Thompson was born in Peoria, Illinois. He and his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Laurence B. Thompson, moved to California when he was one year old. He attended University High School where he was a classmate of Norma Jean Baker, later to be known worldwide as Marilyn Monroe. Thompson enrolled at Occidental College with plans to become a dentist, but he switched to divinity studies.
1940s
In 1943, Thompson, known for his boy-next-door good looks, was signed by Universal Pictures. He played quiet, thoughtful teens in Universal's feature films, including a lead opposite singing star Gloria Jean in Reckless Age, earning $350 weekly. During 1946, Universal discharged most of its contract players, so that same year Thompson moved over to MGM. His film roles steadily increased and improved with appearances in The Clock and the lead inGallant Bess, MGM's first film shot in Cinecolor.
1950s
At the age of 24, Thompson narrated the storyline in Stars in My Crown. He became a freelance actor during the 1950s and worked for various studios on a variety of pictures, including a number of horror and science fiction films. This included the role of Carruthers in It! The Terror from Beyond Space, one of the two films that would later inspire the plot for director Ridley Scott's 1979 big-budget feature Alien. Thompson also starred in the short-lived 1959 syndicatedscience fictionTV seriesWorld of Giants. The drama follows Mel Hunter, a U. S. counter-espionage agent, accidentally miniaturized to just six inches in height, who must live in a dollhouse when not on missions.
1960s
By the 1960s, Thompson's boyish looks had matured and his screen persona became more authoritative. He co-starred with the Belgian-born Annie Fargé in the 33-episode CBSsitcomAngel about an American architect with a charming but scatterbrained French wife, who often got into zany, Lucy Ricardo-esque situations, caused in part by her lack of fluency in the English language. The show was canceled after 33 episodes due to low ratings, despite critical acclaim for the newcomer Fargé. He also guest starred as murderer Arthur Poe in the 1960 Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Wayward Wife". Thompson went on to star in two Vietnam War films: A Yank in Viet-Nam, which he also directed, and To the Shores of Hell. The former was directed by Thompson and was shot on location in South Vietnam. In 1965 he returned to MGM to play the lead in the Ivan Tors produced comedy-adventure film Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion. He played Dr. Marsh Tracy, a veterinarian and single father, who is raising his daughter alone in Kenya. The film was then spun off into the TV series Daktari, in which Thompson played the same role. Though the series was shot in California and Africa, Thompson and his wife made several trips to various African nations to film second unit footage that was then used in the series and in the film The Mighty Jungle. Thompson also was the host and storyteller for the TV anthology series Jambo.
Later years
Later in his career, he appeared in many television episodes and in feature films such as The Turning Point and The Formula.
