Tom Sullivan (born March 27, 1947) is an American singer, actor, writer, and motivational speaker. Blind since infancy, he has been a public advocate for assistive services for the blind, and research into treatments for blindness.

Personal life

Sullivan was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Marie C. ( née Kelly) and Thomas J. Sullivan, who owned a saloon. His

premature birth Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the birth of a baby at fewer than 37 weeks gestational age, as opposed to full-term delivery at approximately 40 weeks. Extreme preterm is less than 28 weeks, very early preterm birth is between 2 ...

caused him to need oxygen treatment while in an

incubator An incubator is anything that performs or facilitates various forms of incubation, and may refer to: Biology and medicine * Incubator (culture), a device used to grow and maintain microbiological cultures or cell cultures * Incubator (egg), a de ...

. Though the treatment saved his life, he was given too much oxygen, which left him permanently blind. (This condition is now known as

retinopathy of prematurity Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), also called retrolental fibroplasia (RLF) and Terry syndrome, is a disease of the eye affecting prematurely born babies generally having received neonatal intensive care, in which oxygen therapy is used due to ...

.) Sullivan had a close and lifelong friendship with actress

Betty White Betty Marion White (January 17, 1922December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of Golden Age of Television, early television, with a television career spanning almost seven decades, White was noted for her vast work i ...

and her husband

Allen Ludden Allen Ellsworth Ludden (born Allen Packard Ellsworth; October 5, 1917 – June 9, 1981) was an American television personality, actor, singer, emcee, and game show host. He hosted various incarnations of the game show ''Password'' between 1 ...

; they met in 1968 while they were performing on

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

. Sullivan and White co-wrote a book, ''Leading Lady'', about Sullivan's first

seeing eye dog Guide dogs (colloquially known in the US as seeing-eye dogs) are assistance dogs trained to lead blind or visually impaired people around obstacles. Although dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are red–green colour bl ...

, who lived with White after being retired.

Career

Sullivan has worked as an author, composer, motivational speaker, and singer, as well as an actor, director, and producer. Sullivan sang "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...

", the national anthem of the United States, at Super Bowl X, and the

1976 Indianapolis 500 The 60th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 30, 1976. Polesitter Johnny Rutherford took the lead on lap 80, and was leading when rain halted the race on lap 103. Two ...

. He played a recently blinded soldier in a 1976 episode of ''M*A*S*H'', which led to additional acting roles. He also starred as a blind business owner in the ''

WKRP in Cincinnati ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' is an American sitcom television series about the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working ...

'' episode "To Err is Human". He had a recurring role on ''

Highway to Heaven ''Highway to Heaven'' is an American fantasy drama television series that ran on NBC from September 19, 1984, to August 4, 1989. The series starred Michael Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to Earth in order to help people in need. Victo ...

'' as Frank Riley, who ultimately marries

Priscilla Barnes Priscilla Anne Barnes (born December 7, 1952) is an American actress."Priscilla Barnes"
AllMovie.com; retr ...

's character. Among the songs Sullivan has written and performed are "All the Colors Of the Heart", which was used as the theme for his debut episode of ''Highway to Heaven.'' ''

If You Could See What I Hear ''If You Could See What I Hear'' is a 1982 Canadian biographical drama film about blind musician Tom Sullivan, starring Marc Singer and Shari Belafonte, directed by Eric Till. Plot summary Tom Sullivan (Marc Singer) is a blind college student wh ...

'', a 1982 movie based on his time in college, was directed by Eric Till and starred

Marc Singer Marc Singer (born January 29, 1948) is a Canadian-born American actor best known for his roles in the '' Beastmaster'' film series, as Mike Donovan in the original 1980s TV series '' V'', and as Matt Cantrell in ''Dallas''. Early life Singer wa ...

as Sullivan.

Awards

*Sullivan won the American Foundation for the Blind's " Helen Keller Achievement Award" in 1997.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Selected television and movie credits

Acting filmography

*''

Touched by an Angel ''Touched by an Angel'' is an American fantasy drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced ...

'' (in episode "Then Sings my Soul" as Clarence), 1999 *''

Renegade Renegade or The Renegade may refer to: Aircraft *Lake Renegade, an American amphibious aircraft design *Murphy Renegade, a Canadian ultralight biplane design *Southern Aeronautical Renegade, an American racing aircraft design Games *'' Comman ...

'' (in episode "Love Hurts" as Denny Martin), 1996 *''

Designing Women ''Designing Women'' is an American television sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason that aired on CBS from September 29, 1986, to May 24, 1993, producing seven seasons and 163 episodes. It was a joint production of Bloodworth/Thomason ...

'' (in episode "One Sees, the Other Doesn't" as Danny), 1989 *''

'' (two episodes, as Frank Riley) *''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series '' Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...

'' (in episode "Knight Song" as Charley Connors), 1985 *''

Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show fo ...

'' (as Michael Kendall), 1983 *''

Mork & Mindy ''Mork & Mindy'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 14, 1978, to May 27, 1982. A spin-off after a highly successful episode of ''Happy Days'', "My Favorite Orkan", it starred Robin Williams as Mork, an extraterrest ...

'' (in episode "Mork Learns to See" as Tom Bickley), 1980 *''

Airport '77 ''Airport '77'' is a 1977 American air disaster film, and the third installment of the ''Airport'' film series. The film stars a number of veteran actors including Jack Lemmon, James Stewart, Joseph Cotten, Olivia de Havilland, and Brenda Vac ...

'' (as Steve), 1977 *''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. Th ...

'' (in episode "

Out of Sight, Out of Mind Out may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 * ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander * ''Out'' (2002 film), a Japanese film ba ...

" as Tom Straw), 1976 *''

'' (in episode "To Err is Human" as Hester Sherman), 1982 *'' Fame'' (in episode "Solo Song" as blind vocal coach), 1982

Miscellaneous filmography

*''

The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish actor and comedian Craig Ferguson. This was the third iteration of the ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airing from January 3, 2005, to December 19, 2 ...

'' (as himself with his

named Eddison, a German Shepherd). Right after Julie Chen and before Michelle Yeohi. July 30, 2008. *''Moving Through Space: A Day with Tom Sullivan'' (composer of song "Idle Hands"), 2003. *'' Good Morning America'' (as himself – feature correspondent), 1978–1983 *'' Super Bowl X'' (sang "

" with the cast of

Up with People Up with People (UWP) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Up with People stages song and dance performances promoting themes such as multiculturalism, racial equality, and positive thinking. History Archives The UWP Archives ...

), Jan. 18, 1976 *'' Black Sunday'' (sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" with the cast of

), 1977

Bibliography

*''If You Could See What I Hear'' (1975) *''Tom Sullivan's Adventures In Darkness'' (1976) *''The Leading Lady. Dinah's Story'' (1991, with

) *''Seeing Lessons: 14 Life Secrets I've Learned Along the Way'' (2003) *''Together: A novel of shared vision'' (2008, with

) *''Alive Day: A Story of Love and Loyalty'' (2009), with Betty White

References

External links

Tom Sullivan's official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Tom 1947 births Living people Male actors from Boston American male composers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American composers 21st-century American male musicians American male film actors American motivational speakers American motivational writers American male television actors Blind musicians People from West Roxbury, Boston Blind actors Blind singers