Born in South Carolina as the last of four children, Thomas Ellis Gibson was born into a family with a mother as a social worker and a father as a Democrat who worked as a Senate and House for South Carolina.

At a very young age, Gibson became very interested in acting. From there, he dabbled in theater and continued to pursue his interests in the arts as he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts in 1985.

Well known for his role in Criminal Minds as Aaron ‘Hotch’ Hotchner, let’s find out more about Thomas Ellis Gibson in his earlier years!

Who Is Thomas Ellis Gibson?

In his early years, Gibson was raised in a Roman-Catholic family where his interest in art began to take form. But as a young kid, it was said that Thomas Gibson joined many clubs and activities with his sister, Charles Carroll Gibson, such as swimming.

Later on, Gibson also sang in the Dixieland Band, where he used his voice to sing like Louis Armstrong, a famous American trumpeter and vocalist. He was Gibson’s earliest inspiration as a young kid.

During his time as a student, Thomas Ellis Gibson attended schools such as Little Theater School, graduated from Bishop England High School, and attended College Charestion and The Julliard School.

During his time at Charlestion, however, Gibson was suggested to intern for a festival called the Alamba Shakespeare Festival and was later inspired to join The Juilliard School, where he received a scholarship to enter into the Drama Division program.

At the age of 9, Thomas Gibson began his acting career early on and starred in a movie called Seize the Street: The Skateboard Musical.

It was here where he relished his artistic abilities to become an actor and showcase his talents as an aspiring actor. After his first movie, Thomas Gibson appeared in two television series called Leg Work CBS and again on As the World Turns.

Following his brief roles in the previously mentioned films, in 1992, Thomas Gibson appeared in a movie called Far and Away.

Directed by Ron Howard, Gibson was chosen to play the evil rival of the story, Stephen Chase, in this seemingly epic film. It was also here that he worked alongside the star of the movie, Tom Cruise, who played the protagonist of the movie, Joseph Donelly.

In the year 1993, Gibson also played in Tales of the City and another film called Love and Human Remains. In which movie, Gibson displayed his versatility in characters as he played a gay waiter in Love and Human Remains and then a bisexual businessman in Beauchamp Day.

These roles not only put future references on Gibson’s resume but also highlighted his flexibility as an actor.

In 2000, Thomas Ellis Gibson also joined Stardom, a Canadian film by Arcand about a young girl who copes with her rise to popularity after being scouted by a popular fashion company.

Though this position was brief, Gibson continued to book as many roles as he could throughout his acting career. His name began appearing on the screen, and with the success, he was having, there was no telling how far he would go if he did not keep going.

It was after the movie Stardom that Thomas Gibson took on another role on television. At this time, Gibson’s popularity skyrocketed because of his portrayal of Dr. Danny Nyland in the Medical drama Chicago Hope.

This medical drama received multiple Emmy nominations during its air time. Thomas Gibson remained on the show for four years (1994 to 1998, respectfully) until the cast was changed, and he was on his way to another acting gig with other producers.

After being seen on screen for many of his roles, Thomas Gibson joined the cast for the sitcom Dhrama & Greg. On this show, Thomas Gibson received a lot of praise for his acting and continued to work with the producers of this show from 1997 to 2002.

During his time on the show, Gibson was nominated twice for a Golden Globe Award due to his acting on Dharma & Greg.

After being on Dharma & Greg and earning a name for himself, Thomas Gibson continued to work on various television shows and movies such as Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Psycho Beach Party (2000), The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000), Jack the Dog (2001), Manhood (2003), Come Away Home (2005), and Berkeley (2005).

As he continued his work, he found various roles to fulfill during the early 90s and the 2000s.

Excitingly enough, during his time of travel and filming multiple shows and movies, Thomas Gibson traveled to Paris in the early 90s.

At this time, Gibson and Christine Parker had both explored this newfound liking towards one another while each was working on their own craft.

Christine Parker is an actress herself who works on films and television series just like Thomas Gibson. After they met, they continued to explore their love throughout the next few years.

After coming back from Paris, however, Thomas Gibson got his break on the new show, Criminal Minds. On this show, Thomas Ellis Gibson got to work as a Supervisory Special Agent named Aaron ‘Hotch’ Hotchner, who was also the unit chief of the Behavioral Analysis Unit on the show.

Gibson also worked alongside various performers such as Shemar Moore, Paget Brewster, Matthew Gray Gubler, Kirsten Vangness, and A.J. Cook.

Once the show, Criminal Minds premiered in 2005, fans came to love the show in its entirety. Many also adored the acting that Thomas Gibson gave as he played the role of ‘Hotch’ from the critically acclaimed series.

Many fans continued to support the show for many seasons, and as time went on, Gibson returned each year to play a favorite fan character and please the audiences for what is now his most beloved on-screen performance.

For twelve long seasons, Thomas Gibson remained on the show as Aaron ‘Hotch’ Hotchner. During his time on the show, Thomas Gibson won an award after being on the show for some time.

This award was called the Underappreciated Entertainer of the Year Award in 2010 after his performance on Criminal Minds.

Although many loved Thomas Gibson and his acting skills on the still ongoing show, his acting did not go unnoticed by anyone.

Yet, after many long years of being on the show, Thomas Gibson was suspended from the show. When news broke about this, many began to investigate what happened on set or during production and if Thomas Gibson would continue to play his character, ‘Hotch,’ for many more seasons.

Unfortunately, after four episodes aired with Thomas Gibson, it was confirmed that he would be let go from the series due to many disagreements between him and production.

Being one of the original stars of Criminal Minds, it came as a shock to see Thomas Gibson leave the show so abruptly. After multiple claims of Gibson having conflicts with the writers and producers on the shower, Gibson was unfortunately removed from the scene.

Many fans believed that he was fired unfairly, but after reports of Thomas Gibson allegedly being violent were released to the public, many thought it was the right decision.

Although it was said that Gibson had an alleged physical altercation with one of the writers on set, the show continued after he departed from the show.

Criminal Minds struggled for a bit to keep the show going after losing Thomas Gibson and another original member, Shemar Moore.

Despite this, Gibson was presumed to have stopped receiving acting gigs after leaving the show, and Criminal Minds continued.

In 1993, Thomas Gibson decided to marry Christine Parker after meeting in Paris. It was after this encounter that both parties mutually agreed to settle down and have three kids amidst the busy schedule of their lives.

Six years after they married, Christine Parker birthed three kids: James Parker Gibson in 1999, Travis Carter Gibson in 2002, and Agatha Marie Gibson in 2004. They currently live in Texas with their mother, Christine Parker.

After having been married since 1993, in 2011, Thomas Gibson and Christine Parker called it quicks in 2011.

Though these claims are not said to be true, it is speculated that allegedly, Thomas Gibson has been having an affair with a Twitter fan who supposedly did adult films.

Despite these claims, Christine Parker left Thomas Gibson after being separated for two and a half years once the news broke.

Now in the present, Thomas Gibson currently has three amazing kids with his ex-wife, Christine Parker. After his departure from Criminal Minds in 2016, Gibson’s presence in the acting world has gone relatively mute.

Granted, he has appeared in various television series such as Chicago Hope and a sitcom called Dharma and Greg, and it is assumed that Thomas Ellis Gibson has been working on films of his own recently.