
| 2006 | Jake Hunter | Episode: "Blast" | ||
| House | Martin | Episode: "Skin Deep" | ||
| Boston Legal | A.U.S.A. Carl Newell | Episode: "Trick or Treat" | ||
| 2006–2007 | The Nine | Ed Nielson | 10 episodes | |
| 2008 | Grey's Anatomy | Michael Norris | Episode: "Rise Up" | |
| 2009 | Lie to Me | Paul Aronson | Episode: "Love Always" | |
| Medium | Detective Aaron Carver | Episode: "The Future's So Bright" | ||
| 2010 | The Closer | Det. Steve Hayward | Episode: "Jump the Gun" | |
| 2014–2020 | How to Get Away with Murder | Sam Keating | 23 episodesRecurring (season 1-2, 6), guest (season 3-5) | |
| 2017 | Dropping the Soap | Mitch Gatlin | Episode: "Spontaneous Coma" |
| Year | Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | American Dreams | 2 episodes | |
| 2007 | What About Brian | Episode: "What About Strange Bedfellows...?" | |
| Six Degrees | Episode: "Objects in the Mirror" | ||
| 2007–2008 | Boston Legal | 2 episodes | |
| 2007–2011 | Grey's Anatomy | 9 episodes | |
| 2008 | Men in Trees | Episode: "Read Between the Minds" | |
| The Cleaner | Episode: "Rebecca" | ||
| My Own Worst Enemy | Episode : #1.10 | ||
| 2008–2012 | Private Practice | 7 episodes | |
| 2009 | Ugly Betty | 2 episodes | |
| The Beast | Episode: "Mercy" | ||
| Dirty Sexy Money | Episode: "The Facts" | ||
| Army Wives | Episode: "As Time Goes By" | ||
| Eastwick | Episode: "Red Ants and Black Widows" | ||
| 2010 | The Deep End | Episode: "White Lies, Black Ties" | |
| No Ordinary Family | Episode: "No Ordinary Family" | ||
| 2011–2012 | The Mentalist | 3 episodes | |
| 2011–2012 | Harry's Law | 2 episodes | |
| 2012 | Body of Proof | Episode: "Going Viral, Part 2" | |
| 2012–2018 | Scandal | 16 episodes; also executive producer | |
| 2017 | Still Star-Crossed | Episode: "Hell is Empty and All the Devils Are Here" | |
| 2018–2019 | For the People | 6 episodes; also executive producer | |
| 2020 | Station 19 | Episode: "No Days Off | |
| The Umbrella Academy | 2 episodes | ||
| 2020–2024 | Bridgerton | 6 episodes; also executive producer | |
| 2021 | Inventing Anna | 2 episodes | |
| 2023 | 6 episodes; also executive producer |