John Douglas Thompson
Introduction '''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. ''The New York Times'' critic Ben Brantley described Thompson as "one of the most compelling classical stage actors of his generation".
Early life and education Thompson was born in Bath, England, to Jamaican parents, and was raised in Montreal, Quebec, and then  Rochester, NY. He graduated from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York in 1985, where he studied marketing and business. 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.
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, also giving his first performance as Othello at the Trinity Repertory Company prior to attaining critical success in New York.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". 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, and played Joe Mott in a 2012 production of ''The Iceman Cometh'' in Chicago with Nathan Lane and Brian Dennehy. 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. 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".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.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".
Selected stage work Year Production Role Notes2005 ''Julius Caesar'' Flavius, ensembleBelasco Theatre, Broadway; Broadway debut.2007 ''Cyrano de Bergerac'' Le BretRichard Rodgers Theatre, Broadway.2009 ''Othello'' OthelloThe Duke on 42nd Street, Off-Broadway. ''The Emperor Jones'' Brutus JonesIrish Repertory Theatre, Off-Broadway.2010''Antony and Cleopatra''Mark Antony Hartford Stage, Connecticut2012''The Iceman Cometh''Joe MottGoodman Theatre, Chicago.2013''A Time to Kill''Carl Lee HaileyJohn Golden Theatre, Broadway2014 ''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.2015''The Iceman Cometh''Joe MottBrooklyn Academy of Music, New York; Transfer of 2012 Chicago production.2016''A Doll's House/The Father''Torvald/The CaptainTheatre for a New Audience, Off-Broadway; Played in repertory.2017''Jitney''Jim BeckerSamuel J. Friedman Theatre, Broadway. ''Julius Caesar'' Cassius Delacorte Theater, New York; Shakespeare in the Park.2018 ''Carousel'' The StarkeeperImperial Theatre, Broadway.2019 ''King Lear'' Earl of Kent Cort Theatre, Broadway.2022 ''The Merchant of Venice'' Shylock Theatre for a New Audience, off-Broadway.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 YearAwardCategoryWorkResult2009Drama League AwardDistinguished Performance''Othello''Lucille Lortel AwardOutstanding Lead ActorObie AwardPerformance2010Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Actor in a Play''The Emperor Jones''Drama League AwardDistinguished PerformanceLucille Lortel AwardOutstanding Lead Actor2014Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Solo Performance''Satchmo at the Waldorf''Drama League AwardDistinguished PerformanceOuter Critics Circle AwardOutstanding Solo PerformanceLucille Lortel AwardOutstanding Solo Show2015Drama Desk AwardSpecial AwardDrama League AwardDistinguished Performance''The Iceman Cometh'' and ''Tamburlaine, Parts I and II''Obie AwardPerformance2017Tony AwardBest Featured Actor in a Play''Jitney''Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Featured Actor in a PlayNew York Drama Critics' CircleSpecial CitationDrama League AwardDistinguished Performance''A Doll's House/The Father'' and ''Jitney'' 2018Drama League AwardDistinguished Performance''Julius Caesar''2022Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Actor in a Play ''The Merchant of Venice'' 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series ''The Gilded Age''
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