William H. Thompson

Biography

Scottish born William H. Thompson immigrated to America with his family at the age of six. In 1865 he began his theatrical career by working as a callboy at the old Broadway Theater in New York. Within two years he would embark on an acting career that would span over 55 years and earn him a reputation as one of the premier character actors in America. Much of his early career was spent in association with the theatrical genius Augustin Daly, appearing in plays like: "Dollars and Cents", Seven-Twenty-Eight and "The Girl Left Me Behind". In 1903 Thompson received some of the best reviews of his career when he appeared in James K. Hackett's productions of, "The Bishop's Move" and "The Secret of Polichinelle". Thompson also had for a dozen years a very successful relationship with Broadway producer Charles Frohman. His portrayal of the cardinal in Frohman's "The Royal Family" won him national critical acclaim. On 19 October, 1899 Thompson married Isabel Irving (1873-1944), one of the leading Broadway actresses of the day. At the time of their marriage she was appearing on Broadway with John Drew in "The Tyranny of Tears". Thompson often enjoyed playing eccentric characters like the wicked miser in "Mankind" or Svengali in "Trilby". Toward the end of his career, Thompson appeared in Arthur Hopkins' productions of "Night Lodging" and "The Gentile Wife" and the George M. Cohan productions, "The Miracle Man" and "The Guest of Honor". His last role was that of the disloyal general in "The Czarina". William H. Thompson died after a cold he caught while on an outdoor movie shoot turned into pneumonia. He was survived by his wife Isabel.