Born
Douglas Peter Savant
Occupation
Actor
Years active
1984–present
Spouse
Dawn Dunkin
(m. 1983; div. 1997)
(m. 1998)Children
4
Douglas Peter Savant (born June 21, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Matt Fielding in the Fox prime time soap opera Melrose Place (1992–97), Tom ScavoinABC comedy-drama Desperate Housewives (2004–12), and as Sgt. O'Neal in Godzilla (1998).
Savant was born and raised in Burbank, California. He attended University of California, Los Angeles, but left before graduating to pursue his acting career.[1]
Savant began his career appearing in teen comedy films Secret Admirer and Teen Wolf in 1985, and the following year appeared in horror film Trick or Treat. From 1986 to 1987, he had a recurring role as a younger version of Mac McKenzie (played by Kevin Dobson) in the CBS prime time soap opera Knots Landing. He was paired with future Desperate Housewives co-star Nicollette Sheridan, who played a younger version of the Anne Matheson character portrayed by Michelle Phillips. In 1988, he co-starred in erotic thriller film Masquerade alongside Rob Lowe and Kim Cattrall
From 1992 to 1997, Savant starred as Matt Fielding in the Fox prime time soap opera Melrose Place, a role that was notable for being one of the first mainstream openly gay characters on television.[1][2] However, his role was censored greatly by the network - notably a kiss between Matt and guest star Ty Miller during the season two finale was edited out at the last minute by FOX. Savant left the series after five seasons and, a year later, his character was killed off-screen in a car crash. In 1998, he appeared in monster film Godzilla playing Sgt. O'Neal, and the following years had guest-starring roles on The Outer Limits, Profiler, Firefly, JAG, Nip/Tuck, NYPD Blue, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. In 2004, he had a four-episode arc on 24.[1]
In 2004, Savant was cast as Tom Scavo in the ABC comedy-drama series, Desperate Housewives. In the first season (2004–05), Tom was originally credited as a recurring role throughout Season 1, but became credited as a series regular in Season 2. Married to Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman), he was out of town regularly on business. Viewer response to Savant and his character led the producers to contract him as a series regular from season two onwards, and Tom and Lynette were portrayed as the most stable couple on the series. The series ended in 2012, and the following years, Savant had guest-starring roles in a number of shows, including Hot in Cleveland, Criminal Minds, 9-1-1 and NCIS.
In May 1998, he married his Melrose Place co-star Laura Leighton. They have two children together: Jack (born October 10, 2000) and Lucy (born June 9, 2005).[3] Savant also has two children from a previous marriage whom Leighton helped raise, Arianna (born January 17, 1992) and Madeline (born July 20, 1993).[4]
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1984
Actor
1985
Boy
Brad
1986
Tim Hainey
1987
Ashby
1988
Mike McGill
1989
Eric Hinsley
1990
Red Surf
Attila
Michael
1993
Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence
Dr. Peter Myerson
1998
Sgt. O'Neal
1999
Grant Coleman
2000
Dropping Out
Doctor
2001
Cop
Uncredited
2006
Sam McDonald
2014
April Rain
Special Agent Singleton
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1985
Dwayne Patterson
Episode: "Violation"
1986
Elliot Jessup
Episode: "Scapegoat"
Joey Medwick
Episode: "Road Hog"
1986–87
Young Mack Mackenzie
7 episodes
1987
Dwayne
Episode: "A Winter's Tale"
Cdt. Thomas O'Conner
Episode: "Night Maneuvers"
1988
Scott LaPierre
2 episodes
1990
Richard
Episode: "The Thanks of a Grateful Nation"
The Knife and Gun Club
Dr. Barrow
TV movie
John Bronski
Episode: "God Bless the Child"
1991
Aftermath: A Test of Love
Jeff
TV movie
1992
Detective Dennis Mulrooney
Episode: "No Time to Die"
Deputy Sheriff Ted Hinton
TV movie
1992–98
Series Regular
162 episodes
1995
Chase Cobb
Episode: "Who Killed the World's Greatest Chef?"
Fight for Justice: The Nancy Conn Story
Richard Mark Ellard
TV movie
1996
Terminal
Dr. Sean O'Grady
TV movie
1998
Josh Walters
Episode: "Smooth Sailing"
Kel
Episode: "The Hunt"
1999
Toby Watson
Episode: "Inheritance"
A Face to Kill For
Virgil
TV movie
Grant Coleman
TV movie
2000
Sergeant Sommers
Episode: "Kein Ausgang"
Trespasser #2
Episode: "Area 51"
Grant Coleman
TV movie
2001
J.T.'s Cousin
Episode: "Or What's a Heaven For?"
Jeffrey Riverton
Episode: "To Serve and Protect"
Harold Raines
Episode: "Sacrifices"
2002
Commander Harken
Episode: "Bushwhacked"
Navy Seals Commander
Episode: "Dangerous Game"
Grant Coleman
TV movie
Rick
Episode: "The Bachelor"
2004
Craig Phillips
4 episodes
Eric Kane
Episode: "Legacy"
Faultline
Prof. Anthony McAllister
TV movie
Jason Foster
Episode: "Chatty Chatty Bang Bang"
Father Larry Clannon
Episode: "A Weak Link"
Joel Gideon
Episode: "Joel Gideon"
Paul Brady
Episode: "Swap Meet"
2004–12
Recurring role (season 1)
Main role (seasons 2–8)
176 Episodes
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, 2006
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, 2007–2009
2008
Playing for Keeps
Peter Marcheson
TV movie
2012
Scott
Episode: "Two Girls and a Rhino"
2013
Mr. Binder
Episode: "Road Trip"
Judge Roger Thorson
Episode: "Judge, Jury & Executioner"
Jacob Joardi
Episode: "Jane's Secret Revealed"
Malcolm Taffert
Episode: "The Caller"
2014
Robert Young
Episode: "Wawahi moeʻuhane"- Broken Dreams
2015
Wilson Adler
Episode: "Tech, Drugs, and Rock 'n Roll"
2016
Augustus Goldman
Episode: "Founder's Mutation"
Trevor Nigel
Episode: "The G.D.S."
Mac Harpor
Episode: "One Way or Another"
Simon Monroe
Episode: "It’s Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider Silk Surgery"
Paul Weston
2 episodes
2017
Malcolm
Episode: "Borderlines"
2018
Matthew Clark
2 episodes
Forest Clay
Episode: "Quintessential Deckerstar"
Eric Barlow
2 episodes
2019
Brigadier General Daniel Kent
Episode: "Hail & Farewell"
2020
Martin Newsome
2 episodes
Richard Reeves
Episode: "Kangaroo Jack"
Mark
Episode: "Gunpowder Treason"
2021
Ed Jennings
2 episodes
Benjamin
Episode: "True Crime"
International
National
Other
