John Douglas Thompson

Last updated
John Douglas Thompson
Born1964 (age 5960)
Education Le Moyne College (BA)
Brown University (MFA)
Occupation Actor

John Douglas Thompson (born 1964) is an English-American actor. He is a Tony Award nominee and the recipient of two Drama Desk Awards, two Obie Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Lucille Lortel Award.

Contents

The New York Times critic Ben Brantley described Thompson as "one of the most compelling classical stage actors of his generation". [1]

Early life and education

Thompson was born in Bath, England, to Jamaican parents, and was raised in Montreal, Quebec, and then Rochester, NY. [2] [3] He graduated from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York in 1985, where he studied marketing and business. [4] In the early 1990s he worked as a traveling computer salesman in New England. After losing his job, Thompson decided to pursue acting and enrolled at the Brown University/Trinity Repertory Company program in Providence, Rhode Island. [5]

Career

Thompson began appearing in a variety of lead and supporting roles across New England, most notably at the American Repertory Theater and Shakespeare and Company, [3] also giving his first performance as Othello at the Trinity Repertory Company prior to attaining critical success in New York. [6]

In 2005, he made his Broadway debut, opposite Denzel Washington, as Flavius in Julius Caesar , and later played Le Bret in the 2007 Broadway production of Cyrano de Bergerac , alongside Jennifer Garner and Kevin Kline.

Thompson had a breakout year in 2009, garnering critical acclaim for playing the titular roles in the Off-Broadway productions of Othello and The Emperor Jones , with The New York Times stating "There may be no better classical actor working in the New York theater right now". [7] He won a Lucille Lortel Award and an Obie Award for his performance in Othello, and received a Drama Desk Award nomination for The Emperor Jones.

He starred opposite Kate Mulgrew as Antony in a regional production of Antony and Cleopatra in Hartford, Connecticut in 2010, [8] and played Joe Mott in a 2012 production of The Iceman Cometh in Chicago with Nathan Lane and Brian Dennehy. [9] Also in 2012, Thompson appeared in The Bourne Legacy in the minor role of Lt. Gen. Paulsen.

Thompson received rave reviews for originating the role of Louis Armstrong and other characters in the 2014 Off-Broadway production of the one-actor play Satchmo at the Waldorf, which he reprised at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. [10] [11] He received a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award for his solo performance.

In 2014, he played the titular role in the Off-Broadway production of Tamburlaine, Parts I and II, and reprised his performance as Joe Mott in the 2015 New York transfer of the Chicago production of The Iceman Cometh. Thompson won a second Obie Award for his performance in both plays, and was presented with a special Drama Desk Award in the same year for "invigorating theater in New York through his commanding presence, classical expertise, and vocal prowess". [12]

In 2018, Thompson appeared in the role of The Starkeeper in Broadway's Carousel, Imperial Theatre, New York, alongside Joshua Henry, Jessie Mueller, and Renee Fleming. [13]

In addition to his theater work, Thompson has appeared on television in Law & Order , Law & Order: SVU and Conviction . He also appeared in the short film Midway and the legal drama Michael Clayton . He appears as Dr. Mitchell in the 2020 HBO MAX film Let Them All Talk directed by Steven Soderbergh.

In the 2022 film Till , Thompson plays Emmett Till's Mississippi uncle Mose Wright; his performance was singled out by Oscar nominee Andrea Riseborough as the one "from the past year you’ve been especially moved by". [14]

Selected stage work

YearProductionRoleNotes
2005 Julius Caesar Flavius, ensemble Belasco Theatre, Broadway; Broadway debut.
2007 Cyrano de Bergerac Le Bret Richard Rodgers Theatre, Broadway.
2009 Othello Othello The Duke on 42nd Street, Off-Broadway.
The Emperor Jones Brutus Jones Irish Repertory Theatre, Off-Broadway.
2010 Antony and Cleopatra Mark Antony Hartford Stage, Connecticut [8]
2012 The Iceman Cometh Joe Mott Goodman Theatre, Chicago. [9]
2013 A Time to Kill Carl Lee Hailey John Golden Theatre, Broadway
2014 Satchmo at the Waldorf Louis Armstrong, Joe Glaser Westside Theatre, Off-Broadway; Also played minor role of Miles Davis.
Tamburlaine, Parts I and II Tamburlaine Theatre for a New Audience, Off-Broadway. [15]
2015 The Iceman Cometh Joe Mott Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York; Transfer of 2012 Chicago production. [16]
2016 A Doll's House/The Father Torvald/The Captain Theatre for a New Audience, Off-Broadway; Played in repertory. [17]
2017 Jitney Jim Becker Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Broadway.
Julius Caesar Cassius Delacorte Theater, New York; Shakespeare in the Park.
2018 Carousel The Starkeeper Imperial Theatre, Broadway.
2019 King Lear Earl of Kent Cort Theatre, Broadway.
2022 The Merchant of Venice Shylock Theatre for a New Audience, off-Broadway. [18]
2023 Endgame Hamm Irish Repertory Theatre, New York City
Hamlet Claudius Delacorte Theater, New York; Shakespeare in the Park.
Inherit the Wind Matthew Harrison Brady Pasadena Playhouse

