LEA THOMPSON
Name: Lea Katherine Thompson
Born: 31 May 1961 Rochester, Minnesota
Lea Katherine Thompson (born May 31, 1961, in Rochester, Minnesota) is an
American actress and Television Director
Thompson studied dance as a girl, and would practice three to four hours every
day. She was dancing professionally by the age of 14. Lea then won scholarships
to several ballet schools, including The American Ballet Theatre and The San
Francisco Ballet. She danced with the The Minnesota Dance Theatre, The
Pennsylvania Ballet Company, and The Ballet Repertory.
She was informed by 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 the age of 20, and performed in a number
of Burger King ads in the 1980s along with Elisabeth Shue, her eventual co-star
in the Back to the Future movies.
Thompson's first significant movie role was in All the Right Moves (1983) with
Tom Cruise. 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; her character is mother of the main character played by Michael J. Fox.
She also starred in the movies Space Camp (1986) and Howard the Duck (1986),
both considered commercial flops (in the latter film she sang several songs on
the soundtrack in character as musician Beverley Switzer aka Cherry Bomb, and
these recordings appeared on both the soundtrack album and on singles credited
to "Dolby's Cube featuring Cherry Bomb). She did more movies Casual Sex?, Going
Undercover, The Wizard of Loneliness, a TV movie Montana and she did other TV
and movie works. She is also known for playing Alice Mitchell in the film
version of Dennis the Menace (1993). Lea was also seen in The Beverly
Hillbillies (1993).
Lea was nominated for a Cable ACE Award for her outstanding work in Nightbreaker,
and she has been a winner of the People's Choice Award. Lea also received
critical acclaim for her work with Farrah Fawcett in The Substitute Wife. Then
she went to star in several more TV movies The Unspoken Truth (1995), The Right
To Remain Silent (1996) and the popular Mini-Series, A Will of their Own (1998)
Thompson found critical and popular success as the star of the NBC sitcom
Caroline in the City from 1995-1999. After taking a break from acting, she went
on to star in broadway plays, then after about three years, she starred in
another TV series called For the People. The show only lasted one season. Then
starred in a TV movie called Stealing Christmas (2003) starring Tony Danza and
Betty White. After she starred 3 episodes of the highly rated show Ed.
In 2005, Thompson starred in 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. She also played a guest role in a 2004
episode of NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, playing a woman who had her
embryos stolen.
Thompson was a featured celebrity singer on Celebrity Duets and was the 2nd
contestant eliminated (Friday, Sept. 8, 2006). From 2007 through 2008, more Jane
Doe Series were released, two of which Lea directed: The Harder they Fall and
Eye of the Beholder. In April 2007 another TV movie, A Life Interrupted
premiered on Lifetime. It is about 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 may not have to suffer for years, as
she did. Other movies Lea has worked on which are wiating for release California
Dreaming, Senior Skip Day, Exit Speed, Doubting Thomas, and another TV movie
Final Approach being released on April 6th, 2008 on the Hallmark channel. She is
in-development of a new movie called "Balancing the Books" It might be released
in late 2008. In January 2008, She guest starred on the show Head Case
Name: Lea Katherine Thompson
Born: 31 May 1961 Rochester, Minnesota
Lea Katherine Thompson (born May 31, 1961, in Rochester, Minnesota) is an
American actress and Television Director
Thompson studied dance as a girl, and would practice three to four hours every
day. She was dancing professionally by the age of 14. Lea then won scholarships
to several ballet schools, including The American Ballet Theatre and The San
Francisco Ballet. She danced with the The Minnesota Dance Theatre, The
Pennsylvania Ballet Company, and The Ballet Repertory.
She was informed by 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 the age of 20, and performed in a number
of Burger King ads in the 1980s along with Elisabeth Shue, her eventual co-star
in the Back to the Future movies.
Thompson's first significant movie role was in All the Right Moves (1983) with
Tom Cruise. 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; her character is mother of the main character played by Michael J. Fox.
She also starred in the movies Space Camp (1986) and Howard the Duck (1986),
both considered commercial flops (in the latter film she sang several songs on
the soundtrack in character as musician Beverley Switzer aka Cherry Bomb, and
these recordings appeared on both the soundtrack album and on singles credited
to "Dolby's Cube featuring Cherry Bomb). She did more movies Casual Sex?, Going
Undercover, The Wizard of Loneliness, a TV movie Montana and she did other TV
and movie works. She is also known for playing Alice Mitchell in the film
version of Dennis the Menace (1993). Lea was also seen in The Beverly
Hillbillies (1993).
Lea was nominated for a Cable ACE Award for her outstanding work in Nightbreaker,
and she has been a winner of the People's Choice Award. Lea also received
critical acclaim for her work with Farrah Fawcett in The Substitute Wife. Then
she went to star in several more TV movies The Unspoken Truth (1995), The Right
To Remain Silent (1996) and the popular Mini-Series, A Will of their Own (1998)
Thompson found critical and popular success as the star of the NBC sitcom
Caroline in the City from 1995-1999. After taking a break from acting, she went
on to star in broadway plays, then after about three years, she starred in
another TV series called For the People. The show only lasted one season. Then
starred in a TV movie called Stealing Christmas (2003) starring Tony Danza and
Betty White. After she starred 3 episodes of the highly rated show Ed.
In 2005, Thompson starred in 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. She also played a guest role in a 2004
episode of NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, playing a woman who had her
embryos stolen.
Thompson was a featured celebrity singer on Celebrity Duets and was the 2nd
contestant eliminated (Friday, Sept. 8, 2006). From 2007 through 2008, more Jane
Doe Series were released, two of which Lea directed: The Harder they Fall and
Eye of the Beholder. In April 2007 another TV movie, A Life Interrupted
premiered on Lifetime. It is about 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 may not have to suffer for years, as
she did. Other movies Lea has worked on which are wiating for release California
Dreaming, Senior Skip Day, Exit Speed, Doubting Thomas, and another TV movie
Final Approach being released on April 6th, 2008 on the Hallmark channel. She is
in-development of a new movie called "Balancing the Books" It might be released
in late 2008. In January 2008, She guest starred on the show Head Case