Marshall Thompson

Actor

About

Also Known As

James Marshall Thompson

Birth Place

Peoria, Illinois, USA

Born

November 27, 1925

Died

May 18, 1992

Cause of Death

Congestive Heart Failure

Biography

A descendant of Supreme Court Justice John Marshall, this veteran of over 40 films is best remembered as the star of "Daktari," a popular family TV series set in Africa that ran on CBS from January 1966 to January 1969. The inspiration for the show was the feature film "Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion" (1964) which Thompson starred in and co-wrote.Cast in naive juvenile roles in MGM films o...

Filmography

A Yank in Viet-Nam (1964)

Director

Dallas: The Early Years (1986)

Cruise into Terror (1978)

Bennett

Photos & Videos

View All

Clock, The - (Original Trailer)

Stars In My Crown (1950) -- (Movie Clip) I'm Always A Boy In Walesburg

Family & Companions

Barbara Thompson

Wife

Survived him.

Biography

Cast in naive juvenile roles in MGM films of the 1940s, Thompson began playing a wide variety of roles as a mature lead or second lead. He appeared in Vincente Minnelli's "The Clock" (1945), John Ford's "They Were Expendable" (1945), William Wellman's "Battleground" (1949), Anthony Mann's "Devil's Doorway" (1950) and "The Tall Target" (1951), Herbert Ross' "The Turning Point" (1977) and Sam Fuller's "White Dog" (1982). He also faced down the uncanny in the likes of "Fiend Without a Face," "It! The Terror From Beyond Space" and "First Man in Space." Thompson spent much of his time in Africa in his later years, where he produced, directed, and acted in the documentary series "Orphans of the Wild."

Filmography

Life Events

1944

Feature acting debut in "Reckless Age"

1964

Wrote story, co-wrote screenplay, and starred in "Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion"

1964

Sole feature directing effort, "A Yank in Vietnam/Year of the Tiger"

1966

Starred in "Daktari", a popular family series set in Africa

Photo Collections

Battleground - Action Publicity Stills

Here are several action-oriented publicity stills taken for MGM's Battleground (1949). Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.

Battleground - Behind-the-Scenes Stills

Here are a number of photos taken behind-the-scenes during production of MGM's Battleground (1949), directed by William Wellman and starring Van Johnson, Ricardo Montalban, James Whitmore, George Murphy, and many others.

Devil's Doorway - Behind-the-Scenes Still

Here is a still photo taken behind-the-scenes during production of MGM's Devil's Doorway (1950), starring Marshall Thompson and Paula Raymond, and directed by Anthony Mann.

First Man into Space - Lobby Cards

Here are a few Lobby Cards from MGM's First Man into Space (1959), starring Marshall Thompson. Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

Battle Taxi - Title Lobby Card

Here is the Title Lobby Card from Battle Taxi (1955), starring Sterling Hayden. Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.