Published: May 2008
Thomas McCarthy ’88 began his college career as a business major, but switched to the College of Arts & Sciences after discovering a desire to act. Following graduation he attended the Yale School of Drama and went on to establish himself as a journeyman actor. He has appeared on Broadway, and has acted with Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro in Meet the Parents, alongside George Clooney in Syriana, and under the direction of Clint Eastwood in Flags of Our Fathers. He appeared in numerous television series, including Boston Public, Ally McBeal, The Practice, Law and Order, and Spin City; and recently starred as a morally-challenged reporter in HBO’s critically-acclaimed The Wire.
But it is McCarthy’s work from behind the camera that has won the most recognition. His 2003 directorial debut, The Station Agent, which he also wrote, won three awards at the Sundance Film Festival, as well as awards at festivals from Stockholm to Mexico City. The National Board of Review named it one of the “Ten Best Films of the Year,” and it was nominated for three Screen Actors Guild Awards and for Best Original Screenplay by the Writer’s Guild.
McCarthy has written and directed a new independent feature film, The Visitor, released last month, about a man who finds a pair of illegal immigrants living in his New York City apartment. It has been praised by Salon.com, Rolling Stone, and the New York Times, which designated the film a “critic’s pick.” In April McCarthy received the University Arts Council Alumni Award for Distinguished Achievement, presented to him by President William P. Leahy, SJ.
- Profile of McCarthy in the Fall 2003 issue of Boston College Magazine
- Video interview of McCarthy at Filmcatcher.com
- Interview with McCarthy about The Visitor on ComingSoon.net
- McCarthy’s profile on Internet Movie Database
- New York Times review of The Visitor
