Thomas Michael Reilly III (born June 18, 1959, in

Fort Riley North, Kansas Fort Riley is a unincorporated community that covers part of Fort Riley, a US Army installation in Geary and Riley counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the community and nearby areas was 9,230. Histo ...

) is an American actor, known for his role as Officer Bobby "Hot Dog" Nelson in ''

CHiPs ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The serie ...

'', a television series about the motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol. Prior to his acting career, he was a star football player at Montclair State College (now

Montclair State University Montclair State University (MSU) is a Public university, public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls, New Jersey, Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, ...

) in

Upper Montclair, New Jersey Upper Montclair is a census-designated place (CDP), unincorporated community and neighborhood within Montclair in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population for the CDP was 11,565.

but eventually dropped out. On June 18, 1982, he went into NBC studios for a

screen test A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. The performer is generally given a scene, or selected lines and actions, and instructed to perform in front of a came ...

. His first role on ''

'' was Officer Rick Nichols in the May 23, 1982, episode "Force Seven," a rejected pilot for a new series. After the departure of

Larry Wilcox Larry Dee Wilcox (born August 8, 1947) is an American actor best known for his role as California Highway Patrol officer (later captain) Jonathan "Jon" Baker in the television series '' CHiPs'', which ran from 1977 to 1983 on NBC. A Vietnam ve ...

, Tom returned in the role of Officer Bobby Nelson, the new partner of Ponch (

Erik Estrada Henry Enrique Estrada (born March 16, 1949) is an American actor and police officer. He is known for his co-starring lead role as California Highway Patrol officer Francis (Frank) Llewelyn "Ponch" Poncherello in the police drama television series ...

). His role of Officer Bobby Nelson was featured somewhat less prominently in the final episodes, with Officer Bruce Nelson (

Bruce Penhall Bruce Lee Penhall (born May 10, 1957) is an American former professional motorcycle speedway racer who later starred in television and in film. He was the World Speedway Champion in 1981 and 1982 and rode for the successful Cradley Heath Heathen ...

), his younger brother, eventually becoming Ponch's partner in the episode "Fast Company." ''CHiPs'' was eventually cancelled by the spring of 1983. Bobby Nelson did not return in the reunion film, ''CHiPs '99''. He stopped acting in 1997. In 2005, he worked at the Orco Construction Supply in

Salinas, California Salinas (; Spanish for "Salt Marsh or Salt Flats") is a city in California and the county seat of Monterey County. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is the most populous city in Monterey County. Salinas is an urban area lo ...

. He lives in the

Monterey Peninsula The Monterey Peninsula anchors the northern portion on the Central Coast of California and comprises the cities of Monterey, Carmel, and Pacific Grove, and the resort and community of Pebble Beach. History Monterey Monterey was founded in 17 ...

with his wife and two children.

Appearances

Tom made appearances on the following shows: *''

'' (1982/1983).... Officer Rick Nichols/Officer Bobby 'Hot Dog' Nelson *'' $25,000 Pyramid'' (December 5–9, 1982) (TV) *''

Young Warriors ''Young Warriors'', also known as ''The Graduates of Malibu High'', is a low budget American crime-drama film starring James Van Patten, Anne Lockhart, Ernest Borgnine, Richard Roundtree, and Lynda Day George. It was released theatrically by Ca ...

'' (1983) .... Scott *''

Slaughterhouse Rock ''Slaughterhouse Rock'' (also known as ''Hell Island'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1988 American supernatural horror film directed by Dimitri Logothetis, and starring Nicholas Celozzi, Tom Reilly, Donna Denton, Hope Marie Carlton, Tammara Hyler ...

'' (1988) .... Richard Gardner *''

Terminal Exposure ''Terminal Exposure'' is a 1987 American comedy film directed by Nico Mastorakis. It involves two amateur beach photographers who accidentally capture a murder on film. Searching for the only clue, a gorgeous woman with a small rose tattoo, they a ...

'' (1988) .... Maxwell *''Kiss and Be Killed'' (1991) .... Phil *'' Married... with Children'' (Just Shoe It) (1992) TV episode .... Caterer *'' Animal Instincts'' (1992) .... Ken *''Mirror Images II'' (1994) (TV) .... Jake *''Sworn to Vengeance'' (1993) (TV) *''Animal Instincts 2'' (1994) .... Man with Loose Tie *'' Valley of the Dolls'' (1994) .... Peter D'Allesio *''Caged Hearts'' (1995) .... Foreman #1 *'' Ice Cream Man'' (1995) .... Charley *''

Deep Cover ''Deep Cover'' is a 1992 American action thriller film starring Laurence Fishburne, Jeff Goldblum and Charles Martin Smith, and directed by veteran actor Bill Duke in his third directorial outing. The screenplay was written by Henry Bean and Aca ...

'' (1996) .... Jim *''

Shades of Gray Variations of gray or grey include achromatic grayscale shades, which lie exactly between white and black, and nearby colors with low colorfulness. A selection of a number of these various colors is shown below. Chart of computer web color ...

'' (1997) .... Frank

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reilly, Tom 1959 births Living people Montclair State University alumni People from Bergenfield, New Jersey Male actors from Kansas American male television actors American male film actors