Kim Thomson
Encyclopedia
Kim Thomson is an English actress who has appeared on stage, television and film since the early 1980s in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
by her father's parents, who were originally from Alloa
. At the age of six, she was sent to a boarding school for five years. Much later she went on record to say boarding schools should be abolished.
She trained as an actress at the Central School of Speech and Drama
.
(1988) with Derek de Lint
and Denholm Elliot. In its review, Films and filming said "Kim Thomson's Heloïse moves with delicate poise, a heroine worthy of Rossetti
or Burne-Jones
, with vivacity and intelligence. The next year, 1989, she played Estella
in a film of Great Expectations
directed by Kevin Connor
, with Jean Simmons
, who had played Estella in the 1946 film
, as Miss Havisham
. Also in 1989 she was Cordelia
on stage in King Lear
, directed by Jonathan Miller
, with the British Theatre Yearbook commenting "Kim Thomson's Cordelia can rarely have been equalled; she was exquisite in beauty, tender in care, full of youthful integrity."
In 1992, Thomson was the leading lady
of the TV series Virtual Murder
, and in 1994 played another leading role in a costume drama
series, The Wanderer
. Dozens more appearances in film and on television followed, often as a character actor
, such as her role as a society reporter in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
(2004).
In 1997, she took on the part of Lady Chiltern in An Ideal Husband
, of which the Theatre Record said "Others have played this pure, cool, idealistic, demanding role with more authority and finesse, but she is simply right for it". In 2001, she was Irina in a new West End theatre
production of Uncle Vanya
directed by Peter Gill
.
During 2008 Thomson had a recurring role in ITV's detective show The Bill
, as barrister
Naomi Woods, wife of DC Jacob Banks.
In March 2009, she became a regular cast member of the ITV1 soap opera Emmerdale
, playing the role of Faye Lamb. At the end of 2009, she signed a new contract with the show. In January 2011, it was reported that she was leaving the show and would make her on-screen departure later in the year.
as a mature student for a degree in politics, philosophy and history, and graduated in the summer of 2010. She canvassed for Barack Obama
in Nevada during the presidential election of 2008
and also supported Gordon Brown
.
In an interview with Inside Soap, it was reported that she has a long-term boyfriend, but she remained private about her personal life.
Early life
Thomson had a Scottish father and an Irish mother. Her parents split up when she was three and she was brought up in SurreySurrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
by her father's parents, who were originally from Alloa
Alloa
Alloa is a town and former burgh in Clackmannanshire, set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on on the north bank of the Firth of Forth close to the foot of the Ochil Hills, east of Stirling and north of Falkirk....
. At the age of six, she was sent to a boarding school for five years. Much later she went on record to say boarding schools should be abolished.
She trained as an actress at the Central School of Speech and Drama
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...
.
Career
Thomson shared her first lead in Stealing HeavenStealing Heaven
Stealing Heaven is a 1988 film, a costume drama based on the French 12th century medieval romance of Peter Abelard and Héloïse and on a historical novel by Marion Meade...
(1988) with Derek de Lint
Derek de Lint
Dick Hein de Lint is a Dutch film and television actor.De Lint was born in The Hague. In 1977, he played the character Alex in the film Soldier of Orange, directed by Paul Verhoeven. In 1986 he played the role of Anton Steenwijk in The Assault, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language...
and Denholm Elliot. In its review, Films and filming said "Kim Thomson's Heloïse moves with delicate poise, a heroine worthy of Rossetti
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Dante Gabriel Rossetti was an English poet, illustrator, painter and translator. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848 with William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais, and was later to be the main inspiration for a second generation of artists and writers influenced by the movement,...
or Burne-Jones
Edward Burne-Jones
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet was a British artist and designer closely associated with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, who worked closely with William Morris on a wide range of decorative arts as a founding partner in Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, and Company...
, with vivacity and intelligence. The next year, 1989, she played Estella
Estella Havisham
Estella Havisham is a significant character in the Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations....
in a film of Great Expectations
Great Expectations (1989 film)
Great Expectations is a British television serial based on Charles Dickens' novel of the same title. The six-part serial was first broadcast on the ITV network in 1991 though it was distributed on video in the United States in 1989....
directed by Kevin Connor
Kevin Connor (director)
Kevin Connor is an English film and television director currently based in Hollywood.Connor was born in London on the 24 of September 1937 and grew up during the 2nd World War...
, with Jean Simmons
Jean Simmons
Jean Merilyn Simmons, OBE was an English actress. She appeared predominantly in motion pictures, beginning with films made in Great Britain during and after World War II – she was one of J...
