RIP Fred Thompson

Lawyer, actor, Senator, and Presidential candidate dead at 73.

 

RIP to a fine character actor and a solid politician. Before he went all Crazy, Sleepy Old Man in his presidential campaign, he seemed to have a good idea or two.
Can't believe he was only 73. He must have been one of those people who come out of the womb looking like they're 50.

 

Watergate. He was 33.

 

Oh, that's why you stopped seeing Joe Don Baker in stuff. He changed his name to Fred Thompson.

 

He had a good turn in Law and Order.

 

Top three roles for me: 1. Authority figure in Hunt for Red October ("This thing will get out of control and we'll be lucky to survive it.")
2. Authority figure in Die Hard II ("Rack 'em, stack 'em and pack 'em.")
3. Authority figure in No Way Out ("CIA Director Marshall: And you can forget about Pritchard. He's homosexual.
Kevin O'Brien: I'll be damned.
CIA Director Marshall: Ah, so will he, if you believe the Old Testament.")

 

Hope he took care of his family with a reverse mortgage.

RIP

 

Damn, that commercial is on constant replay on one of the local channels here in Cincy. Still chuckle and enjoy his certain intonation of the phrase "they play an important *role*..."

Somehow, it becomes a two-syllable word.

 

Don't forget weasel chief of staff in "In the Line of Fire." When Clint mistakes the balloons popping for gunfire, the secret service runs in front of POTUS. Fred runs and hides offstage.

 

He played the NASCAR president or some such role in Days of Thunder, too.

Big John: If you two wanna turn yourselves into a greasy spot on a country road somewhere, go right ahead. I don't give a shit and I don't think anybody else does, regardless what they say to your face. But you two monkeys are not going to do it on my racetrack. Now y'all heard of a "Japanese Inspection?" Japanese Inpsection, you see, when the Japs get in a load of lettuce they're not sure they wanna let in the country, why they'll just let it sit there on the dock 'til they get good and ready to look at. But then of course, it's all gone rotten... ain't nothing left to inspect. You see, lettuce is a perishable item... like you two monkeys. You trade paint one more time, you so much as touch, I'm gonna Black Flag the two of you, and take apart your racecars for three-hundred laps. Then, if you pass inspection and you put your cars back together, I might let you back into the race. Now, just to show there's no hard feelings we're all gonna go out to dinner together.

 

He died doing what he loved: scaring gullible seniors into selling their equity to banks for pennies on the dollar.