# Thomas Dekker (actor)
**Thomas Dekker** is an American actor, musician, singer, director, and producer, born in 1987 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is known for playing [John Connor](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-connor) in *[Terminator](https://www.edgepedia.org/terminator-franchise): The Sarah Connor Chronicles*, Adam Conant in *The Secret Circle*, and Zach in *Heroes*, and he began his career as a child actor in the mid-1990s.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0215281/) • [2](https://thetvdb.com/people/285861-thomas-dekker) He also writes and directs films and has recorded four electronic and alternative albums.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0215281/bio/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1987, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0215281/) |
| Start in acting | First national television commercial (as a singer) and a role on *The Young and the Restless* at age five, in 1993[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/thomas-dekker/) |
| Signature television role | John Connor in *Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles* (FOX, 2008–09, 31 episodes)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0215281/) |
| Voice work | Littlefoot in *The Land Before Time* sequels (singing voice in part V) and Fievel Mousekewitz in two *An American Tail* direct-to-video films[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/dekker-thomas-1987) |
| Awards | Four Young Artist Awards for television and voice-over roles[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/thomas-dekker/bio/3030057399/) |
| Music | Four albums written, recorded, and produced himself: *Psyanotic* (2008), *Equals Zero* (2014), *Into the Night* (2018), and *Tasma* (2021)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0215281/bio/) |
| Notable film | *Kaboom* (2010), the first film to receive the Queer Palm at the Cannes Film Festival[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/thomas-dekker/bio/3030057399/) |
## Early career
Born to a Welsh concert pianist mother and a Dutch-American opera singer father, Dekker traveled with his family as a child until they settled in Los Angeles when he was five.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/thomas-dekker/) Following his parents into performance, he was cast as a singer in his first national television commercial, a Huggies Pull-Ups spot, and made his small-screen debut on *The Young and the Restless* in 1993.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/thomas-dekker/) • [7](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/thomas-dekker)
A run of guest and recurring roles on popular 1990s series followed, including *Seinfeld*, *ER*, *The Nanny*, *Star Trek: Voyager*, and *7th Heaven*, before his first leading role in [John Carpenter](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-carpenter)'s 1995 film *[Village of the Damned](https://www.edgepedia.org/village-of-the-damned-1995-film)* opposite [Christopher Reeve](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher-reeve). Dekker has said that working on that film cemented his commitment to acting and drew him toward science fiction and genre work.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0215281/bio/)
His film debut came as Thomas Picard, one of Captain Jean-Luc Picard's sons, in *Star Trek: Generations* (1994).[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/thomas-dekker/) Concurrently, he began voice acting, most prominently as the voice of Littlefoot in the *The Land Before Time* sequels from part V through IX and as Fievel Mousekewitz in *An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island* and *An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster*.[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/dekker-thomas-1987) In 1997 he landed his first regular television role as Nick Szalinski on the syndicated *Honey, I Shrunk the Kids* (1997–2000), based on the 1989 film.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/thomas-dekker/)
## Terminator and the 2000s
**Music as a first passion.** Dekker began composing classical music at age 10, and after *Honey, I Shrunk the Kids* ended in 2000 he entered a home-school program that left more time for it.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/thomas-dekker/) He signed his first record deal at 15, then walked away after recording the first eight tracks, feeling his musical vision was not being honored by the label; he later built a home studio in [Palmdale, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/palmdale-california), where he wrote, produced, recorded, and mixed his first album, *Psyanotic*, blending classical training with an electronica sound.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/thomas-dekker/) He continued acting on series including *Boston Public*, *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation*, and *House*.