Morton Clarkson Thompson"California, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1947", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGX1-XT14 : Sat Jan 18 22:15:23 UTC 2025), Entry for Morton Clarkson Thompson and R Frank Thompson, 16 Feb 1942. (October 25, 1920 – March 3, 2000)"Obituaries/Funeral Announcements: Thompson, Mort". The Los Angeles Times. March 16, 2000. p. A24. was an American film and television actor and stuntman, perhaps best known as Capt. Charlie Kyser in Retreat, Hell!, and Kirby, the safari leader in Wild Women."Retreat, Hell!". International Photographer. January 1952. p. 28. "Mort Thompson, a Marine captain in World War II, portrays Charlie Kyser, commander of Charlie Company.""Jungle Men (And Women)". Psychotronic Video. No. 37, 2002. p. 70.Schneider, Jerry (2014). The Ray "Crash" Corrigan Filmography. Corriganville Press. p. 401. .
Early life and career Born in Imperial, California and raised in Eagle Rock, Thompson—along with sisters Cornelia and Kathleen, and younger brothers Dudley and Graham–was the second of five children born to Reuben Frank Thompson and Cornelia Elizabeth Shepherd."Leading Role". Eagle Rock Sentinel. May 22, 1947. p. 2."Not a Secret Wedding; Thompson Says Brother Only Wanted to Avoid Public Ceremony". Brooklyn Eagle. November 20, 1912. p. 12."United States, Census, 1930", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XC6N-JD3 : Sun Mar 10 05:00:23 UTC 2024), Entry for R Frank Thompson and Cornelia E Thompson, 1930."United States, Census, 1940", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K9CS-CQT : Thu Jan 09 16:41:33 UTC 2025), Entry for Frank Thompson and Camelia Thompson, 1940. In 1939, he graduated from Eagle Rock High School,"Eagle Rock High School to Graduate Largest Class in History; Exercises to Take Place at Occidental Bowl Wednesday, June 21; Member of School Board to Present Diplomas". Eagle Rock Sentinel. pp. 1, 12. where he had excelled in both football and swimming, and served as Student Body President."Dope Upset When Eagles Take the Cardinals". Eagle Rock Sentinel. November 6, 1938. p. 1. "The line, composed of Mort Thompson, Bill McWilliams and Bill Baird at ends; Dick Smith, Vladimir Obidiine, Harry Holcroft and Charles Pfeiffer at tackle; Tom Daniels, Dean Cegavake and Grant Burrows at guard; and Big Frank Roberts at center, proved to be the strongest of the current season." Thompson continued his athletic endeavors at Occidental College—most notably with the school's diving team—while also making a mark in theatre, portraying Jack 'Ernest' Worthing in a production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest."Completes Course". Eagle Rock Sentinel. August 25, 1944. p. 1.
In 1942, Thompson joined the United States Marines."Local Sons Receive Meritorious Commissions". Eagle Rock Sentinel. May 29, 1942. p. 1. "Morton C. Thompson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Morton C. Thompson [sic], 2710 El Roble Drive, a senior at Occidental College, has enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve as an officer-candidate. Following graduation he will be ordered 1 to active duty ot Quantico, Virginia. " Attending two years of officer training school and ultimately reaching the rank of Captain, he served in China and later Japan, at the Battle of Okinawa. Grant, Jack D. (November 5, 1948). "Mort Thompson, Sports Champ, Signed by Paramount". Los Angeles Mirror. p. 15.
After the war, he returned to Occidental College, majoring in speech and serving as president of the Occidental Players. Prior to his graduation in 1947, Thompson portrayed Mortimer Brewster in Joseph Kesselring's Arsenic and Old Lace.
