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RIP Senator/Actor Fred Thompson - Interesting Story

by bizgrower
3 replies
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/m...-to-hollywood/
  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    That was an interesting story. I loved him in Law and Order. Used to never miss it.
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  • Profile picture of the author webmarketer
    RIP, Mr. Thompson. I still see him more as the actor rather than the senator.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    Actually, I don't think he was an actor at all. He was first an attorney and played a significant role in the Watergate hearings.

    In 1973, Thompson was appointed minority counsel to assist the Republican senators on the Senate Watergate Committee, a special committee convened by the U.S. Senate to investigate the Watergate scandal. Thompson was sometimes credited for supplying Republican Senator Howard Baker's famous question, "What did the President know, and when did he know it?" This question is said to have helped frame the hearings in a way that eventually led to the downfall of President Richard Nixon.

    A Republican staff member, Donald Sanders, found out about the White House tapes and informed the committee on July 13, 1973. Thompson was informed of the existence of the tapes, and he in turn informed Nixon's attorney, J. Fred Buzhardt. "Even though I had no authority to act for the committee, I decided to call Fred Buzhardt at home," Thompson later wrote,"I wanted to be sure that the White House was fully aware of what was to be disclosed so that it could take appropriate action."


    Three days after Sanders' discovery, at a public, televised committee hearing, Thompson asked former White House aide Alexander Butterfield the famous question, "Mr. Butterfield, were you aware of the existence of any listening devices in the Oval Office of the President?" thereby publicly revealing the existence of tape recordings of conversations within the White House. National Public Radio later called that session and the discovery of the Watergate tapes "a turning point in the investigation."

    He then took on that case and won it that resulted in a Tennessee Governor going to prison for corruption.

    He had an extensive political career and most of his roles were a sort of mirror of the real Thompson. He played himself. He didn't have to act, and with the depth of his knowledge of politics and law, it made his acting roles all the more real.

    As an actor, I think he was a natural, as long as the roles were political/law in nature.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Thompson
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