- Derek Thompson (actor)
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Derek Thompson 
Born 4 April 1948
Belfast, Northern Ireland, UKOccupation Actor, Singer Years active 1961–present Spouse Dee Sadler Derek Thompson (born 4 April 1948 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a British actor, most notable for playing Charlie Fairhead in the long-running BBC television medical drama series Casualty.
Contents
Early life
Thompson has a twin sister, Elaine, who was born ten minutes after him. From the age of thirteen they combined to form the singing duo Elaine and Derek. They released one eponymously titled album, on the Parlophone label in 1961, before going on to appear in the feature film Gonks Go Beat (1965).[1]
Career
In the late 1970s and early 1980s Thompson became a regular face in BBC and ITV dramas. Appearances included Softly Softly, Play for Today, Harry's Game and Rock Follies. Prior to appearing in Casualty he had a recurring role, as DS Jimmy Fenton, in the ITV police drama The Gentle Touch. In Bergerac, series 2, episode 7' he played Wyatt, a crooked financier. He had minor film roles in Yanks (1979) and Breaking Glass (1980), and also played Jeff, Harold Shand's treacherous lieutenant, in The Long Good Friday (1980). He also played a IRA hitman in the film Wild Geese II (1985).
Casualty
Thompson began portraying Charlie Fairhead in Casualty in 1986. He is the only original cast member remaining on the show, although in 2004 his character went on a six-month sabbatical to Canada, which remains his only notable absence from the show in nearly a quarter of a century.
Apart from Casualty, he has also played Charlie in the spin-off shows Holby City and HolbyBlue.
References
- ^ Gonks Go Beat (1965) IMDb.com
External links
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