Andrea Thompson
Encyclopedia
Rebecca Andrea Thompson is an American
actress, known for her roles on the television series Falcon Crest
, Babylon 5
, JAG
, 24
, Heroes
and NYPD Blue
.
. She began modeling and studied acting at the Strasberg Studio
and at the Herbert Berghof Studio under Uta Hagen
.
Falcon Crest
as the scheming Genele Ericson during the show's final season and in 1993 on the science fiction
television
series Babylon 5
as telepath Talia Winters
. Thompson left the series at the end of its second season.
Thompson moved on to join the cast of JAG
mid season as Commander Alison Krennick, as the aide to the head of the US Navy's Judge Advocate General's Corps
. She was among several actors who left the show when it was canceled by NBC
after one season before CBS
picked it up. She then went on to play Detective Jill Kirkendall on three seasons of crime drama NYPD Blue
, leaving in April 2000 to pursue a career in journalism.
and working arduously for one year with Jack Hubbard, associate director of Stanford University
's News Service and a veteran journalist of CBS News
. During this time, she also took a writing seminar with KGO-TV
's feature reporter Wayne Freedman
.
She began her work with CBS
affiliate KRQE
in Albuquerque, New Mexico
as a general assignment correspondent for $26,000 per year.
Thompson joined CNN Headline News
as an evening anchor in June 2001. CNN had laid off
400 of 4000 employees in January, and was refocusing on personalities to draw in a younger crowd. "A lot of people gave her credit for leaving her career to pursue journalism," said one CNN insider. Her first words on-screen as anchor were "Hi, I'm Andrea Thompson, and unless you've been living in a cave, you probably already know that." Her hiring generated controversy in journalism circles, mostly because Thompson had just one year of journalism experience at that point. Nude pictures and videoclips of Thompson taken from her 1980s-era movies also began circulating on the Internet
, causing some embarrassment for CNN. Thompson left the network months later, in March 2002. It was speculated at the time that the long days kept her from her 9-year old son. During an appearance in January 2003, however, she made a statement that seems to indicate she left CNN because she disagreed with the way the news was handled, "Basically... you just give the viewers enough to scare the hell out of them, and not any real valuable information. And we saw so much of that after Sept. 11 that I thought was, frankly, irresponsible."
After leaving CNN, she went to work for Court TV
introducing episodes of NYPD Blue and Forensic Files
, as well as narrating the documentary series The System. She began hosting Psychic Detectives
in 2003.
, first appearing on that show in November 2003.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, known for her roles on the television series Falcon Crest
Falcon Crest
Falcon Crest is an American primetime television soap opera which aired on the CBS network for nine seasons, from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. A total of 227 episodes were produced....
, Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
, JAG
JAG (TV series)
JAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions...
, 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
, Heroes
Heroes (TV series)
Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
and NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
.
Early life
Thompson was born in Ohio in 1959. When she was six her family moved to Australia. She left high school at 16, and after an extended period of travel she moved to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She began modeling and studied acting at the Strasberg Studio
Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg was an American actor, director and acting teacher. He cofounded, with directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective"...
and at the Herbert Berghof Studio under Uta Hagen
Uta Hagen
Uta Thyra Hagen was a German-born American actress and drama teacher. She originated the role of Martha in the 1963 Broadway premiere of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee...
.
Acting career
Thompson began her career as a voiceover artist, which continues today. Her first significant film role was in the 1987 film Wall Street. In 1989 she was cast on the soap operaSoap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Falcon Crest
Falcon Crest
Falcon Crest is an American primetime television soap opera which aired on the CBS network for nine seasons, from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. A total of 227 episodes were produced....
as the scheming Genele Ericson during the show's final season and in 1993 on the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
as telepath Talia Winters
Talia Winters
Talia Winters is a fictional character appearing on the science fiction television show Babylon 5 during its first and second seasons. She was portrayed by actress Andrea Thompson....
. Thompson left the series at the end of its second season.
Thompson moved on to join the cast of JAG
JAG (TV series)
JAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions...
mid season as Commander Alison Krennick, as the aide to the head of the US Navy's Judge Advocate General's Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, refers to the legal branch or specialty of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called Judge Advocates. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard do not maintain separate JAG Corps...
. She was among several actors who left the show when it was canceled by NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
after one season before CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
picked it up. She then went on to play Detective Jill Kirkendall on three seasons of crime drama NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
, leaving in April 2000 to pursue a career in journalism.
Journalism career
Thompson started to prepare for her journalism career in 1999, by earning her GEDGED
General Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills...
and working arduously for one year with Jack Hubbard, associate director of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
's News Service and a veteran journalist of CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
. During this time, she also took a writing seminar with KGO-TV
KGO-TV
KGO-TV, channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, based in San Francisco, California...
's feature reporter Wayne Freedman
Wayne Freedman
Wayne Freedman is a feature reporter for KGO-TV; the ABC owned television station in San Francisco, California.Freedman's education included Chaminade High School near his hometown of Woodland Hills, California. Freedman showed an interest in reporting at an early age, and became published with a...
.
She began her work with CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate KRQE
KRQE
KRQE, digital channel 13, is the CBS-affiliated television station serving the Albuquerque, New Mexico television market; the station is owned by LIN TV Corporation and is sister station to Fox affiliate KASA-TV...
in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
as a general assignment correspondent for $26,000 per year.
Thompson joined CNN Headline News
CNN Headline News
HLN, formerly known as CNN Headline News and CNN2, is a cable television news channel based in the United States and a spinoff of the cable news television channel, CNN. Initially airing tightly-formatted 30-minute newscasts around the clock, since 2005, the channel has increasingly aired long-form...
as an evening anchor in June 2001. CNN had laid off
Layoff
Layoff , also called redundancy in the UK, is the temporary suspension or permanent termination of employment of an employee or a group of employees for business reasons, such as when certain positions are no longer necessary or when a business slow-down occurs...
400 of 4000 employees in January, and was refocusing on personalities to draw in a younger crowd. "A lot of people gave her credit for leaving her career to pursue journalism," said one CNN insider. Her first words on-screen as anchor were "Hi, I'm Andrea Thompson, and unless you've been living in a cave, you probably already know that." Her hiring generated controversy in journalism circles, mostly because Thompson had just one year of journalism experience at that point. Nude pictures and videoclips of Thompson taken from her 1980s-era movies also began circulating on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, causing some embarrassment for CNN. Thompson left the network months later, in March 2002. It was speculated at the time that the long days kept her from her 9-year old son. During an appearance in January 2003, however, she made a statement that seems to indicate she left CNN because she disagreed with the way the news was handled, "Basically... you just give the viewers enough to scare the hell out of them, and not any real valuable information. And we saw so much of that after Sept. 11 that I thought was, frankly, irresponsible."
After leaving CNN, she went to work for Court TV
Court TV
truTV is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Time Warner. The network launched as Court TV in 1991, changing to truTV in 2008...
introducing episodes of NYPD Blue and Forensic Files
Forensic Files
Forensic Files is an American documentary-style series which reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and even outbreaks of illness. The show is broadcast on truTV, narrated by Peter Thomas, and produced by Medstar Television, in association with truTV...
, as well as narrating the documentary series The System. She began hosting Psychic Detectives
Psychic Detectives
Psychic Detectives or Psychic Investigators is a television program produced by StoryHouse Productions for Court TV, as of 2006 in its 5th season. The program documents real-life cases of situations in which police departments have enlisted the aid of psychics in solving difficult cases...
in 2003.
Return to acting
Thompson had a recurring guest role as tech specialist Nicole Duncan on the third season of the television series 2424 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
, first appearing on that show in November 2003.