John Douglas Thompson: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|English-American actor (born 1964)}}

| birth_place = [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], [[England]], UK

| education = [[Le Moyne College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Brown University]] ([[Master of Fine Arts|MFA]])

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

Thompson was born in [[Bath, England]], to [[Jamaica]]n parents, and was raised in [[Montreal, Quebec]] then [[Rochester, New York]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/theater/04drak.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=john%20douglas%20thompson&st=cse Happy Journey of an Actor as Tragic Hero], Monica Drake, ''The New York Times'', September 30, 2009</ref><ref name="FilmRef">[http://www.filmreference.com/film/21/John-Douglas-Thompson.html John Douglas Thompson Biography (1964–)]</ref> He graduated from [[Le Moyne College]] in [[Syracuse, New York]] in 1985, where he studied marketing and business.<ref>[http://www.lemoyne.edu/OURALUMNI/tabid/475/Default.aspx Le Moyne Alumni]</ref> 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]].<ref>[http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/arts/theater/documents/02018091.htm John Douglas Thompson sells Othello] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202172358/http://bostonphoenix.com/boston/arts/theater/documents/02018091.htm |date=2010-02-02 }}</ref>

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".<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/20/theater/reviews/20isherwood.html "Fanfare for the New, the Old, the Less Heralded"], [[Charles Isherwood]], ''The New York Times'', December 20, 2009</ref> He won a [[Lucille Lortel Awards|Lucille Lortel Award]] and an [[Obie Award]] for his performance in ''Othello'', and received a [[Drama Desk Award]] nomination for ''The Emperor Jones.''

In 2014, he played the titular role in the Off-Broadway production of [[Tamburlaine|''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".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cox|first=Gordon|date=2015-04-23|title=Drama Desk Nominations: 'Hamilton' Leads the Polls (FULL LIST)|url=https://variety.com/2015/legit/news/drama-desk-nominations-2015-full-list-1201478395/|access-date=2021-03-28|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2018, Thompson appeared in the role of The Starkeeper in Broadway's ''[[Carousel (musical)|Carousel]]'' at [[Imperial Theatre]], New York, alongside [[Joshua Henry]], [[Jessie Mueller]], and [[Renée Fleming|Renee Fleming]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/personlistpage/person-list?production=0000015b-d3e7-d273-a9fb-dfef97f50000&type=op#oc|title=Carousel - PlayBill - Imperial Theatre - NY}}</ref>

In addition to his theater work, Thompson has appeared on television in ''[[Law & Order]]'', ''[[Law & Order: SVU]]'' and ''[[Conviction (2006 TV series)|Conviction]]''. He also appeared in the short film ''Midway'' and the legal drama ''[[Michael Clayton (film)|Michael Clayton]]''. He appears as Dr. Mitchell in the 2020 [[Max (streaming service)|HBO Max]] film ''[[Let Them All Talk (film)|Let Them All Talk]]'' directed by [[Steven Soderbergh]].

In the 2022 film ''[[Till (film)|Till]]'', Thompson played [[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".<ref>{{cite news|last= Bahr|first=Sarah |date=2023-01-24 |title= Andrea Riseborough Can't Believe She Was Nominated for an Oscar, Either |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/24/movies/andrea-riseborough-oscar-nomination-to-leslie.html |work=The New York Times|location= New York|access-date=2023-02-06}}</ref>

In 2024, he will make his [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] debut as the titular role in ''Othello.''<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Cullwell-Block |first=Logan |date=January 16, 2024 |title=John Douglas Thompson-Led Othello, Sanaz Toossi's English, More in Upcoming Royal Shakespeare Company Season |url=https://playbill.com/article/john-douglas-thompson-led-othello-sanaz-toossis-english-more-in-upcoming-royal-shakespeare-company-season |access-date=May 25, 2024 |website=Playbill}}</ref>

|[[Hartford Stage]], Connecticut.<ref name=":0" />

| [[Theatre for a New Audience]], Off-Broadway.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Brantley|first=Ben|date=2014-11-18|title=It's Best Not to Make Him Angry|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/19/theater/marlowes-tamburlaine-parts-i-and-ii-in-brooklyn.html|access-date=2021-03-27|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

| [[Delacorte Theater]], New York; [[Shakespeare in the Park (New York City)|Shakespeare in the Park]].

|2022

| ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]''

| [[Shylock]]

| [[Theatre for a New Audience]], Off-Broadway.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Collins-Hughes |first1=Laura |title=Artistically in Sync, and Reunited for 'The Merchant of Venice' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/03/theater/john-douglas-thompson-arin-arbus-merchant-of-venice.html |access-date=2 March 2022 |agency=The New York Times |publisher=The New York Times Company |date=February 3, 2022}}</ref>

|-

|rowspan=3|2023

| ''[[Endgame (play)|Endgame]]''

| Hamm

| [[Irish Repertory Theatre]], Off-Broadway.

|-

| ''[[Hamlet (play)|Hamlet]]''

| Claudius

| [[Delacorte Theater]], New York; [[Shakespeare in the Park (New York City)|Shakespeare in the Park]].

|-

| ''[[Inherit the Wind (play)|Inherit the Wind]]''

| Matthew Harrison Brady

| [[Pasadena Playhouse]], Pasadena.

|-

|2024

|''[[Othello]]''

|Othello

|[[Royal Shakespeare Company]], Stratford-upon-Avon.<ref name=":2" />

|[[Drama League Award]]

|[[Drama Desk Award]]

|[[Drama League Award]]

|[[Drama Desk Award]]

|[[Drama League Award]]

|[[Drama Desk Award]]

|[[Drama League Award]]

|[[Drama League Award]]

|-

| style="text-align: center;" |2022

|[[Drama Desk Award]]

|[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play|Outstanding Actor in a Play]]

| ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]''

|{{nom}}

|-

| rowspan="5" style="text-align: center;" |2023

|[[Obie Award]]

|Sustained Achievement in Performance

| ''[[Endgame (play)]]'' and ''[[Hamlet]]''

|{{Won}}

|-

|[[Drama Desk Award]]

|Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play

|rowspan="3" | ''[[Endgame (play)]]''

|{{nom}}

|-

|[[Drama League Award]]

|Distinguished Performance

|{{Nom}}

|-

|[[Lucille Lortel Award]]

|Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play

|{{Nom}}

|-

| [[Screen Actors Guild Awards]]

| [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series|Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series]]

| ''[[The Gilded Age (TV series)|The Gilded Age]]''

|{{Nom}}

[[Category:Male actors from Bath, Somerset]]