Talk:Tom Atkins (actor)

David Lewell Hoax
Somebody keeps inserting a sentence about the death of Tom Atkins's "longtime companion, playwright David Lewell" into this article, but neither the claim that Tom Atkins had a male "longtime companion" nor the existence of a playwright named David Lewell can be substantiated.

I've always regarded it as a factual error/deliberate hoax for three reasons: 1) according to various web sites (including his fan site "Tom Atkins Online" and a few older articles about "The Chief" in Pittsburgh newspapers), Atkins has been married to his wife, Janis, for a long time and they have an adult son named Taylor; 2) a google search for a playwright named David Lewell only results in circular references back to earlier versions of this article or the "Trivia" section of Atkins's IMDb page ("facts" on this page can be submitted by any IMDb user); and 3) the ip address (195.93.21.74) of the person/people who keep inserting the Lewell reference has been repeatedly cited for vandalism and blocked.

Furthermore, I submitted an inquiry about the validity of the David Lewell statement to IMDb about two weeks ago, and IMDb has since removed the Lewell reference from its Atkins article, which suggests that they couldn't verify the statement, either.

Sullenspice 19:38, 9 June 2006 (UTC)


 * So, because you want to pretend Atkins isn't gay, you removed it from the Internet Movie Database. Fascist.
 * —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 195.93.21.74 (talk • contribs).

No. IMDb removed it from the website because the claim is baseless. I personally don't care who is gay, straight, or bi, but I do care about factual accuracy, which is something that habitual vandals like you have no interest in. In fact, I have no idea what your agenda is, but your assertion that I "want to pretend Atkins isn't gay" is pure projection that says EVERYTHING about you and NOTHING about me.

In addition, you don't even have the courage to sign your comments, because then everyone could read about your long history of vandalism and blocks (for anyone who is interested, it's 195.93.21.74 as noted above).

Sullenspice 19:05, 16 June 2006 (UTC)


 * Most of those edits weren't even made by me, you retard. Just because Atkins wasn't able to come out during his career you still prevent the truth from being told in his retirement. Go back to the KKK.
 * —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 195.93.21.74 (talk • contribs).

Insulting me and falsely accusing me of racism/homophobia (I can only assume that's what you meant by your muddle-headed reference to the KKK, which also shows that you are making ignorant assumptions about my race and sexual orientation) doesn't help your case. If you could support your assertion about Atkins (which you can't, because there is no evidence), that would be one thing. I do not care about anyone's sexual orientation. I would revert false claims that either Rock Hudson or Tab Hunter were straight just as quickly as I have reverted your edits about Atkins. You clearly have an agenda. You are a habitual vandal and a coward who hides behind an anonymous address. You should be blocked out of existence.

Also, your claim that Atkins is "in retirement" shows you how little you know about him. He is still acting, and he has not "come out" anywhere.

Sullenspice 20:52, 16 June 2006 (UTC)


 * He is certainly retired, because he hasn't appeared in a film for 5 years and he hasn't been on television for 2 years. He may still be involved in local dramatics, but that is hardly serious. Leaving his wife to live with David Lewell until Lewell's death was as good as coming out. Since David's death in October 2004, Atkins has not worked at all.
 * —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 195.93.21.74 (talk • contribs).

Stage work IS serious. He's had a long run in "The Chief". If you really want to prove your point, why don't you ever back it up with anything? Your "proof" thus far has been to hysterically call me a fascist/racist/homophobe (an abusive, hostile response that is consistent with vandal behavior). The fact that there is no credible, verifiable reference to his relationship with David Lewell (or even any plays that Lewell has supposedly written) ANYWHERE has always seemed fishy.

What you clearly don't understand is that Wikipedia is not a gossip site. It is utterly irresponsible to place unverified information on Wikipedia simply because some random, anonymous, unaccountable person says it is true. It sets a dangerous precedent.

Furthermore, for some reason, Atkins has been a magnet for people who perpetrate hoaxes, such as the competing false rumors about his "murder" and his "fatal heart attack" that circulated on the internet in 1999-2000. If you have some evidence and can cite a reliable source that will back up your statement, by all means do so. Otherwise, your changes will have to be considered unverified information and/or vandalism, particularly considering that you use an anonymous ip with a long history of vandalism and block threats (and your irrational responses on this page further undermines any credibility you may have had). Edits made through addresses with such a dodgy history are NEVER taken seriously by anyone. For all anyone knows, you may have been responsible for every single incident of vandalism for which your ip has been cited. If you weren't, that's your bad luck. You should have created an account.

Sullenspice 21:54, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Civility
Please calm the talk down and leave out the personal observations. Have a look at WP:CIVIL and be nice to each other. Follow the policies and guidelines. Check out WP:VERIFY. If you make a statement, you have to back it up by citing a verifiable reference. Otherwise it's WP:NOR and POV. Tyrenius 22:49, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

I was not the one who started the inflammatory comments. Anyway, thanks for labelling anon's posts. It makes anon's track record that much more clear. I've contacted an admin and sincerely hope that this person is blocked. Anon's insulting comments to me are apparently part of this user's modus operandi and are consistent with one of the earlier vandalism warnings that cited anon's personal attacks.

Sullenspice 23:15, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Selected filmography?
I've not seen a section like this before on an actor's page and it does raise questions (like selected by who?). I'd have thought a better approach would be to re-write these sections as part of the main career section. (Emperor (talk) 18:59, 3 November 2012 (UTC))

Homosexuality
Why is there no mention of the fact that Atkins is gay? (79.67.101.115 (talk) 11:34, 7 November 2015 (UTC))