Tom was born in Marlborough, Massachusetts, the son of a psychologist and an economist. He graduated from Kenyon College with a major in drama and a minor in math. After apprenticing at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, Tom got his MFA from the National Theatre Conservatory at the Denver Center for the Arts, a tuition-free graduate acting program chartered by the US Congress. The school closed a year after Tom graduated. He moved to New York City, and has since appeared onscreen and also onstage at theaters across America, including Milwaukee Rep, Triad Stage, New York Stage & Film's Powerhouse Theater, the Cape Cod Playhouse, Asolo Rep, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Playmakers Rep, and the Contemporary American Theatre Festival.