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
2009 Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Othello Nominated
Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Lead ActorWon
Obie Award PerformanceWon
2010 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actor in a Play The Emperor Jones Nominated
Drama League Award Distinguished PerformanceNominated
Lucille Lortel AwardOutstanding Lead ActorNominated
2014 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Solo Performance Satchmo at the Waldorf Won
Drama League Award Distinguished PerformanceNominated
Outer Critics Circle AwardOutstanding Solo PerformanceWon
Lucille Lortel AwardOutstanding Solo ShowNominated
2015 Drama Desk Award Special AwardHonouree
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance The Iceman Cometh and Tamburlaine, Parts I and II Nominated
Obie AwardPerformanceWon
2017 Tony Award Best Featured Actor in a Play Jitney Nominated
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Nominated
New York Drama Critics' Circle Special Citation Honouree
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance A Doll's House/The Father and Jitney Nominated
2018 Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Julius Caesar Nominated
2022 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actor in a Play The Merchant of Venice Nominated
2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series The Gilded Age Pending

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Lane</span> American actor (born 1956)

Nathan Lane is an American actor. Since 1975, he has been seen on stage and screen in both comedic and dramatic roles. Lane has received numerous awards, including three Tony Awards, six Drama Desk Awards, two Obie Awards, the Olivier Award, three Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Lane received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2010, The New York Times hailed Lane as "the greatest stage entertainer of the decade".

<i>A Lie of the Mind</i>

A Lie of the Mind is a play written by Sam Shepard, first staged at the off-Broadway Promenade Theater on 5 December 1985. The play was directed by Shepard himself with stars Harvey Keitel as Jake, Amanda Plummer as Beth, Aidan Quinn as Frankie, Geraldine Page as Lorraine, and Will Patton as Mike. The music was composed and played by the North Carolina bluegrass group the Red Clay Ramblers.

The Iceman Cometh is a play written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill in 1939. First published in 1946, the play premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 9, 1946, directed by Eddie Dowling, where it ran for 136 performances before closing on March 15, 1947. It has subsequently been adapted for the screen multiple times. The work tells the story of a number of alcoholic dead-enders who live together in a flop house above a saloon and what happens to them when the most outwardly "successful" of them embraces sobriety and reveals that he has been on the run after murdering his "beloved" wife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Morse</span> American actor (born 1953)

David Bowditch Morse is an American actor. He first came to national attention as Dr. Jack "Boomer" Morrison in the medical drama series St. Elsewhere (1982–88). His film career has included roles in The Negotiator, The Good Son, Horns, Contact, The Green Mile, Dancer in the Dark, Disturbia, The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Rock and 12 Monkeys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George C. Wolfe</span> American playwright

George Costello Wolfe is an American playwright and director of theater and film. He won a Tony Award in 1993 for directing Angels in America: Millennium Approaches and another Tony Award in 1996 for his direction of the musical Bring in 'da Noise/Bring in 'da Funk. He served as Artistic Director of The Public Theater from 1993 until 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Pendleton</span> American actor

Austin Campbell Pendleton is an American actor, playwright, theatre director, and instructor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Emerson</span> American actor (born 1954)

Michael Emerson is an American actor who is best known for his roles as Benjamin Linus on Lost (2006–2010) and as Harold Finch in the CBS series Person of Interest (2011–2016). Other prominent roles include Zep Hindle in the horror film Saw (2004) and the recurring role of Cayden James on Arrow (2017–2018). He currently stars as Dr. Leland Townsend in the Paramount+ thriller series Evil (2019–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Copeland</span> American actress (1922–2022)

Joan Maxine Kupchik, known professionally as Joan Copeland, was an American actress. She was the younger sister of playwright Arthur Miller. She began her career during the mid-1940s, appearing in theatre in New York City, where, shortly thereafter, she would become one of the first members admitted to the newly formed Actors Studio. She moved into television and film during the 1950s while still maintaining an active stage career. She is best known for her performances in the 1977 Broadway revival of Pal Joey and her award-winning performance in the 1981 play The American Clock. She also played a number of prominent roles on various soap operas throughout her career, including Andrea Whiting on Search for Tomorrow and Gwendolyn Lord Abbott on One Life to Live. She voiced Tanana in Brother Bear.

Pamela Isaacs is a California-born American singer and actress.