, who had played Estella in the 1946 film
Great Expectations (1946 film)
Great Expectations is a 1946 British film which won two Academy Awards and was nominated for three others...
, as Miss Havisham
Miss Havisham
Miss Havisham is a significant character in the Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations . She is a wealthy spinster, who lives in her ruined mansion with her adopted daughter, Estella, whom she has sent to France, while she herself is described as looking like "the witch of the place."Although she...
. Also in 1989 she was Cordelia
Cordelia (King Lear)
Cordelia is a fictional character in William Shakespeare’s tragic play, King Lear. She is the youngest of King Lear’s three daughters. After her elderly father offers her the opportunity to profess her love to him in return for one third of the land in his kingdom, she refuses and is banished for...
on stage in King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
, directed by Jonathan Miller
Jonathan Miller
Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE is a British theatre and opera director, author, physician, television presenter, humorist and sculptor. Trained as a physician in the late 1950s, he first came to prominence in the 1960s with his role in the comedy revue Beyond the Fringe with fellow writers and...
, with the British Theatre Yearbook commenting "Kim Thomson's Cordelia can rarely have been equalled; she was exquisite in beauty, tender in care, full of youthful integrity."
In 1992, Thomson was the leading lady
Leading lady
Leading lady is an informal term for the actress who plays a secondary lead or supporting role, usually a love interest, to the leading actor in a film or play. It is not usually applied to the leading actress in the performance if her character is the protagonist.A leading lady can also be an...
of the TV series Virtual Murder
Virtual Murder
Virtual Murder was an unusual investigative drama series shown on BBC television in 1992. It starred Nicholas Clay as Dr John Cornelius, a psychology lecturer at a provincial university, and Kim Thomson as his vivacious, red-headed partner, Samantha Valentine.- Subject matter and cast :Virtual...
, and in 1994 played another leading role in a costume drama
Costume drama
A costume drama or period drama is a period piece in which elaborate costumes, sets and properties are featured in order to capture the ambiance of a particular era.The term is usually used in the context of film and television...
series, The Wanderer
The Wanderer (1994 TV series)
The Wanderer is a television series first broadcast 1994 comprising 13 episodes.Every episode brings a new adventure, and the story of long-ago brothers Adam and Zachary, Princess Beatrice, and Lady Clare slowly unfolds as Adam searches for Zachary's grave, a magic stone, and a lost book of...
. Dozens more appearances in film and on television followed, often as a character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
, such as her role as a society reporter in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement is the 2004 sequel to 2001's The Princess Diaries.Most of the cast returned from the first film, including Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Héctor Elizondo, and Heather Matarazzo...
(2004).
In 1997, she took on the part of Lady Chiltern in An Ideal Husband
An Ideal Husband
An Ideal Husband is an 1895 comedic stage play by Oscar Wilde which revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour...
, of which the Theatre Record said "Others have played this pure, cool, idealistic, demanding role with more authority and finesse, but she is simply right for it". In 2001, she was Irina in a new West End theatre
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
production of Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski....
directed by Peter Gill
Peter Gill (playwright)
Peter Gill, theatre director, playwright and former actor, was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 7 September 1939, son of George John Gill and his wife Margaret Mary .He was educated at St Illtyd's College, Cardiff.-Career:...
.
During 2008 Thomson had a recurring role in ITV's detective show The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
, as barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
Naomi Woods, wife of DC Jacob Banks.
In March 2009, she became a regular cast member of the ITV1 soap opera Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
, playing the role of Faye Lamb. At the end of 2009, she signed a new contract with the show. In January 2011, it was reported that she was leaving the show and would make her on-screen departure later in the year.
Personal life
Thomson studied at the University of LondonUniversity of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
as a mature student for a degree in politics, philosophy and history, and graduated in the summer of 2010. She canvassed for Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
in Nevada during the presidential election of 2008
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
and also supported Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
.
In an interview with Inside Soap, it was reported that she has a long-term boyfriend, but she remained private about her personal life.
Film and television
- Party Party — Brenda (1983)
- Cover Her Face - Sally Jupp (4 episodes, 1985)
- LovejoyLovejoyLovejoy is a TV series about the adventures of Lovejoy, a British antiques dealer and faker based in East Anglia, a less than scrupulous yet likeable rogue. The episodes were based on a series of picaresque novels by John Grant...
— Nicola Page (1986) - Brush StrokesBrush StrokesBrush Strokes is a British television sitcom, broadcast on BBC television from 1986 to 1991. Written by Esmonde and Larbey and set in South London, it depicted the amorous adventures of a good-looking, wisecracking house painter, Jacko...
