Tom Clancy, the actor in the family received his first theatrical training with the Shakespearean companies that toured Ireland.

Arriving in America in the early fifties, he became part of the off Broadway movement, which led to such Broadway shows as "A touch of the Poet," " King Lear," "St. Joan," "Under Milk Wood" - and subsequently costarred in many of the TV live dramatic shows a few years later, including "Little Moon of Alba".

At that time the folk scene was in full swing and the phenominal rise to success of the Clancy Brothers allowed little time for his acting career. 

On a return to the Broadway stage Tom started right back at the top, with Jason Robards and Colleen Dewhurst in O'Neill's "A Moon for the Misbegotten", then onto Hollywood where he spent alot of time, starring in movies and TV, including the "Killer Elite", directed by Sam Peckinpah, "Swashbuckler" with Genevieve Bujold and the late Robert Shaw, "Eric" with John Savage, "Law and Order", " The Last Hurrah" with Carroll O'Connor, "The Ghost of Flight 401" , and "The Gift", with Glenn Ford.

Tom had a nimble intellect and a varied range of interests, some of which included studying history and civilisation of man, philosophy, the universe, outer space, poetry literature and drama, politics;  to excercise the body , he liked to swim and ride his bike. His favourite summer relaxation, when his schedule permitted, was fishing for mackerel off the south coast of Ireland.