Tom Tayback

Tom Tayback (born Thomas Najeeb Tabback, February 4, 1951) is a California-born actor, entertainer, broadcaster, national voice-over artist, former baseball draft choice, athletic strength trainer, world-class powerlifter, police officer, U.S. Army Paratrooper veteran and business owner. After being drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1970, his baseball career was derailed when he was also drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. After jump school, he ended up at Fort Bragg, NC as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. This is where he was assigned to the Provost Marshal as a Military Police Investigator and took up weightlifting. Upon leaving the Army, from 1973 to 1981, he settled in with the Phoenix Police Department. From 1981 to 1986 Tayback ran a training facility in Scottdale, Arizona for university and professional athletes. In 1986 he founded the Sportstar Nutritional Supplement line and sold it to a St Louis pharmaceutical firm in 1991. During this time he also pursued a performing desire by producing and starring in The Tom Tayback Show. Upon selling "Sportstar" Tayback decided to move back to California and follow in his uncle Vic Tayback’s (Mel in the Alice TV show on CBS) footsteps as an actor. After five years of roles in Hollywood movies, TV shows, and commercials he moved back to Arizona where he bought the KAZM radio station and became an award-winning on-air personality. In the meantime, he put together the Graffiti Gold Show - Vegas-style entertainment with an oldies band with Tayback handling lead vocals and telling nostalgic stories. This continued until late 2019.
Early life
Tayback was born and grew up in the San Fernando Valley area of Southern California. He spent a great deal of time in sports including Baseball.
Baseball
While attending Taft High School, Tayback played football and baseball. On the varsity baseball team he played alongside Larry Yount and his brother Robin Yount (2 time American League MVP - Hall of Fame). He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals as a pitcher. In the Winter of 1970, he was playing in the MLB instructional league before getting drafted.
Military career
Tayback was part of the US Army Paratrooper, 18th Airborne Corps, 82nd Airborne Division. Worked undercover operations with Department of Defense Credentials, attached directly to the Provost Marshall at Fort Bragg, NC. This included liaison operations with the CIA, FBI, BNDD (DEA), and Secret Service.
Powerlifting
While in the Army and later with the Phoenix Police Department, Tayback became an avid Powerlifter. He became the Arizona State Champion for several years, a nationally ranked competitor with the United States Powerlifting Federation, and ultimately listed as one of the 10 strongest men in the world. HI stop lift included an 804 pound squat, 500-pound bench press and 785-pound deadlift. He left powerlifter in 1983, but continues to this day.
TV career
From 1990 to 1991, Tayback produced and hosted his own syndicated TV show on KUTP in Phoenix An entertainment, titled the Tom Tayback Show. Guests included James Doohan (Scotty in Star Trek), Jamie Farr (Clinger in M.A.S.H.), Ben Johnson (Pepper in Chisum), Ed Asner (Lou Grant), Tony award winner Ray Walston, boxer Michael Carbajal, Susan Dey (L.A. Law), Leslie Easterbrook (Police Academy), and many more.
Acting
Much like his uncle, Vic Tayback, Tayback had an acting career where he had roles in commercials, TV shows and movies. In 1993 he guest-starred in the premiere episode of the New Route 66 for NBC. In 1994 he guest starred in one of the most replayed episodes of Rescue 911, hosted by William Shatner for CBS. Also, 1994 found him starring as a body-snatching alien for New Line Cinema Productions in the motion picture sequel Hidden II - The Spawning. In 1995 he starred as Homicide Detective Sergeant Gold in “Undercover” (with Meg Foster and Jeffrey Dean Morgan) for Axis Films International. In 1996 Tayback starred as Mark Peers, who signed Jimi Hendrix to his first recording contract in “Jimi”. And also in 1996, he starred in the title role as “Grizzly Adams and The Legend of Dark Mountain” (with Joseph Campanella, Mickey Jones and Lindsay Bloom).
Filmography
*The Hidden II (1993, as Colton)
*Undercover Heat (1995, as Sergeant Gold)
*Jimi (1996, as Mark Peers)
*Grizzly Adams and the Legend of Dark Mountain (1999, as Grizzly Adams)
Radio
Tayback owns am780 KAZM - Sedona, AZ, which he changed to News/Talk/Sports and affiliated it with ESPN, the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix Suns and Arizona Coyotes. Additionally, the station adopted a full-service role with award winning local shows, including “Chick Chat” hosted by his wife Robinette, and “Sports Talk” hosted by his son Mike, along with a Monday-Friday daily morning show co-hosted with both. A true family operation.

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