Tom Conti performed in repertory theater in Glasgow, then went to England to pursue a stage career. He debuted on screen in Galileo (1975), but continued to focus on the stage, appearing only occasionally in films, notably his tour de force as a drunken poet in the title role of Reuben, Reuben (1983), for which he received a "Best Actor" Oscar nomination. On the stage he received a Tony for his role in Whose Life is it Anyway?