Lea Thompson

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Lea Thompson

Born Lea Katherine Thompson
May 31, 1961 (1961-05-31) (age 47)
Rochester, Minnesota
Spouse(s) Howard Deutch (1989-present)

Lea Katherine Thompson (born May 31, 1961, in Rochester, Minnesota) is an American actress and director.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Thompson was born the daughter of Cliff and Barbara Thompson (a singer and musician).[1] She studied dance as a girl and would practice three to four hours every day. She was dancing professionally by the age of 14.[2] She won scholarships to several ballet schools, including the American Ballet Theatre, the San Francisco Ballet and the Pennsylvania Ballet. Thompson danced in more than 45 ballets with the American Ballet Theatre. She also danced with the Pennsylvania Ballet, the Minnesota Dance Theatre and the Ballet Repertory.

Thompson was told by Mikhail Baryshnikov that she was "too stocky." Due to this (as well as some small nagging injuries), she decided to give up dancing in favor of an acting career. She moved to New York at age 20 and performed in a number of Burger King advertisements in the 1980s along with Elisabeth Shue, her eventual co-star in Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III.[2]

[edit] Career

[edit] Film and television

Thompson's first significant film roles came in 1983, with Jaws 3-D and All the Right Moves. That was followed by Red Dawn (1984) and The Wild Life (1984). Her most famous role was that of Lorraine Baines McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy, the first of the three films being released in 1985. Thompson's character is the mother of Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox.

In 1986, Thompson starred in SpaceCamp and Howard the Duck. For the latter film, she sang several songs on the soundtrack, in character, as musician Beverley Switzer, a.k.a. "Cherry Bomb." The recordings appeared on both the soundtrack album and on singles. Rounding out film appearances in the late 1980s, Thompson starred in Some Kind of Wonderful, Casual Sex?, Going Undercover and The Wizard of Loneliness. She also had a prominent role in the 1989 TV movie Nightbreaker, for which she was nominated for a CableACE Award. In the early 1990s, Thompson starred in Dennis the Menace (1993), The Beverly Hillbillies (1993) and The Little Rascals (1994). She also appeared in several TV movies throughout the 90s, such as The Substitute Wife (1994), The Unspoken Truth (1995) and The Right To Remain Silent (1996).

Thompson found moderate critical and popular success as the star of the NBC sitcom Caroline in the City, from 1995-1999. In 1996, Thompson received a People's Choice Award for "Favorite Female Performer in a New TV Series."[3]

After a break from acting, Thompson went on to star in several Broadway plays. She later appeared in a TV series called For The People, which only lasted one season. Then came a TV movie, Stealing Christmas (2003), starring Tony Danza and Betty White. Thompson also appeared in several episodes of the dramedy series Ed and in a guest role for one episode in 2004 on NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; she played a woman whose embryos were stolen.

In 2005, Thompson began a series of made-for-TV movies for the Hallmark Channel, in which she plays "Jane Doe," an ex-secret agent turned housewife, who helps the government solve mysteries. Thompson directed two films from the Jane Doe series - Jane Doe: The Harder They Fall and Jane Doe: Eye of the Beholder. She is currently attached to direct the feature film The Swingin' Sounds of Jack Amsterdam, which is set to be released in 2009.

Thompson was a featured singer on Celebrity Duets and the second contestant eliminated in 2006. Over the next two years, more of her Jane Doe films were released, two of which Thompson directed - The Harder they Fall and Eye of the Beholder.

In April 2007, another TV movie, A Life Interrupted, premiered on Lifetime Television. It concerns a rape survivor, who overcomes her debilitating fear by working to get funding to process the terrible backlog of rape kits processed, so that other women will not have to suffer for years as she did.

Thompson guest-starred on the show Head Case in January 2008. She appeared in the TV movie Final Approach, which debuted in the U.S. on May 24, 2008.[4] She also stars in the upcoming films Exit Speed, Doubting Thomas and Balancing the Books.