In November 1948, Thompson was signed by Paramount Pictures. Two months later, the Los Angeles Times reported that he was one of several actors—including Shelley Winters, William Phipps, and James Anderson—selected to participate in the Shakespearean repertory group led by Charles Laughton."Movieland Briefs". The Los Angeles Times. January 7, 1949. p. 12. However, despite rumors of an imminent Twelfth Night "holiday debut,"Eng, Frank (September 13, 1949). "★ Frank Eng". Los Angeles Daily News. p. 24. the group did not in fact make its debut until the spring of 1950—and then not with Shakespeare, but rather Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard. By that point, however, it appears that conflicting commitments had compelled all but Phipps to abandon the project.Schallert, Edwin (June 7, 1950). "Leoniovich, Laughton Attain Notable Tchekov Play Staging". The Los Angeles Times. pt. III, p. 7. For Thompson, these commitments included both an uncredited turn in Nicholas Ray's Flying Leathernecks and his first credited screen appearance, as Francis I. du Pont in The Du Pont Story."Mort Thompson Filmography". American Film Institute.
On May 28, 1952, United World Films, a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, became front page news as The Hollywood Reporter broke the story of UWF's impending episodic television debut. Starring Thompson and veteran supporting player Cliff Clark, the series was entitled Fighting Man; it was to be directed by George Blair and supervised by Malcolm Boylan, with filming set to start, June 2. Yet despite subsequent trade paper reports echoing THR (including followups from Boxoffice, Broadcasting Telecasting, and Ross Reports on Television, confirming that filming had indeed begun with the personnel previously cited),"Film Digest: United-World Starts 'Fighting Man' Series". Ross Reports on Television. June 15, 1952. p. 6. no further update was ever published, nor does it appear that any portion of this projected series ever aired.
In October 1953, Thompson became the peculiarly conspicuous co-star of a Patrick Peyton/Family Theater Productions project entitled Inspiration, Please, a series of 12 one-minute TV spots debuting the following month.Donnelly, Antoinette (as A. D.). "Chatter!". New York Daily News. October 10, 1953. p. 22. Cast as himself (drawing on his own wartime experience at Okinawa), Thompson was the sole contemporary presenter amidst a roster otherwise composed solely of actors impersonating historical figures such as Ben Franklin, Abe Lincoln, Queen Victoria, Alexis Carrel, Patrick Henry, Louis Pasteur, Marconi, Marx, Jefferson, Joseph Haydn, Francis of Assisi, and Mother Teresa. Each of these figures—Thompson, included—was there to address the meaning of prayer and faith in one's life. Underwritten by Joseph P. Kennedy and scripted by Fred Niblo Jr. and John T. Kelley,Gribble, Richard (2005). American Apostle of the Family Rosary : The Life of Patrick J. Peyton. New York : Crossroad Publishing. p. 90. . the series was later awarded the Freedoms Foundation's George Washington Honor Medal for "outstanding achievement in helping to bring about a better understanding of the American Way of Life during 1953," at which time—March 1954—it was also reported that "more than 250 television stations in the country are telecasting this series daily.""For Family Theater's TV Series". Our Sunday Visitor. March 7, 1954. pt. II, p. 1.
Thompson's final credited screen appearance came on October 2, 1973, in "The Manhunter", the series premiere of Bill Bixby's The Magician.Gianakos, Larry James (1978). Television Drama Series Programming : A Comprehensive Chronicle, 1959-1975. Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press. p. 740. .
Personal life and death On September 24, 1950, Thompson married actress Marjorie Van Dyke, a fellow Occidental College alumnus.
In 1965, it was reported that Thompson had recently converted to Nichiren Buddhism, joining the newly founded Soka Gakkai of America. When queried as to whether the religion's growth might not presage a revival of Japanese militarism and aggression, Thompson countered quickly. I wouldn't be in it, if it did. Rather it is the antithesis of militarism. It is pacifistic. We've tried all other ways and they haven't worked. Maybe this movement will give the world peace. At least, I'm going to give it a try."6,000 Buddhists Dedicate Temple; U.S. Sokagakkai Build First Unit Outside Japan". The Daily Report. August 16, 1965. p. 11. On March 3, 2000, Thompson died of undisclosed causes, survived by his brother Dudley.
