Rob Garrison

Robert Scott Garrison (January 23, 1960 – September 27, 2019) was an American actor, best known for his role as Tommy in the 1984 film The Karate Kid, and the second season of its spinoff Cobra Kai.

Rob Garrison
Garrison as Tommy in Cobra Kai
Born	Robert Scott Garrison January 23, 1960 Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S.
Died	September 27, 2019 (aged 59) Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S.
Alma mater	Ohio University
Years active	1977–2019
Known for	The Karate Kid Cobra Kai

Garrison started his acting career in the 1970s, and continued steadily over the 1980s and 1990s. He acted in Brubaker (1980), Iron Eagle (1986), and The Karate Kid (1984). He also had roles in the television shows Coach, St Elsewhere, MacGyver, and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.

Biography

Garrison was born on January 23, 1960 and raised in Wheeling, West Virginia.[1] He first became involved in acting at Wheeling Park High School, and also had a small role in Starship Invasions (1977)[2] before graduating in 1978.[3] He then studied theater at Ohio University on a full scholarship, and received a small role as a convict in Robert Redford's prison film Brubaker (1980).[3] After graduating from Ohio University in 1982, he was cast as Tommy in the 1984 film The Karate Kid, although both he and William Zabka tried out for the role of Johnny.[3][4] Garrison reprised this role during the 2019 Season 2 Netflix web series Cobra Kai.[5][6][7][8] His Karate Kid character Tommy is remembered for delivering the line "Get him a body bag, yeah!" during the climactic fight between Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso and Zabka's Johnny Lawrence in the original Karate Kid film.[9] He later stated that the line, heard while his character is offscreen, was not a part of the original script: "My famous line, I never said that while filming. I looped that in two months later. I was in the recording booth with John [Avildsen] and he said he needed two seconds of something. I said, 'Get him a body bag!' on the first try. John said 'That's going to be a classic. You'll never be forgotten because of that line.'"[10][3]

Garrison continued his acting career over the 1980s and 1990s, appearing in films such as The Karate Kid Part II (cameo) (1986) and Iron Eagle (1986).[11][2] He also had roles in the television shows Coach, St Elsewhere, MacGyver and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.[7][8]

In the later part of his life, acting was no longer his full time work.[3] He acted in the No More Kings 2007 music video (that parodied The Karate Kid), Sweep the Leg,[12][13]The Pledge (2011) and the short film titled The Static released in 2016.[11] He interacted with his fans via social media, where he expressed his desire to act in the third season of the YouTube Originals series Cobra Kai.[11] Cobra Kai series is based on the adult lives of the characters in The Karate Kid, and takes place decades after the timeline of the original movie.[2][14] Season 2 of Cobra Kai, in which he reprised the role of Tommy, was his last performance.[4][2]

Later years and death

Garrison, who never married, left everything to his son Tony Messina as they returned to his hometown of Wheeling in 2004 and retired from full-time acting. In 2008, he went to work in management for Pittsburgh-based Eat n Park Hospitality Group, which operates 60 Eat'n Park restaurant locations in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. He continued to work for the company until his death.

Garrison continued acting on stage in local theatre productions in Wheeling until his health began to fail him. He had been in ill health at the time he reprised his role as Tommy from Cobra Kai, and it would be his last. Garrison died on September 27, 2019, at the age of 59.[1][2] He had been admitted to a West Virginia hospital for treatment of kidney and liver issues, where he had been hospitalized for a month until his organs shut down.[4]

Filmography

Film
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1977	Starship Invasions	Suicide Crewman	[4]
1979	Search and Destroy	R.J.
1979	Lost and Found	Ed Connally
1980	Brubaker	Pretty Boy	[2]
1984	The Karate Kid	Tommy	[4]
1984	Best Revenge	Eddie
1986	Iron Eagle	Packer	[4]
1986	The Karate Kid Part II	Tommy	[4]
1988	Human Error
1990	Hollywood Hot Tubs 2: Educating Crystal	Billy Dare
2011	The Pledge	Pat Kern	[11]
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1986	St. Elsewhere	Bomber	1 episode[9]
1987	MacGyver	Patrol Officer	1 episode[4]
1988	Tour of Duty	Lt. Biggs	1 episode[15]
1989	Columbo	Young Man	1 episode[4]
1990	Coach	Insurance Salesman	1 episode[4]
1995	Kung Fu: The Legend Continues	Sheriff Blaine	1 episode[11]
2019	Cobra Kai	Tommy	1 episode (final acting role)[4]
Music Video
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007	Sweep the Leg	Tommy	by No More Kings[12][13]

References

1. "Robert Scott Garrison: Kepner Funeral Homes Burke Chapel Obituary". Legacy.com. September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
2. France, Lisa. "Rob Garrison, 'Karate Kid' actor, dead at 59". CNN. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
3. Ayres, Eric (December 5, 2014). "Stage Is Home to Garrison". The Intelligencer and Wheeling News Register. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
4. Wheat, Lorraine (September 27, 2019). "'The Karate Kid' Actor Rob Garrison Dies at 59". Variety. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
5. Garrison, Rob (April 25, 2019). "Rob Garrison@therobgarrison". Twitter. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
6. Topel, Fred (April 27, 2019). "'Cobra Kai' Season 2: About That 'Karate Kid' Reunion in Episode 6…". /Film. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
7. Evans, Greg (September 27, 2019). "Robert Garrison Dies: 'The Karate Kid' Actor Was 59". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
8. "R.I.P. 'Karate Kid' Star Robert Garrison Dies After Long Health Battle". Radar Online. September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
9. Blistein, Jon (September 27, 2019). "Rob Garrison, Actor Who Played Tommy in 'The Karate Kid,' Dead at 59". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
10. Prewitt, Alex (May 1, 2018). "The Crane Kick Is Bogus: A Karate Kid Oral History". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
11. "What the Karate Kid Cast Looks Like Today". Marvel Movies. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
12. Frye, Cory (March 10, 2018). "Of Being and Johnny Lawrence (Sweep the Leg)". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
13. Strauss, Chris (October 9, 2014). "'Karate Kid' villain Billy Zabka is still best friends with the Cobra Kais". USA Today. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
14. Kiefer, Hallie. "Rob Garrison, Karate Kid Actor, Dead at 59". Vulture. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
15. Bicks, Emily (September 27, 2019). "Rob Garrison Cause of Death: How Did the 'Karate Kid' Star Die?". Heavy.com. Retrieved September 28, 2019.

External links

• Rob Garrison at IMDb
• Rob Garrison on LinkedIn