Thomas Fitzsimmons

Real-life private investigator and celebrity bodyguard, Thomas Fitzsimmons didn't need to go to the public library, interview participants, or hire a team of high-priced researchers to write gritty New York stories. For Fitzsimmons, a former New York City police officer, NBC television personality, Ford Model, and soap-opera/TV commercial actor, business associate and friend to some of the country's rich and famous, it was as simple as recalling his life. Fitzsimmons grew up in an Irish, Bronx, New York, neighborhood in a family of career cops. After high school, he joined the Navy and pulled sea duty aboard a guided missile cruiser on its way to Vietnam. The wartime experiences kindled a civic spirit in Fitzsimmons, who, upon being honorably discharged, joined the New York City Police Department. During a career that spanned 10 years in the precinct dramatized in Paul Newman's "Fort Apache-The Bronx," Fitzsimmons notched numerous arrests collaring armed robbers, drug kingpins, and arsonists. Fitzsimmons's heroics were brought to the attention of talent scout Joey Hunter, who was the president of the Men's Division for the Ford Modeling Agency. The Ford executive convinced Fitzsimmons that he had a future in the TV/modeling industries. The young cop soon filled his off-duty hours with modeling assignments, which eventually led to an audition with NBC-TV for a position as an on-camera personality and co-host for the magazine-format talk show, "Now." Success in the entertainment industry forced Fitzsimmons to choose between law enforcement or a glamorous, new lifestyle. The decision was tough, but Fitzsimmons never looked back. The actor/writer won the coveted TV assignment with NBC, and, although the show was eventually canceled, he soon became a top TV commercial actor and print model. As a rising star with the Ford Agency and the J. Michael Bloom Television Agency, he appeared in such soap operas as "One Life to Live" and "Texas" and served as a principal in more than 150 television commercials. Fitzsimmons also drew from his law enforcement experiences with the NYPD, as well as numerous federal and international police contacts, to become a top security consultant to A-list celebrities. A recognized security expert, he has appeared on shows such as "Good Morning America," "Geraldo Rivera" and "Montel Williams."