Check Out Martin Thompson’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Martin Thompson.

Hi Martin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
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. 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 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, but I eventually realized that it was just because you got to wear great costumes and perform in front of an audience every week!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
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.

Auditions are still the worst part of being and Actor. And, yet, we spend most of our time auditioning! No one has yet devised a better way to cast actors for a project. And, now, with self-tape auditions being the rule rather than the exception, you often don’t even get a “No.” All you hear after sending in your audition is silence. Sometimes that can be even worse. But we keep doing this! Don’t ask me why!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Well, 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 eleven or 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 reprised my role as Sherlock Holmes in “Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily.” In fact, I’ve has 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!

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: Los Angeles,” “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!

I am also a somewhat distinguished member of the acting faculties at The New York Film Academy, American Musical and Dramatic Academy, and the Los Angeles Performing Arts Conservatory where I am proud to guide a new generation of actors toward their dreams of becoming just as rich and famous as I am! Haha!

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
I think if I’ve learned anything (which is doubtful), I’d have to say that this career is so full of twists and turn 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!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.martinthompson.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martinthompsonactor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martinthompsonactor/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinthompsonactor/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MartinThomActor
• Other: https://www.imdb.me/martinthompson