Fred Thompson
Personal details
  • Born:
    • Birthday: 1942-08-19
    • Born Place: Sheffield, Alabama, U.S.
  • Deathday:

    2015-11-01

  • Also Known As:

    Fred Dalton Thompson, Senator Fred Thompson

Fred Thompson

Fred Dalton Thompson (August 19, 1942 – November 1, 2015) was an American politician, attorney, and actor who successfully navigated careers in Washington D.C. and Hollywood. After graduating from Vanderbilt Law School, Thompson's early career as an attorney led to his high-profile role as the chief minority counsel for the Senate Watergate Committee, where his questioning helped reveal the existence of the White House taping system. His acting career was unexpectedly launched after he was cast to play himself in the 1985 film Marie, based on a corruption case he had handled; this opened the door to numerous film roles in movies like The Hunt for Red October, Die Hard 2, and In the Line of Fire, where he often portrayed authoritative figures. He returned to politics to serve as a Republican U.S. Senator representing Tennessee from 1994 to 2003, and later ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. Thompson then resumed his acting career, taking on the memorable role of District Attorney Arthur Branch on the popular television series Law & Order and its spin-offs.

Person History