[edit] Stage work

  • Bus Stop, Pasadena Playhouse, Pasadena, CA, c. 1990
  • Sally Bowles, Cabaret (musical), Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54 Theatre, New York City, 2000
  • The Vagina Monologues, Canon Theatre, Beverly Hills, CA, 2001
  • "They're Playing Our Song" (musical; staged reading), L.A. Reprise!, Los Angeles, 2002
  • Appeared in Charlie Bacon's Family, John Drew Theater, East Hampton, NY; The Illusion, Los Angeles *Theatre Center, Los Angeles; LongTime Coming, Powerhouse Theatre; and The Trip Back Down, Actors Repertory Theatre.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Film

[edit] Television

  • Final Approach (TV movie, 2008) - Alicia Bender
  • Jane Doe: Eye of the Beholder (TV movie, 2008) - Cathy Davis/Jane Doe
  • A Life Interrupted (TV movie, 2007) - Debbie Smith
  • Jane Doe: How to Fire Your Boss (TV movie, 2007) - Cathy Davis/Jane Doe
  • Jane Doe: Ties That Bind (TV movie, 2007) - Cathy Davis/Jane Doe
  • Jane Doe: The Harder They Fall (TV movie, 2006) - Cathy Davis/Jane Doe
  • Jane Doe: Yes, I Remember It Well (TV movie, 2006) - Cathy Davis/Jane Doe
  • Jane Doe: The Wrong Face (TV movie, 2005) - Cathy Davis/Jane Doe
  • Jane Doe: Til Death Do Us Part (TV movie, 2005) - Cathy Davis/Jane Doe
  • Jane Doe: Now You See it, Now You Don't (TV movie, 2005) - Cathy Davis/Jane Doe
  • Jane Doe: Vanishing Act (TV movie, 2005) - Cathy Davis/Jane Doe
  • Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (TV series, one episode, 2004) "Birthright" - Michelle Osborne
  • Ed (TV series, three episodes, 2004) - "Pressure Points," "Hidden Agendas," "Back in the Saddle" - Liz Stevens
  • Stealing Christmas (TV movie, 2003) - Sarah Gibson
  • For The People (TV series, 2002-03) - Chief Dep. Dist. Atty. Camille Paris
  • Caroline in the City (TV series, 97 episodes, 1995-99) - Caroline Duffy
  • A Will of Their Own (TV mini-series, 1998) - Amanda Steward
  • The Right To Remain Silent (TV movie, 1996) - Christine Paley
  • Friends (TV series, one episode, 1995) "The One with the Baby on the Bus" - Caroline Duffy
  • The Unspoken Truth (TV movie, 1995) - Brianne Hawkins
  • The Substitute Wife (TV movie, 1994) - Amy Hightower
  • Stolen Babies (TV movie, 1993) - Annie Beales
  • Montana (TV movie, 1990) - Peg Guthrie
  • Tales from the Crypt (TV series, one episode, 1989) "Only Sin Deep" - Sylvia Vane
  • Nightbreaker (TV movie, 1989) - Sally Matthews

[edit] Personal life

  • Thompson is married to film director Howard Deutch. She first met Deutch on the set of Some Kind of Wonderful. They have two daughters, Madeline and Zoey. Thompson had previously been engaged to Dennis Quaid, her Jaws 3-D co-star.
  • Thompson has a brother, Andrew Thompson, who made a successful career with the Colorado Ballet. They both took ballet classes in their youth and he even helped her pay for classes. She also has a sister, Colleen Thompson, who is an actress as well.[1]

[edit] Further reading

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b http://www.filmreference.com/film/12/Lea-Thompson.html
  2. ^ a b http://movies.nytimes.com/person/70717/Lea-Thompson
  3. ^ http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/Lea_Thompson/191053
  4. ^ http://www.tvguide.com/news/lea-thompson-approach/080523-02

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Thompson, Lea
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Thompson, Lea Katherine
SHORT DESCRIPTION American actress of film and theatre, and director of several television series and made-for-TV movies.
DATE OF BIRTH May 31, 1961
PLACE OF BIRTH Rochester, Minnesota
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH