Tom Cat

Thomas “Tom” Cat is the main character and protagonist in the Tom and Jerry franchise along with his long-time rival, Jerry Mouse. He is a blue/grey anthropomorphic domestic short-haired cat who first appeared in the 1940 animated short Puss Gets the Boot. Tom was originally known as "Jasper" during his debut in that short, however, beginning from his next appearance in The Midnight Snack and onwards, he is known as "Tom" or "Thomas".

Tom and Jerry cartoons
His full name "Tom Cat" is based on "tomcat", a phrase which refers to male cats. He is very rarely heard speaking with the exception of a few cartoons (such as the Tom and Jerry Tales episode "League of Cats") and Tom and Jerry: The Movie. His only notable vocal sounds outside of this are his various screams whenever he is subject to pain or panic. He is continuously after Jerry, for whom he sets traps, many of which backfire and cause damage to him rather than Jerry. Tom very rarely sets out to eat Jerry, but only to hurt or compete with him, going to great lengths in order to just strategically taunt Jerry (even as revenge), rather than the stereotype of a predatory cat and mouse pairing. However, Tom is shown to get along with Jerry, let alone bonding secretly with each other in terms of their friendship in reality over a mutual sentiment towards an unpleasant experience. Multiple times, the story will start with him having nothing against Jerry, and is merely chasing him out of fear of receiving abuse at the hands of his owner if he doesn't do his job as a cat.

Personality
Tom's personality has changed remarkably over the years, especially after the first episodes. For example, in his debut, he was quadrupedal and had normal cat intelligence. However, over the years (since the episode Dog Trouble), he has become almost completely bipedal and has superhuman level of intelligence. As a slapstick cartoon character, Tom has a superhuman level of elasticity. Tom is usually defeated (or very rarely, killed) with Jerry getting the best of him in the end, although there are some stories where he outwits, defeats, and gets the best of Jerry.

Anchors Aweigh and Dangerous When Wet
Tom and Jerry appeared together in the 1945 Technicolor Metro Goldwyn Mayer musical Anchors Aweigh where Tom briefly appears as a butler for Jerry, the latter who has a dance sequence with Gene Kelly, and also in another musical with the same studio Dangerous When Wet (1953), where, in a dream sequence, main character Katie Higgins does an underwater ballet with Tom and Jerry, as well as animated depictions of the different people in her life.

Voice actors

 * Clarence Nash: Vocal effects in the Hanna-Barbera era (1940–1941) (Archival recording from Disney Cartoons)
 * William Hanna: Vocal effects in the Hanna-Barbera era (1942–1958) shorts
 * Billy Bletcher: 1944–1945 shorts: The Bodyguard, The Zoot Cat, Quiet Please!
 * Stepin Fetchit: 1948 short: Mouse Cleaning
 * Daws Butler: 1956 short: Mucho Mouse (and a few others as well)
 * Allen Swift: Vocal effects in the Gene Deitch era (1961–1962) shorts
 * Mel Blanc: Vocal effects in the Chuck Jones era (1963–1967) shorts
 * Stan Freberg: 1964 short: The Cat Above and The Mouse Below
 * June Foray: 1965 short: Duel Personality
 * John Stephenson: The Tom and Jerry Show
 * Frank Welker: The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show, Tom & Jerry Kids
 * Richard Kind: Tom and Jerry: The Movie
 * Jeff Bennett: Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring
 * Bill Kopp: Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars, Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry, Tom and Jerry: Shiver Me Whiskers
 * Spike Brandt: 2005 short: The Karate Guard, Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory
 * Don Brown: Tom and Jerry Tales
 * Additionally, William Hanna, Mel Blanc, June Foray (archival recordings), and Frank Welker will all reprise their roles as Tom & Jerry in the upcoming 2021 film: Tom and Jerry.