Thomas Steven Wopat (born September 9, 1951) is an American actor and singer. He first achieved fame as Lucas K. "Luke" Duke on the long-running television action/comedy series The Dukes of Hazzard. Since then, Wopat has worked regularly, most often on the stage in musicals and in supporting television and movie roles. He was a semi-regular recurring character on the 1990s comedy series Cybill, and he had a small role as U.S. Marshal Gil Tatum in Django Unchained (2012). Wopat also has a recurring role as Sheriff Jim Wilkins on the television series Longmire. Additionally, Wopat has recorded several albums of country songs and pop standards, scoring a series of moderately successful singles in the 1980s and 1990s.
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Biography
Wopat was born in Lodi, Wisconsin, the fifth of eight children born to Albin and Ruth Wopat. His father was a dairy farmer of Czech descent. He was raised a devout Catholic.
Wopat attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison and made his television debut on One Life to Live. He credits UW-Madison Lighting Design teacher Gilbert Vaughn Hemsley Jr. with advancing his early performing career. He achieved fame on the television series The Dukes of Hazzard (1979–85), then embarked on a music career. He has recorded eleven albums. Musically, he switches between rock and roll and country music styles, though two recent albums have been of classic pop standards. His 1980s albums were on EMI Nashville. A 2005 recording, Dissertation on the State of Bliss, is a collection of Harold Arlen songs. Wopat first appeared on the Broadway stage as a replacement in the 1977 musical I Love My Wife, as Wally. He later appeared as a replacement in the stage musicals City of Angels and Guys and Dolls (as Sky Masterson in 1992–93).
