We had the good fortune of connecting with Martin Thompson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Martin, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Well, I started out life with the double whammy of being both a Preacher’s Kid and a Navy Brat! My Dad was a Navy Chaplain. So, we moved around a lot. Every two years or so we would pack up and move across the country. So, I was always the new kid in school. One of the hardest questions I would ever have to answer was when people would ask me, “Where are you from?” I had no idea! I could tell you where we lived last week!

But, I think that nomadic lifestyle helped prepare me for a life as an actor. As actors, we often form tight connections with those we work with in a play or a film. Then that project is over, we say our goodbyes, promise to stay in touch, and never see each other again. Being a Navy Brat helped prepare me to form fast and transitory friendships like that.

My Mom was a Peabody-trained soprano, so growing up, music was always a big part of my life. I spent my early years singing in the church choirs, performing in the Christmas pageants, and taking piano lessons.

So, I think that’s where my love of acting was born. For many years, I thought I wanted to be a minister like my Dad, or a singer like my Mom, but I eventually realized that it was just because you got to wear great costumes and perform in front of a captive audience every week!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I began my career in New York, as most actors do, studying with the great teachers like Uta Hagen at HB Studio. I spent about twelve years in New York, and I still miss it! Although, my time as a NY soap opera actor, and my numerous award-winning and critically acclaimed New York and Regional stage performances are now most likely forgotten – and perhaps best left to the imagination.

Today, however, I continue my meteoric rise to obscurity by working often in Los Angeles Theatre. As a company member at Theatre 40, I was last seen in the American Premiere of “Renovations for Six,” and I reprised my role as Sherlock Holmes in “Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily.” In fact, I’ve been named an “Official Sherlock Holmes Performer” by the Diogenes Club, UK, the International Sherlock Holmes Society, for my numerous appearances as the iconic detective. Which is fun! And, I was recently nominated by Broadway World as “Performer of the Decade.”

In my spare time, I enjoy appearing on television and in major motion pictures with many big Hollywood stars who probably don’t remember working with me. I appeared with Kevin Costner in “The New Daughter,” opposite Paul Rudd in “Wanderlust,” and with Colin Firth in “Main Street,” the final screenplay by the legendary Horton Foote.

My television credits include “Lake Effects” with Jane Seymour for Hallmark, “NCIS: LA,” “Criminal Minds, “Scorpion,” “Comedy Bang Bang,” and “Uncle Buck.” I even appeared briefly as a singing Nazi in the single season of the Showtime series “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels.” Currently, I’m working as a series regular on a new top-secret pilot, currently shooting for an undisclosed network, which may – or may not – get picked up. So, I’m not holding his breath on that one!

Of course, as I constantly remind my students, there are always obstacles! Life is never a smooth path from one destination to another. And, for actors. it’s especially difficult. We face so much rejection in our careers that it becomes very difficult to not take that rejection personally. You audition for hundreds of things and maybe book one or two of them. So, you have to learn to accept a “No” as just part of the journey. And wait patiently for a “Yes” to make it all worthwhile.

I think if I’ve learned anything – which is doubtful – I’d have to say that this career is so full of twists and turns, redirections and disappointments, that no matter what plans you make, no matter what path you think you’re following, no matter what plans you have for the future, you’re going to be proven wrong. Just enjoy the journey. And, be happy for your friends when they score a big win – it will be your turn soon. In the meantime, continue to work on your craft, believe in yourself, and enjoy the ride!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is a great question, because I’m constantly enjoying visits from out-of-town friends and family. One of the nice things about living in LA is that people actually want to come here! So, I always take them on a little driving tour along Mulholland Drive to see the grand vistas of the city. Then we have to spend a day at The Getty Center. And I always love a visit to the Academy Museum, too. We have to drive down to Santa Monica, visit the pier, and then drive along the coast to watch the sunset over the ocean. And dinner would be at my favorite restaurant, The Smokehouse in Burbank, right across from Warner Bros. Studio. You can’t get much more “Old Hollywood” than that!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Well, I definitely need to give a huge Shoutout to my wonderful agents at The Library Agency, Julia Irzyk and Julia (JT) Thornton, who continue to submit me, pitch me, and support me – even though I don’t always book every audition! And, my hard-working manager, Margaret Girard at Century City Talent Management, who tirelessly manages all those unbooked auditions!

And, I would certainly be remiss if I didn’t Shoutout my students who constantly keep me on my toes, and often teach me more than I teach them! As a somewhat distinguished member of the acting faculties at the New York Film Academy, the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, and the Los Angeles Performing Arts Conservatory, I am proud to guide a new generation of actors toward their dreams of becoming just as rich and famous as I am! Haha! They are the next generation of actors and stars, and I’m so proud of everything they are accomplishing! And, for those of you who were not off book, and not ready to shoot your scene today, please see me after class…

Website: https://www.martinthompson.net

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martinthompsonactor

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinthompsonactor/

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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MartinThompsonActor

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