Derek Thompson (born 4 April 1948) is a British

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

, most notable for playing Charlie Fairhead in the long-running BBC television medical drama series '' Casualty'', playing the role since the series' inception in 1986, and his performance as Jeff in the British gangster film ''

The Long Good Friday ''The Long Good Friday'' is a 1980 British gangster film directed by John Mackenzie from a screenplay by Barrie Keeffe, starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. Set in London, the storyline weaves together events and concerns of the late 1970s, ...

''.

Early life

Thompson was born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

and has a twin sister
Elaine Johns
(née Thompson). During their teenage years, they combined to form the singing duo ''Elaine and Derek''. They recorded four albums and 15 EPs together, singing in harmonies, and released one eponymously titled album on the

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 19 ...

label in 1961. They then formed the folk trio

Odin's People Odin's People were an Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Norther ...

wit
Larry Johns
and recorded two singles in 1967. Derek appeared in the feature film ''

Gonks Go Beat ''Gonks Go Beat'' is a 1964 British science fiction/musical fantasy film, directed by Robert Hartford-Davis. It stars Kenneth Connor and Frank Thornton. ''Gonks Go Beat'' is loosely based on the ''Romeo and Juliet'' storyline and features 16 mu ...

'' (1965).

Career

In the mid-1960s, Thompson worked as Stage Manager in the Nonentities Theatre in

Kidderminster Kidderminster is a large market and historic minster town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, south-west of Birmingham and north of Worcester. Located north of the River Stour and east of the River Severn, in the 2011 census, it h ...

. and in rep. In the 1970s he appeared in several productions at the National Theatre. In the late 1970s and early 1980s Thompson became a regular face in BBC and ITV dramas. Appearances included '' Softly Softly'', ''

Play for Today ''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stag ...

'', and '' Rock Follies of 77''. He got a big break in '' Harry's Game'', where he played the lead IRA gunman on the run following the assassination of a government minister. Later he played another IRA hitman in the TV series ''The Price'' and for a British mercenary gang in the '' Wild Geese II'', both filmed in 1985. During late 1970s and early 1980s Thompson had minor film roles in '' Yanks'' (1979) and '' Breaking Glass'' (1980), and also played Jeff, Harold Shand's lieutenant, in the box office hit movie ''

''. Before he appeared in ''Casualty'', he had a recurring role, as DS Jimmy Fenton, in the ITV police drama '' The Gentle Touch''.

''Casualty''

Thompson began portraying Charlie Fairhead in ''Casualty'' in 1986. The following year he met his future wife, Dee Sadler, an actress playing the role of Maggie in an episode of the show's second series, a potholer who had to be rescued from a cave before hospitalisation. Thompson has currently played the role of Charlie for over 30 years, and is the only remaining character from the original cast. In 2004 his character went on a six-month sabbatical, which remains his most notable absence from the show. Currently, he is allowed a few months off from filming per year. Apart from ''Casualty'', he has also played Charlie in the spin-off shows '' Holby City'' and '' HolbyBlue''. It was revealed in July 2017, that Thompson was the BBC's highest-paid actor, earning between £350,000 and £400,000 over the last financial year.

Family

As of 2010, Thompson and his wife, Dee, lived in a rented flat in Bristol and also own a house in

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th centu ...

. The couple have a son, who appeared as a baby in one 1990 episode of ''Casualty'' as the son of regular character Duffy, and he also has an older son by a previous marriage to Christine, a theatre director. A sufferer of dystonia, Thompson became patron of the Dystonia Society in 2006.

Theatre

* ''Strawberry Fields'' * ''WC/PC'' * ''The Bells of Hell'' * ''The Garden of England'' * ''Serjeant Musgrave's Dance'' * ''The Cherry Orchard'' * ''The Passion'' * ''Dispatches'' * ''The Mysteries'' * ''Weapons of Happiness'' * ''Lavender Blue'' * ''Has Washington Legs'' * '' School for Scandal''

Selected filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Derek 1948 births Male film actors from Northern Ireland Male television actors from Northern Ireland Living people Male actors from Belfast 20th-century male actors from Northern Ireland 21st-century male actors from Northern Ireland