Andrea Thompson (born January 9, 1960) appears on Quantum Leap in the role of Vietnam War correspondent/photojournalist Maggie Dawson, who gets killed while following the war in the unit of Navy Lt. Tom Beckett, a SEAL and the brother of Dr. Sam Beckett, who leaps in the unit save him in the Season 3 episode titled "The Leap Home, Part II (Vietnam)". Andrea is well known for her roles on the CBS television series Falcon Crest, Babylon 5, CBS-TV's JAG, FOX's 24, and ABC's NYPD Blue. She is also a journalist who has worked as an anchor for CourtTV, CNN Headline News.
Biography[]
Born in Dayton, OH, Andrea was raised in a strict Catholic household. At the age of seven she moved to Australia with her family. After graduating from high school Andrea traveled the world for five years, before moving to New York to study acting at the Strasberg Studio and the Herbert Berghof Studio under Uta Hagen.[1] She then went to Hollywood and eventually got her first small part in Wall Street (1987).
Journalism career[]
Thompson started to prepare for her journalism career in 1999, by earning her GED and working arduously for one year with Jack Hubbard, associate director of Stanford University's News Service and a veteran journalist of CBS News.[2]
During this time, she also took a writing seminar with KGO-TV's feature reporter Wayne Freedman.[3] She began her work with CBS affiliate KRQE in Albuquerque, New Mexico as a general assignment correspondent[4] for $26,000 per year.[5]
Thompson joined CNN Headline News as an evening anchor in June 2001.[6] CNN had laid off 400 of 4000 employees in January, and was refocusing on personalities to draw in younger viewers.[7] "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."[8] 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.[9] Thompson left the network in March 2002.
It was speculated at the time that the long days kept her from her then nine-year-old son.[10] 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."[11]
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.[12]
Return to acting[]
Thompson had a recurring guest role as Doctor Nicole Duncan on the third season of the television series 24, first appearing on that show in November 2003.[13]
In 2007, she appeared in season two of Bones in the episode "Spaceman in a Crater".
Personal life[]
Thompson was married to David Guc (1987–90), and to Babylon 5 costar Jerry Doyle from (1995–97). She has a son named Alec (b. 1992).
References[]
- ↑ The Official Andrea Thompson Website. timem.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2009. Retrieved on September 6, 2009.
- ↑ Gliatto, Tom (March 19, 2001) "Copping a New Beat". People, Vol. 55 No. 11
- ↑ Lafayette, Jon (June 2000). "Blues" to news with mixed reviews, Electronic Media, 19 (26):3
- ↑ CNN, August 8, 2001 "CNN Headline News co-anchors Miles O'Brien and Andrea Thompson"
- ↑ "The Biz: Court TV tries to spice up Saturday". Advertising Age, August 2002
- ↑ Furman, Matt (April 24, 2001). "Reporter, Former NYPD Blue Star Andrea Thompson Joins CNN Headline News". Time Warner
- ↑ Brook, Tom (August 10, 2001). "CNN sets sights on young". BBC
- ↑ "Victory for old guard as actress quits TV news". The Independent, March 17, 2002
- ↑ "The New CNN: All the Nudes Fit for Air". Fox News, May 3, 2001
- ↑ Darst, Elizabeth (March 15, 2002). "Andrea Thompson Quits As CNN Anchor". People
- ↑ Coleridge, Daniel R. (January 14, 2003). "NYPD Blue Gal Meets Psychic Detectives". TV Guide
- ↑ "NYPD Blue Gal Meets Psychic Detectives". TV Guide, January 14, 2003
- ↑ Adalian, Josef. "Thompson garners '24' gig", Variety August 14, 2003
External links[]
- Andrea Thompson article at Wikipedia
