A Look Back at the Life of TV's 'Alice' Actor Philip McKeon: 5 Years After His Tragic Death

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Actor Philip McKeon died at only 55 years old in 2019 following a long illness. He was best known as Tommy, the young son of Linda Lavin's waitress/aspiring actress role on TV's long-running sitcom, Alice. The show, which originally aired on CBS from 1976 to 1985, was a small-screen adaptation of Martin Scorsese's big-screen movie, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. In that acclaimed film, released in 1974, and the subsequent TV pilot episode, Alfred Lutter III played Tommy. Philip McKeon took over the role after that.

A Closer Look

Philip McKeon was born in Westbury, New York the son of Barbara and Donald McKeon, a travel agent. His younger sister is actress Nancy McKeon, best known for another favorite TV sitcom: The Facts of Life. However, the acting siblings are not related to actor Doug McKeon (best known for playing Henry Fonda's grandson in the movie On Golden Pond).

Philip McKeon made his professional debut at 4 years old as a print model. His parents took him and Nancy, then only 2 years old, to a modeling audition, and his image was soon appearing in magazines, newspapers, and television commercials.

Over the next few years, McKeon was also hired for several acting roles on stage and in feature films. The young actor's breakout role arrived when Linda Lavin noticed him in a Broadway performance of Medea and Jason. Lavin perceived McKeon as bright and talented and recommended him for the role of Tommy on Alice.

After Alice

Following the cancelation of Alice, Philip McKeon appeared in movies including the slasher flick Return to Horror High (1987), and on TV shows such as CHiPs, Fantasy Island, and The Love Boat.

McKeon later switched career gears and worked in the news department at Los Angeles station KFWB News 98 one decade before later relocating to Wimberly, Texas, where he hosted his own radio show and lived closer to family.

Forever Tommy

With exuberant spirit, Philip McKeon won legions of fans as Tommy Hyatt on Alice, and viewers of the series will forever cherish his performance.