Tom Neal (1914-1972) was an American actor and amateur boxer. Neal's acting career ended in 1953. This was primarily due to the backlash surrounding an incident in which Neal had severely beaten actor Franchot Tone in a conflict over the affections of actress Barbra Payton (whose life was often embroiled in scandal). Neal apparently did not face criminal charges for the assault, but his career in show business was scuttled. In 1965, Tom Neal was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of his then-wife, which he claimed was an accident. He served 6 years in prison and was paroled.