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/thomas-dekker/)
In 2006 he guest-starred as Zach, best friend to [Hayden Panettiere](https://www.edgepedia.org/hayden-panettiere)'s Claire, on NBC's *Heroes*; the character was written for one episode but was extended to a run of about a dozen episodes.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/thomas-dekker/) Cast as John Connor in FOX's *Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles*, which debuted on January 13, 2008, he left *Heroes* to take the part, starring opposite [Lena Headey](https://www.edgepedia.org/lena-headey) and [Summer Glau](https://www.edgepedia.org/summer-glau) and continuing the role introduced by Edward Furlong in *Terminator 2: Judgment Day*.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/thomas-dekker/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0215281/) The series ran for 31 episodes through 2009, and its second season was for a time uncertain due in part to the 2007–08 writers' strike.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0215281/) • [4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/thomas-dekker/)
## Film and directing work
After *Terminator* ended, Dekker took lead roles in the cult film *All About Evil* with [Natasha Lyonne](https://www.edgepedia.org/natasha-lyonne), New Line's remake of *A Nightmare on Elm Street* (2010) as Jesse Braun, Gaby Dellal's *Angels Crest*, and [Gregg Araki](https://www.edgepedia.org/gregg-araki)'s *Kaboom*, co-starring [Haley Bennett](https://www.edgepedia.org/haley-bennett), Roxane Mesquida, and Juno Temple.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0215281/bio/) *Kaboom* was the first film to receive the Queer Palm award at Cannes for its contribution to LGBT presence in cinema.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/thomas-dekker/bio/3030057399/) He also played Lance Loud, oldest son of the family at the center of the 1973 PBS series *An American Family*, in HBO's *Cinema Verite* (2011), alongside Diane Lane, Tim Robbins, and James Gandolfini.[7](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/thomas-dekker)
On the CW's supernatural drama *The Secret Circle* (2011–12) he played the male lead, Adam Conant, and on FOX's crime series *Backstrom* (2015) he played Gregory Valentine, Rainn Wilson's underworld contact and roommate.[2](https://thetvdb.com/people/285861-thomas-dekker)As a filmmaker, Dekker wrote the screenplay for the expressionist drama *Whore* (2008), starring [Megan Fox](https://www.edgepedia.org/megan-fox) and Lena Headey, and wrote, produced, and directed the thriller *Jack Goes Home* (2016), a semi-autobiographical film starring [Rory Culkin](https://www.edgepedia.org/rory-culkin), Lin Shaye, and [Britt Robertson](https://www.edgepedia.org/britt-robertson) that premiered at SXSW.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0215281/bio/) • [8](https://www.fandango.com/people/thomas-dekker-1033942/film-credits) Later screen work includes *Body Brokers* (2021), the Roku Channel series *Swimming with Sharks* (2022), in which he played executive Travis Denton opposite Diane Kruger and Kiernan Shipka, and *Little Dixie* (2023) with Frank Grillo.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0215281/bio/) • [9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/thomas_dekker)
## Music and personal life
Dekker has released four albums to date, *Psyanotic* (2008), *Equals Zero* (2014), *Into the Night* (2018), and *Tasma* (2021), all written, recorded, performed, and produced by him.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0215281/bio/) He publicly came out as gay in 2017, saying in a later interview that he had known he was gay since his teens but felt constrained by his industry until turning 30, and he now releases music, such as the album *Serpentine*, and photoshoots through his own Patreon page.[10](https://www.pride.com/culture/interviews/thomas-dekker)
He married Jesse Haddock in April 2017.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0215281/)
## References
1. [Thomas Dekker (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0215281/)
2. [Thomas Dekker, TheTVDB](https://thetvdb.com/people/285861-thomas-dekker)
3. [Thomas Dekker Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0215281/bio/)
4. [Thomas Dekker – Actor, Singer, Director, Producer, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/thomas-dekker/)
5. [Dekker, Thomas 1987–, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/dekker-thomas-1987)
6. [Thomas Dekker Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/thomas-dekker/bio/3030057399/)
7. [Thomas Dekker, Interview Magazine, March 21, 2011](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/thomas-dekker)
8. [Thomas Dekker Filmography and Movies, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/thomas-dekker-1033942/film-credits)
9. [Thomas Dekker Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/thomas_dekker)
10. [Thomas Dekker is stripping down in his sexy new photoshoots & music videos, Pride.com](https://www.pride.com/culture/interviews/thomas-dekker)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames D to Di*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license