‘Law and Order’ Star and Former Senator Fred Thompson Dead At 73

I was surprised this morning to learn that actor Fred Thompson had passed away from lymphoma at the age of 73. Now, even though you may recognize him from his stint on the ‘Law and Order’ series as D.A. Arthur Branch just calling the man an actor would be a bit of a bit of a disservice. He was one of the only actors to make the leap from politics to screen to politics again. He served in the Senate as a Republican senator in Tennessee from 1994 to 2003. He was known for his bold, southern voice and values and even though he was a Republican (and I didn’t agree with much of the same things he did) he was known to be a little unpredictable, at times he seemed to be swayed by himself more so than his party. Sadly I must admit thats about as far as my knowledge of Thompson goes but the good people over at Yahoo did and this is what they had to say about the late senator/actor from Tennessee:

With his honeyed baritone speaking voice and barrel-chested assertiveness, Thompson was frequently called upon to play authority figures. In the movies, he was a lawyer, an admiral, a President (including two real ones, Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew Jackson), and the president of NASCAR (in Days of Thunder)..Thompson got his start in showbiz playing himself, as a lawyer who represented the former head of the Tennessee Board of Pardons and Paroles in the 1985 film Marie. From that point on, Thompson mixed the law, a real-life political career, and acting for the rest of his life. He left Law & Order in 2007 to run for the Republican Party’s 2008 nomination for President…He projected a firm-minded sensibility that any viewer, no matter what his or her politics might be, would find an enviable sign of confidence and strength.

Thompson, at least from the roles I saw him play, always came off as genuine. That’s why he was always one of the first people I thought of when I think of character actors, even though he wasn’t. Thompson seemed to play similar characters but they were always commanding characters and he always played those roles better than anyone. Rest In Peace Mr. Thompson, we’ll miss seeing you.

[Source: Yahoo]