Before he became a household name for Two and a Half Men, Charlie Sheen had his breakout role in the revolutionary anti-war film Platoon (1986). With a stellar ensemble cast featuring Willem Dafoe and Johnny Depp, Hollywood star Tom Berenger also stole the show as battle-hardened Staff Sergeant Robert Barnes, receiving an Academy Award nomination and winning a Golden Globe.
Today, we’re taking a look at what Charlie's legendary co-star has been getting up to since the memorable ‘80s film was released – from blockbuster roles to what he’s said about his notorious co-star.
© Getty ImagesTom got his start on the hit soap opera One Life to Live
Early career
Born in 1949, Tom studied journalism before getting into acting, securing his first-ever major screen role as Tim Siegel in the soap opera One Life to Live (1968–2013). After portraying Butch Cassidy in the prequel film Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979), the actor went on to achieve critical acclaim for the beloved comedy-drama film The Big Chill (1983).
Starring alongside the likes of Glenn Close and Jeff Goldblum, the film became his biggest ensemble role prior to Platoon. “Each project is about craft and fun, and that only extends when you are not carrying [the film]," he told Influx Magazine. "You learn from everyone, each ensemble is different.”
© LightRocket via Getty ImagesFrom L-R: Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen and Tom Berenger on the set of Platoon, 1986
Platoon
Tom’s most notorious film role came as the brutal Staff Sergeant Robert “Bob” Barnes in Platoon (1986), the Oscar-winning anti-war film created by Vietnam veteran Oliver Stone. Serving as Chris Taylor’s (Charlie Sheen) Platoon Sergeant, Tom dazzled critics with his chilling performance as the ruthless leader; the film went on to score four Academy Awards and continues to be branded one of the most poignant war films of all time.
The actor likened the film to a “living monument” to the Vietnam War in a 1987 interview with Bobbie Wygant, later telling Keys Weekly that it was “a part he wanted to do”.
“Everyone thought it would be Willem Dafoe but really I wanted it,” he told the publication. “It wasn’t a big debate for me playing the bad sergeant because the role was so good”.
© Diamond Images/Getty ImagesTom during filming for Major League II in 1993
Reuniting with Charlie
The actor went on to reunite with Charlie Sheen in the popular sports comedy film Major League (1989) and its 1994 sequel, sharing with Cryptic Rock that doing comedy roles is a “nice break from the other stuff”.
Tom also shared a heartwarming story with The Hollywood Reporter about his reunion with Charlie, recalling how he once teased the then-21-year-old actor about the amount of luggage he brought to the Platoon set.
“‘We’re on location, you need to be able to do two suitcases and a carry-on bag,’” Tom remembered telling him. When the two crossed paths again on Major League, Charlie showed up with “a glove and his spikes and a little carry bag”.
“I go ‘where’s your luggage’ and he says “don’t need it. I remember what you said,’” he told the publication. “He was always a good listener. Which is probably why he is a real good actor.”
© FilmMagicTom posing at the Emmys in 2012 with his wife
Later career
Tom went on to star in the long-running Sniper film series, with his most recent appearance being in Sniper: Assassin's End (2020). The actor has also appeared in more Oscar-winning films like Inception (2010) and won an Emmy for his performance as Jim Vance in the Western miniseries Hatfields & McCoys (2012) opposite Kevin Costner.
Now 76 with a nearly 60-year career behind him, Tom has elected to take on more indie projects, telling the Joke Zero podcast that they’re “pretty much what I do now” and praising the co-stars of his 2024 comedy film Plan B. The Golden Globe winner also reportedly lives in sunny Beaufort, South Carolina with his wife Laura Moretti, after falling in love with the coastal area while filming The Big Chill.
