Born Sabino Thomas Gomez, Jr., July 10, 1905, in N.Y., Gomez began his acting career in the theater during the 1920s.
He made his first film Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror in 1942.
Gomez was the son of Sabino T. Gomez, whose parents had emigrated to the U.S. from Spain.
Thomas Gomez was the first Spanish-American to be nominated for an Oscar, when he received Best Supporting Actor nod for his performance in the 1947 film Ride the Pink Horse.
Directed by and starring Robert Montgomery, it was later used as the basis for an episode of the same name for the TV series Robert Montgomery Presents in which Gomez reprised his role.
His other film roles include Who Done It? (1942), Key Largo (1948), Force of Evil (1948), and The Conqueror (1956), starring John Wayne.
By the end of his career, Gomez had appeared in sixty films. His final film was Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970).
A frequent performer on TV in guest roles, Gomez also played notable stage roles, including one in the original Broadway run of A Man for All Seasons.
Gomez died on June 18, 1971 in Santa Monica, California from injuries sustained in a car accident. He was 65.