— Lesley Bainbridge (1986) - The Life and Loves of a She-DevilThe Life and Loves of a She-DevilThe Life and Loves of a She-Devil is a 1983 novel by British feminist author Fay Weldon about a highly unattractive woman who goes to great lengths to take revenge on her husband and his attractive lover...
— Elsie Flowers (1986) - Stealing HeavenStealing HeavenStealing Heaven is a 1988 film, a costume drama based on the French 12th century medieval romance of Peter Abelard and Héloïse and on a historical novel by Marion Meade...
— Heloise (1988) - The Tall GuyThe Tall GuyThe Tall Guy is a 1989 romantic comedy and the feature film debut of screenwriter Richard Curtis and director Mel Smith. It was produced by London Weekend Television for theatrical release and stars Jeff Goldblum, Emma Thompson, and Rowan Atkinson...
— Cheryl (1989) - Great ExpectationsGreat Expectations (1989 film)Great Expectations is a British television serial based on Charles Dickens' novel of the same title. The six-part serial was first broadcast on the ITV network in 1991 though it was distributed on video in the United States in 1989....
— Estella (1989) - Inspector MorseInspector MorseInspector Morse is a fictional character in the eponymous series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, as well as the 33-episode 1987–2000 television adaptation of the same name, in which the character was portrayed by John Thaw. Morse is a senior CID officer with the Thames Valley...
- ep entitled "The Sins of the Father" Helen Radford (1990) - Murder 101Murder 101Murder 101 is the name of a series of two-hour TV movies appearing regularly on the Hallmark Channel since 2006. In it, Dick Van Dyke stars as professor Dr. Jonathan Maxwell, an absent-minded and brilliant criminologist. His son Barry Van Dyke co-stars as a former cop who is working as a private...
— Francesca Lavin (1991) - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (TV series)The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (TV series)The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the name given to the TV series of Sherlock Holmes adaptations produced by British television company Granada Television between 1984 and 1994, although only the first two series bore that title on screen. The series was broadcast on the ITV network in the UK,...
(1991) The Illustrious Client - Kitty Winter - Virtual MurderVirtual MurderVirtual Murder was an unusual investigative drama series shown on BBC television in 1992. It starred Nicholas Clay as Dr John Cornelius, a psychology lecturer at a provincial university, and Kim Thomson as his vivacious, red-headed partner, Samantha Valentine.- Subject matter and cast :Virtual...
— Samantha Valentine (1992) - The WandererThe Wanderer (1994 TV series)The Wanderer is a television series first broadcast 1994 comprising 13 episodes.Every episode brings a new adventure, and the story of long-ago brothers Adam and Zachary, Princess Beatrice, and Lady Clare slowly unfolds as Adam searches for Zachary's grave, a magic stone, and a lost book of...
— Beatrice (1994) - Loved By You — Becky Edwards (1997)
- The 10th KingdomThe 10th KingdomThe 10th Kingdom is an American epic fantasy miniseries written by Simon Moore and produced by Britain's Carnival Films, Germany's Babelsberg Film und Fernsehen, and the USA's Hallmark Entertainment...
— Queen Riding Hood III (2000) - Midsomer MurdersMidsomer MurdersMidsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was...
— Janet Reason (2001) - The Princess Diaries 2: Royal EngagementThe Princess Diaries 2: Royal EngagementThe Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement is the 2004 sequel to 2001's The Princess Diaries.Most of the cast returned from the first film, including Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Héctor Elizondo, and Heather Matarazzo...
(2004) — Elsie Kentworthy, Reporter - Secret Diary of a Call GirlSecret Diary of a Call GirlSecret Diary of a Call Girl is a British television drama broadcast on ITV2 from 2007-2011 based on the blog and books by the pseudonymous "Belle de Jour," starring Billie Piper as Belle, a high-class London call girl. The series was written by Lucy Prebble, who is also known as the author of The...
(2007) — Della - 14081408 (film)1408 is a 2007 American psychological horror film based on the Stephen King short story of the same name directed by Swedish director Mikael Håfström, who earlier had directed the horror film Drowning Ghost. The cast includes John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, and Mary McCormack. The film was released...
(2007) — Desk Clerk - MessagesMessages (film)Messages is a 2007 British Film written by Wayne Kinsey and Ivan Levine, directed by David Fairman and starring Jeff Fahey and Bruce Payne.-Plot:...
