Tommy Flanagan, renowned for his role as Filip “Chibs” Telford in the Fox crime television series Sons of Anarchy, got into a terrible incident that caused him a permanent facial scar.
The Scottish actor grew up in a harsh part of Glasgow, Scotland, which included several unlawful activities, attacks, and robberies.
During the ’90s, when Tommy Flanagan was working as a DJ in a nightclub, a terrible life-threatening incident took place in his life. One night, when he was leaving the nightclub after work, a gang attacked him, causing him a permanent scar on his face.
In a podcast on the YouTube channel Inside of You, Flanagan himself revealed his incident by stating, “I went to a knife fight without a knife, and I end up looking like this, and they put holes in me.“
Furthermore, Flanagan got several severe wounds, causing more bleeding, but fortunately, he was immediately taken to the hospital, which saved his life.
While Tommy Flanagan appeared reluctant to share the injury he got during the incident, saying, “I’ll leave that for my memoirs, those little beautiful details,” he opened up about what caused it.
In the podcast, recalling the attackers’ words, he said they told him they had messed up with his brother by saying, “We’ve done your brother.” This made him angry, and in response, he fought them back.
The horrible incident further left Tommy Flanagan with a wound known as “Glasgow Grin” or “Glasgow Smile” caused by cutting the corners of a victim’s mouth up to the ears, leaving a scar in the shape of a smile.
The life-threatening incident made Tommy Flanagan pursue his career in acting!
Tommy Flanagan’s life took a positive turn after the terrible life-threatening incident. While in the hospital, his friend offered him the opportunity to join his theatre company.
Moreover, in the podcast, Flanagan shared that before the incident, he had never thought about acting, not even for a second. However, he decided to join his friend Bobby’s theatre later, eventually leading him to pursue his career in acting.
Well, his first television roles were Screen One (1992) and the Scottish fiction TV series Taggart (1993). Flanagan also worked in Scottish actor Robert Carlyle’s Raindog Theatre for over three years before debuting in the Hollywood industry with Mel Gibson’s movie Braveheart in 1995.
Likewise, with the success of Braveheart, Flanagan was also offered roles in several movies and TV series, including Face/Off, The Game, Sunset Strip, and Alien vs. Predator.
Due to his facial scars, Tommy was often cast as the villain and challenging character in the movies and series. He gained worldwide popularity for his role as Chibs in Seven seasons of Sons of Anarchy, where he didn’t need makeup for his character because of his trademark Glasgow smile.
In an interview with Vulture, Tommy Flanagan said that he got many offers in the movie world because of his scars, but it’s not about the scars anymore; they’re just ancient history now, and it’s just like a big wrinkle on his face.
Additional Information
- Tommy Flanagan was born as Thomas Flanagan on July 3, 1965, in Easterhouse, Glasgow, Scotland. He is the second child of four children.
- His sister Sue is a nurse at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland. Flanagan has a daughter with his third wife, Dina.
- Tommy Flanagan previously tied the knot with Rachel Flanagan and Jane Ford.
- He is famous for his roles in Gladiator, Peaky Blinders, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2. Tommy won the 2002 Copper Wing Award in the Phoenix Flim Festival for Best Ensemble Acting in Dead Dogs Lie.