Emanuel "Manny" Azenberg is an American theatre producer and general manager whose professional relationship with playwright Neil Simon spans thirty-three years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soho Repertory Theatre</span> American Off-Broadway theater company

The Soho Repertory Theatre, known as Soho Rep, is an American Off-Broadway theater company based in New York City which is notable for producing avant-garde plays by contemporary writers. The company, described as a "cultural pillar", is currently located in a 65-seat theatre in the TriBeCa section of lower Manhattan. The company, and the projects it has produced, have won multiple prizes and earned critical acclaim, including numerous Obie Awards, Drama Desk Awards, Drama Critics' Circle Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize. A recent highlight was winning the Drama Desk Award for Sustained Achievement for "nearly four decades of artistic distinction, innovative production, and provocative play selection."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish Repertory Theatre</span> Off-Brodway theatre

The Irish Repertory Theatre is an Off Broadway theatre founded in 1988.

Sight Unseen is a play by Donald Margulies. The play premiered at South Coast Repertory in 1991, and then was produced Off-Broadway in 1992 and on Broadway in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chukwudi Iwuji</span> Nigerian and British actor (born 1975)

Chukwudi Iwuji is a Nigerian and British actor known for his recent collaborations with James Gunn. He is an Associate Artist for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He began his career in mainstream Hollywood in 2022 as Clemson Murn / Ik Nobe Lok in the HBO Max show Peacemaker. He also joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as The High Evolutionary, for which he received critical praise.

<i>Tribes</i> (play) Play by Nina Raine

Tribes is a play by English playwright Nina Raine that had its world premiere in 2010 at London's Royal Court Theatre and its North American premiere Off-Broadway at the Barrow Street Theatre in 2012. The play won the 2012 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play.

Pam MacKinnon is an American theatre director. She has directed for the stage Off-Broadway, on Broadway and in regional theatre. She won the Obie Award for Directing and received a Tony Award nomination, Best Director, for her work on Clybourne Park. In 2013 she received the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for a revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? She was named artistic director of American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, California on January 23, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Roche</span> American actor

Mike Roche is an American actor. Roche played Humphrey James in the 2007 Off-Broadway revival of Night Over Taos by Maxwell Anderson directed by Estelle Parsons at Theatre for the New City in New York City. The show was produced by INTAR Theatre.

Kristine E. Nielsen is an American actress known for her work on Broadway and Off-Broadway. Nielsen was nominated for the 2013 Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play for her performance as Sonia in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike and the 2019 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus.

Oslo is a play by J. T. Rogers, recounting the true-life, previously secret, back-channel negotiations in the development of the pivotal 1990s Oslo Peace Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The play premiered Off-Broadway in June 2016 and then transferred to Broadway in April 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holly O'Brien</span> American actress and singer

Holly O’Brien is an American actress and singer. She played the role of Goldie in Tony Award Winner Martin Charnin’s World Premiere of his new production of Two by Two and performed the role of Belle multiple times in Disney’s musical Beauty and the Beast. She played Loretta in the original Off-Broadway cast of the concert revival of Love from Judy with the Obie Award winning company Musicals Tonight! in New York City.

References

  1. Brantley, Ben (December 16, 2009). "Artistic Success, No Name Brand Necessary". The New York Times . Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  2. Happy Journey of an Actor as Tragic Hero, Monica Drake, The New York Times, September 30, 2009
  3. 1 2 John Douglas Thompson Biography (1964–)
  4. Le Moyne Alumni
  5. John Douglas Thompson sells Othello Archived 2010-02-02 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Ever Moor Archived 2010-02-02 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Fanfare for the New, the Old, the Less Heralded", Charles Isherwood, The New York Times, December 20, 2009
  8. 1 2 This Cleo Is No Baby on the Nile, Anita Gates, The New York Times, October 22, 2010
  9. 1 2 "The Iceman Cometh | Goodman Theatre". www.goodmantheatre.org. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  10. Webster, Andy (2014-03-21). "A Singular Trumpeter Unreels His Life". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  11. "'Satchmo at the Waldorf': Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 2015-05-30. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  12. Cox, Gordon (2015-04-23). "Drama Desk Nominations: 'Hamilton' Leads the Polls (FULL LIST)". Variety. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  13. "Carousel - PlayBill - Imperial Theatre - NY".
  14. Bahr, Sarah (2023-01-24). "Andrea Riseborough Can't Believe She Was Nominated for an Oscar, Either". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  15. Brantley, Ben (2014-11-18). "It's Best Not to Make Him Angry". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  16. "'The Iceman Cometh': Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 2015-02-12. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  17. Brantley, Ben (2016-05-26). "Review: Spouses Gasping for Air in Twinned Ibsen and Strindberg Plays". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  18. Collins-Hughes, Laura (February 3, 2022). "Artistically in Sync, and Reunited for 'The Merchant of Venice'". The New York Times Company. The New York Times. Retrieved 2 March 2022.