(2007) — Frances Beale - The StreetThe Street (TV series)The Street is a British television drama series created by Jimmy McGovern and produced by Granada Television for the BBC. The series follows the lives of various residents of an unnamed street in Manchester and features an all-star cast including Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent, Jane Horrocks, Bob...
(2007) — Pat Tinsey - The BillThe BillThe Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
(2008) — Naomi Woods - New Tricks (2008) — Tiffany Barker
- The Green Green GrassThe Green Green GrassThe Green Green Grass is a British sitcom, created and initially written by John Sullivan, produced by Shazam Productions for the BBC. It is a spin-off of the long running sitcom Only Fools and Horses and stars John Challis, Sue Holderness and Jack Doolan...
(2009) — Antonia Page - TaggartTaggartTaggart is a Scottish detective television programme, created by Glenn Chandler, who has written many of the episodes, and made by STV Productions for the ITV network...
(2009) — Phyllis - EmmerdaleEmmerdaleEmmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
- Faye Lamb (2009–2011) - CasualtyCasualty (TV series)Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
(2009) — Amber
Theatre
| Theatre | Play | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix Theatre Phoenix Theatre (London) The Phoenix Theatre is a West End theatre in the London Borough of Camden, located on Charing Cross Road . The entrance is in Phoenix Street.... | Alan Bleasdale Alan Bleasdale Alan Bleasdale is an English television dramatist, best known for writing several social realist drama serials based on the lives of ordinary people.The Bleasdales live in prescot,liverpool,wales and london.-Early life:Bleasdale is an only child; his father worked in a food factory and his mother... 's Are You Lonesome Tonight? | Priscilla Presley Priscilla Presley Priscilla Presley is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the ex-wife of singer Elvis Presley, and the mother of singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley.... | Robin Lefevre |
| Haymarket Theatre Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket is a West End theatre in the Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use... & Old Vic | An Ideal Husband An Ideal Husband An Ideal Husband is an 1895 comedic stage play by Oscar Wilde which revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour... | Lady Chiltern | Peter Hall |
| Old Vic Theatre (1989) | King Lear King Lear King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological... | Cordelia Cordelia (King Lear) Cordelia is a fictional character in William Shakespeare’s tragic play, King Lear. She is the youngest of King Lear’s three daughters. After her elderly father offers her the opportunity to profess her love to him in return for one third of the land in his kingdom, she refuses and is banished for... | Jonathan Miller Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE is a British theatre and opera director, author, physician, television presenter, humorist and sculptor. Trained as a physician in the late 1950s, he first came to prominence in the 1960s with his role in the comedy revue Beyond the Fringe with fellow writers and... |
| Theatre Royal, Bath Theatre Royal, Bath The Theatre Royal in Bath, England, is over 200 years old. It is one of the more important theatres in the United Kingdom outside London, with capacity for an audience of around 900.... | Present Laughter Present Laughter Present Laughter is a comic play written by Noël Coward in 1939 and first staged in 1942 on tour, alternating with his lower middle-class domestic drama This Happy Breed... | Joanna | Dominic Dromgoole Dominic Dromgoole Dominic Dromgoole is an English theatre director and writer about the theatre. He is married with three daughters, and lives in London.-Early life:... |
| Battersea Arts Centre Battersea Arts Centre The Battersea Arts Centre is a performance space near Clapham Junction in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth that specialises in music and theatre productions.-History:... | The Stranger | Madame Y | Michael Billington Michael Billington (actor) Michael Billington was a popular British film and television actor.... |
| Battersea Arts Centre | Traveller Without Luggage | Valentine | Nicholas de Jongh Nicholas de Jongh Nicholas de Jongh is a British theatre critic and playwright. He served as the senior drama critic of the Evening Standard from 1991 to 2009. Prior to that, he worked for the Guardian newspaper for almost 20 years... |
| Field Day Theatre Company Field Day Theatre Company The Field Day Theatre Company began as an artistic collaboration between playwright Brian Friel and actor Stephen Rea. In 1980, the duo set out to launch a production of Friel's recently completed play, Translations. They decided to rehearse and premiere the play in Derry with the hope of... | Uncle Vanya Uncle Vanya Uncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski.... | Elena | Peter Gill Peter Gill (playwright) Peter Gill, theatre director, playwright and former actor, was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 7 September 1939, son of George John Gill and his wife Margaret Mary .He was educated at St Illtyd's College, Cardiff.-Career:... |
| Watford Palace Theatre | Wedding Song | Stella | Michael Attenborough Michael Attenborough The Hon. Michael John Attenborough is a successful English theatre director. His parents are the actors Richard Attenborough, Baron Attenborough and Sheila Sim, Lady Attenborough... |