Doug Savant

Doug Savant

Active - 1985 - 2014  |   Born - Jun 21, 1964 in Burbank, California, United States  |   Genres - Drama, Romance, Comedy

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Biography by AllMovie

No stranger to emotionally and psychologically challenging roles, Doug Savant broke through the fear barrier that separates many actors from achieving their full onscreen potential. In the process, he tackled many characterizations somewhat removed from himself. These included a sociopathic rapist (in the 1995 TV movie Fight for Justice: The Nancy Cohn Story), a gay social worker (Matt Fielding on the prime-time soap opera Melrose Place), and -- most prominently -- a businessman-turned-stay at home dad (Tom Scavo, on the domestic black comedy Desperate Housewives). The latter, of course, required less of a stretch for Savant; it was perhaps ironic, then, that the Scavo characterization (opposite actress Felicity Huffman) reeled in Savant's largest audience and virtually turned him into a household name. Savant's resumé also includes brief appearances in such features as Secret Admirer (1985), Teen Wolf (1985), The Hanoi Hilton (1987), and Godzilla (1998). His second wife is actress Laura Leighton, whom he met on the set of Melrose.

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Factsheet

  • Once worked as a pizza delivery driver.
  • Played one of the first openly gay characters on a prime-time soap, Matt Fielding on Melrose Place, from 1992 to 1997.
  • Married his Melrose Place costar, Laura Leighton, in 1998. 
  • In 2004, made guest appearances on 24, NCIS, and Nip/Tuck before landing the role of Tom Scavo on the ABC series Desperate Housewives, which also starred Melrose Place alum Marcia Cross.
  • Portrayed a lawyer in the made-for-TV movie What Color is Love? (2008).