Tommy Smith was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and reared in Garland, Texas. He is not only a professional bodyguard but also an actor, boxer, and model. Tommy’s experience on screen has been diverse and includes a few movies, music videos and commercials. For example, he was in Halloween Kills (2021), Season 4 of Prison Break (2017), Episode 14 of Wild ‘N Out Season 13, a Freak Fa Zeek commercial in 1996 and an appearance in a 2018 Bodybulding.com advertisement. He also appeared in music videos with artists like Dorrough.
AMPS: What kind of sports did you play in school?
Tommy: Well, I started off playing soccer, but I got hurt so I decided to try something else. I started playing football and it was fun. I really enjoyed it and I played on defense. I got in trouble with the coaches because I was too rough and was hurting my teammates. I had a temper growing up and started getting into trouble at school; so, they told me to try boxing and mixed martial arts. And that was the perfect thing for me. It taught me discipline. I started back in 2014 and did that for about seven years. My record was 22-5.
AMPS: How did you go from boxing to a bodyguard?
Tommy: I got into a little trouble. It was small minor stuff, but with the things that I got into I could not even step foot on a college campus. I got my very first break at becoming a bodyguard at the comedy club Hyena’s in Dallas, Texas, with Tommy Davidson. I went to the show because I was a fan. Someone went on stage and slapped him. People were rushing the guy who was attacking him. Well, I knew this was my opportunity, so I ran back to my car to get my business cards. I introduced myself and told him if he ever needed my services to let me know. The same guy tried to come back on stage, and I took him down quick and hard and restrained him until the police came. Tommy Davidson was impressed which led to him hiring me and my boys to go on tour with him. After that, Lil Bootsie, whom I knew from back in the day because we grew up in Garfield, which is in South Baton Rouge, gave me an opportunity to become his bodyguard. He hired me as a bodyguard for his venue. He was popular in Dallas. In fact, Dallas was one of his biggest supporters following Baton Rouge, LA.
AMPS: Can you name a few of the celebrities for whom you have worked?
Tommy: A few of the bigger celebrities I have worked for are Waka Flocka Flame, Sade Adu, Erykah Badu and Bill Burr, just to name a few.
AMPS: How often are you on the road?
Tommy: I am on the road quite a bit. I am always traveling; every two weeks I am in a different city.
AMPS: What do you do to relax when you are not working?
Tommy: I like to draw and sketch. It is like a little piece of comfort to let my artwork present itself. I wanted to be a tattoo artist after high school. I love going to the movies. Movies kind of calm me down and help me escape reality. I love going to the gun range and working out as well.
AMPS: Tell us a little more about your passion for drawing?
Tommy: I used to watch a show called The Ink Master. I learned how to sketch from watching this show, mainly how to fade in using the right color scheme. And I used to make little 3D portraits which my daughter does now. She is a big painter. There is something about drawing art that just calms my nerves. I had a temper growing up, so I started drawing and doing water sketches to help with this.
AMPS: Why didn’t you go to art school and make a career out of it?
Tommy: Well, I received a scholarship with Prairie View A&M in art philosophy, but, like I said earlier, I got into a little trouble with the law and my scholarship got denied. So, I had to come up with a plan B and that was becoming a bodyguard.
AMPS: Looking back, what would you tell your younger self?
Tommy: I would tell myself to have patience.
