Thomas Lane Alexander

Thomas Lane Alexander (Uncle Tom, Tom-Tom) of Toluca Lake, CA passed suddenly and unexpectedly of natural causes on August 18, 2022, at the age of 60.

Born Dec. 4, 1961, to Patsy and Frank Alexander, Tom grew up a true gentleman with an incredibly kind soul. His sense of humor was razor-sharp, and he became a fast friend to all who knew him. His career in film began at Southern Methodist University, where he graduated with his BA in the class of 1983. In Dallas, Tom worked to build his career in film as best he could until a move to Hollywood became inevitable in 1996.

Once in Hollywood, Tom thrived as a writer and filmmaker and met and fell in love with his beloved wife, Jodi Zekowski. Tom’s talent as an amazing husband was further enhanced when they brought into the world their chip-off-the-block son, Patrick, and Tom revealed to the world a new facet of himself as a doting father. As such a truly devoted Dad, Tom’s quick wit, sarcasm and deeply soulful insight passed down, sprouted roots and continues on with Patrick.

Tom’s passion was storytelling and filmmaking. In whatever capacity he played in the mix, he made huge contributions, from writing and directing his own film, Dark Dealer, to writing the SciFi Channel thriller, Alien Express, to working as a grip on network shows like Everybody Hates Chris, The Mindy Project and All Rise. He continued writing in his spare time and leaves behind several unproduced film scripts in genres as diverse as buddy comedy, psychological thriller and horror. His favorite was for a film entitled Eco-One. No matter how busy he became, Tom never hesitated to help with any of this friends’ projects. He would grab gloves and a belt and get dirty rigging with the best of the guys, like his dearest grip/electric friends Rocky Ford, Bob Stillman, Shane Brott, and any of his other brothers at the Local 80.

On set, Tom’s hard work and positive, funny mindset uplifted many a project, and he was quite the card shark at lunchtime poker games. Tom was exceptional in this town for many reasons but especially because he was a rare person who would actually read your script when asked and give great advice.

Many of his friends say the same thing, “If you knew Tom, you loved Tom.” Tom had a way of bringing joy to the most intense moments. He never concerned himself about appearing too silly. He transformed into Woody from Toy Story for Halloween and in a heartbeat could become suave and sophisticated to take Jodi for a night on the town. When Tom walked in, his presence changed the room, instantly bringing humor, charm, and if you were lucky enough, you got to eat his famous “White Trash Fondue”.

When you love someone and bring into them in your life, it’s in the heartache you feel on their departure that you realize the depth of what they meant to you. Tom leaves behind not only his amazing family but hundreds of friends who all share in his absence the joy and good fortune to be able to say Tom was a light in their life.

His outlook on life clearly had an impact on loved ones:

“Tom always encouraged me to ask questions of people. If you’re doing all the talking then you aren’t learning anything new. You aren’t getting new experiences. He told me to learn about other people as I’m talking to them. It’s a simple thing, but asking questions to learn about other people and their experiences is something I’ve always kept in my heart.” – Chase Alexander

“Tom modeled how everyone should treat other people. He was charismatic, funny, but more than anything he was kind. He always made it his first priority to make everyone feel loved and like they belonged. Being in his presence brightened your day and it made you want to pass on the kindness you received from him to others. He was a role model of how a person should be and we should all strive to treat others the way Tom treated everyone he met.” – Chloe Alexander

His brother Steve has perhaps the most profound statement about this loss: “This was not part of the plan.”

Tom is survived by his wife and son, Jodi and Patrick Alexander, his parents, Frank and Patsy Alexander; his brother and sister-in-law Steven and Cami Coe Alexander; his nieces and nephews, their spouses and his great-niece, Chase, Caroline and Noelle Alexander and Chloe Alexander and Travis Dale; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law and nephews Greg Zekowski, Julian Ford, Maximilian, Louis and Harrison Zekowski; his sister-in-law, her fiancé and niece Jill Zekowski, Norm Kehoe and Rachel Zekowski; sister-in-law and brother-in-law and niece Jeane, Chris and Naomi Champion; and legions of other family and friends, who will all strive to carry forward Tom’s enduring love and light.

There will be a celebration of Tom’s life at the Garry Marshall Theatre in Burbank, CA on Saturday, October 1at 6:30 pm.

In lieu of flowers, Jodi and Patrick ask that you honor Tom with a donation to NPR’s KPCC in Pasadena. His love of the Science Friday program makes this an especially relevant honorarium.

Really, it’s not a wrap. It’s just a hiatus. We will see him again.