Selected filmography
Samson and Delilah (1949) – Spectator Flying Leathernecks (1950) – 5th Pilot Replacement (uncredited) The Du Pont Story (1950) – Francis I. du Pont The Lone Ranger (1951) Season 2 Episode 24 "The Hooded Men" – BillLentz, Harris M. (1997). Television Westerns Episode Guide,1949-1996. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 286. . Night Riders of Montana (1951) – Jim Foster Starlift (1951) – Collins-First Sentry (uncredited)Associated Press (June 8, 1951). "Stars on the Horizon". The Daily Iberian. p. 5. Father Takes the Air (1951) – Control Tower Operator (uncredited) Wild Women (1951) - Kirby Retreat, Hell! (1952) - Capt. Kyser Schier, Ernie (February 23, 1952). "'Retreat, Hell' Stars Fighting Marines". Times-Herald. p. 7. The War of the Worlds (1953) – Reporter (uncredited) Inspiration, Please (1953) Season 1 Episode 12 – HimselfLester, John (December 1953). "Radio and Television". The Sign. p. 52. This Is My Love (1954) – Dark-haired flirtatious lunch counter customer, first cafeteria scene (uncredited)Peros, Mike (2916). Dan Duryea: Heel with a Heart. Jackson, MS. University Press of Mississippi. p. 104. . "[H]e accepted a return engagement to RKO for a color noirish soap opera released as This Is My Love. released under the titles Night Music and Night Without End, Stuart Heisler would direct this twisted tale of jealousy, unrequited love, and almost all-consuming bitterness."The Ret Network (July 9, 2021). "Linda Darnell in THIS IS MY LOVE; 5-year-old Jerry Mathers (The Beaver) film debut. 1954". YouTube. See also: "Don Orlando, Morton C. Thompson, and Lewis Wilson in Wild Women (1951)". IMDb. Star Tonight (1955) Season Episode "Flame and Ice""TV Programs for Thursday". Detroit Free Press. August 25, 1955. p. 36. Retrieved March 2, 2025. "8 P.M. 7 STAR TONIGHT Jason Robards, Jr., plays Abe Lincoln in 'Flame and Ice,' story of Lincoln and his son.""Talent Showsheet August 22-28, 1955: Thursday August 24". Ross Reports on Television. August 21. p. B. "Flame and Ice - (0) by George H. Faulkner; with Jason Robards, Jr., Gordon Dilworth, Joe Helgesen, Miko Oscard, Wendell Holmes, Morton Thompson; (SD) by Mary Scourby" Kraft Theatre (1956) Season 9 Episode 31 "A Night to Remember" – Other Passenger - Titanic Flight (1958) Season 1 Episode 19 "Japanese Code" Border Patrol (1959) Season 1 Episode 16 "Love, Death and Diamonds" – Bob Jamieson"Tops on Television". The Jackson Sun. September 10, 1959. p. 10-A."Saturday, February 4: Afternoon-Evening". The Los Angeles Times Weekly TV Magazine. January 29, 1961. p. 42. "U.S. Border Patrol (30 min.) Investigating the murder of an alien, Don Jagger gets on the trail of a huge West Coast smuggling operation. Richard Webb stars as Don Jagger. Guest Cast: John McAuliffe - Herbert Rudley; Mrs. McAuliffe - Doreen Lang; Albertini - Peter Leeds; Rosemary Comstock - Eleanor Berry; Birley - Don Kelly; Ross - Artie Lewis; Bob Jamieson - Mort Thompson; Gareth Dennison - Bryan Grant." Loretta Young Show (1959) Season 7 Episode 7 "A New Step" – Nurse (uncredited) The Aquanauts (1960) Season 1 Episode 7 "Disaster Below""Talent Showsheet and Script Report: Wednesday October 25". Ross Reports of Television. October 24, 1960. p. 43-B. Hennesey (1962) Season 3 Episode 28 "The Best Man" – Aide Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) – Pirate (uncredited) The Travels of Jamie McPheeters Season 1 Episode 13 "The Day of the Misfits" (1963) – Jakins Season 1 Episode 21 "The Day of the Lame Duck" (1964) – Sergeant The Man from Uncle (1967) Season 4 Episode 4 "The Prince of Darkness: Part I" – Kharmusi's HenchmanAbbott, Jon (2014). Cool TV of The 1960s: Three Shows That Changed the World. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 19. .