In the five seasons between 1992 and 1997, the Fox sitcom Martin aired 132 episodes. Thomas Mikal Ford appeared in every single one, playing Martin’s voice-of-reason friend, Tommy Strawn. The series would be the work that Ford was most associated with for the rest of his life.
This isn’t to say that the LA native and University of Southern California graduate didn’t enjoy an impressive career. Ford accrued more than 80 credits across more than 30 years in the business. His roles as an up-and-comer in the 1980s and ‘90s read like the factory-setting resume of an actor at the time, with single-episode appearances on MacGyver, Law & Order, A Different World, and that The Flash series from 1990 that everyone forgets about.
He landed his career-defining role on Martin at 28, then went on to appear semi-regularly on the relatively short-lived Dick Wolf police procedural New York Undercover in 1998 and ‘99. He’d spend the majority of the next two decades in a litany of smaller roles, voicing an episode of The Proud Family, popping up in seven episodes of The Parkers, landing a guest role on House, and snatching up plenty of faith-based, direct-to-DVD projects.
Later in life, Ford experienced a series of health issues. In late September 2016, he received a knee replacement surgery, posting to social media about his recovery process and thanking his fans for their prayers. He expressed excitement at the prospect of returning to work.
Sadly, that was an idea that would never come to pass. In early October 2016, not long after receiving his life-altering operation, Ford experienced a ruptured abdominal aneurysm and was placed on life support. On Oct.12, 2016, his family announced via Instagram that Ford had passed away at age 52.