Thomas Ellis Gibson was born on July 3, 1962 in Charleston, South Carolina, as the youngest child of four to Charles M. and Beth Gibson. His mother was a social worker and his father was a progressive Democratic lawyer and state legislator. At a young age Thomas became interested in acting and his parents enrolled him in Little Theater School, and he went on to attend Bishop England High School. He went on to attend the College of Charleston, and after a year and a half there, he won a scholarship to the prestigious Juilliard School in their Drama Division. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 1985. He began his acting career at the age of ten when he took part in children's theater. Gibson performed and studied with the Footlight Players at the Dock Street Theater and starred in his first play in 1973. Six years later, Gibson attended the College of Charleston and interned at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. He was soon encouraged to apply to the famous Julliard School and ended up winning a scholarship to go there. He pursued his studies and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Gibson made his professional stage debut in 1985 in David Hare's A Map of the World. In 1992, he got his big break when asked to star in Far and Away (1992). He has also appeared on television in The Kennedys of Massachusetts (1990), Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City (1993) for PBS and in the NBC mini-series A Will of Their Own (1998).