Thomas Bolyn Smothers III

Thomas Bolyn Smothers III was born at Fort Jay on Governors Island in New York Harbor. His father, an army major, died as a Japanese prisoner of war during World War II. Tom and his younger brother Dick attended San Jose State University, forming a folk-music and comedic double act where Tom played acoustic guitar and acted as the bumbling, indignant foil ("Mom always liked you best!").

In 1967, CBS launched The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Tom took creative control, turning the variety show into a countercultural powerhouse that fearlessly addressed the Vietnam War, civil rights, drug culture, and government hypocrisy, while giving platforms to controversial anti-war musicians like Pete Seeger and Joan Baez. Despite massive ratings, CBS abruptly canceled the show in 1969 over censorship battles, prompting the brothers to sue CBS and win a landmark breach of contract verdict. In 2008, forty years after being denied an Emmy due to executive censorship, Tom was presented with an honorary Emmy Award for his courage in television writing.