Actor Ron Thompson, best known for starring alongside Robert Blake in the ABC crime series Baretta and his performance in the iconic 1981 film American Pop, has died. He was 83. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Thompson was found dead in his Los Angeles apartment on Saturday afternoon (April 13). He was discovered by his friend and former co-worker Joe Black, a filmmaker who worked with Thompson on Hate Horses (2017), Chicks, Man (2018), Suffrage (2023), and many other projects. No cause of death was given. “For a man of his age, he was so full of life; he had such a presence,” Black told THR, referring to Thompson as “the Sam Jackson to my Tarantino.” Born on January 31, 1941, in Louisville, Kentucky, Thompson moved with his family to Miami in 1945 and soon became fascinated with acting, especially after seeing Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront. Thompson’s first acting gig came in 1960 when he appeared as...
- 4/16/2024
- TV Insider
Ron Thompson, the unheralded actor who starred on Broadway for Charles Gordone in the Pulitzer Prize-winning No Place to Be Somebody and played father and son musicians for Ralph Bakshi in the animated cult classic American Pop, has died. He was 83.
Filmmaker Joe Black told The Hollywood Reporter that he found Thompson in his Van Nuys apartment on Saturday afternoon. The two had worked together in eight features, including Hate Horses (2017), Chicks, Man (2018) and Suffrage (2023), and Black visited him a couple times a week to help him out.
“For a man of his age, he was so full of life, he had such a presence,” Black said. He called Thompson “the Sam Jackson to my Tarantino.”
In 1969, Thompson originated off-Broadway the role of Shanty Mulligan in the Joseph Papp-produced No Place to Be Somebody, starring Ron O’Neal, then accompanied the drama to Broadway and on a tour around the country.
Filmmaker Joe Black told The Hollywood Reporter that he found Thompson in his Van Nuys apartment on Saturday afternoon. The two had worked together in eight features, including Hate Horses (2017), Chicks, Man (2018) and Suffrage (2023), and Black visited him a couple times a week to help him out.
“For a man of his age, he was so full of life, he had such a presence,” Black said. He called Thompson “the Sam Jackson to my Tarantino.”
In 1969, Thompson originated off-Broadway the role of Shanty Mulligan in the Joseph Papp-produced No Place to Be Somebody, starring Ron O’Neal, then accompanied the drama to Broadway and on a tour around the country.
- 4/16/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ron Thompson, a veteran character actor best known for his role in Ralph Bakshi’s rotoscope film American Pop and his 1970s TV series portrayal of Detective Nopke in Baretta, died Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 83. No cause was given by his friend Professor Rel Dowdell of Hampton University, who confirmed the death.
Thompson had a brief career as a rock singer in the 1960s and wrote and recorded a number of singles as Ronnie Thompson.
He also originated the role of Shanty Mulligan in the Pulitzer Prize winning play No Place to Be Somebody by Charles Gordone. He also won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for his 1973 lead performance in the play Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?
Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1941, Ron, his older brother, and parents moved to Miami, Florida in ’45. Ron began to show talents as a singer/performer at an early age,...
Thompson had a brief career as a rock singer in the 1960s and wrote and recorded a number of singles as Ronnie Thompson.
He also originated the role of Shanty Mulligan in the Pulitzer Prize winning play No Place to Be Somebody by Charles Gordone. He also won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for his 1973 lead performance in the play Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?
Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1941, Ron, his older brother, and parents moved to Miami, Florida in ’45. Ron began to show talents as a singer/performer at an early age,...
- 4/14/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
This has absolutely No Spoilers for the movie Cocaine Bear…
The year is 1985. The sappy but well-intentioned charity ballad “We Are The World” is inescapable. Pastels and Patrick Nagel art prints are in fashion. And Miami Vice, the stylish cop show where Don Johnson gets suave while busting drug dealers, is the biggest thing on television. These are the golden years of cocaine, where every investment banker and rich kid is lit to the gills on Colombian blow. Bringing the in-demand drug into the United States is a high-risk/high-reward career move, and once you’re in the game, then primarily controlled by Pablo Escobar and his Medellin Cartel, it’s hard to get out.
Ironically, one of the easiest ways to get into moving bricks is to be a former cop. Ex-DEA agent turned drug smuggler Andrew Thornton is where the story of the real-life Cocaine Bear begins,...
The year is 1985. The sappy but well-intentioned charity ballad “We Are The World” is inescapable. Pastels and Patrick Nagel art prints are in fashion. And Miami Vice, the stylish cop show where Don Johnson gets suave while busting drug dealers, is the biggest thing on television. These are the golden years of cocaine, where every investment banker and rich kid is lit to the gills on Colombian blow. Bringing the in-demand drug into the United States is a high-risk/high-reward career move, and once you’re in the game, then primarily controlled by Pablo Escobar and his Medellin Cartel, it’s hard to get out.
Ironically, one of the easiest ways to get into moving bricks is to be a former cop. Ex-DEA agent turned drug smuggler Andrew Thornton is where the story of the real-life Cocaine Bear begins,...
- 2/25/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
The plot of the new comedy “Cocaine Bear” is so outrageous it must be true, right?
In the film, which Elizabeth Banks directs, a black bear ingests bricks of cocaine and goes on a drug-fueled killing spree in Georgia’s Chattahoochee Forest.
So where does fact end and fiction begin? We break it down for you.
Did a Bear Really Overdose on Coke?
Yes, a bear really ingested and overdosed on cocaine. Here’s what happened.
In September 1985, drug smuggler Andrew Thornton (played by Matthew Rhys in the film) was trafficking hundreds of millions of dollars worth of cocaine from Columbia into the U.S. aboard a Cessna plane.
The plane was carrying too heavy a load, so Thornton began throwing duffel bags full of cocaine out the hatch while above Georgia. Thornton, who had trained as a paratrooper, then jumped out of the plane. His parachute malfunctioned and Thornton...
In the film, which Elizabeth Banks directs, a black bear ingests bricks of cocaine and goes on a drug-fueled killing spree in Georgia’s Chattahoochee Forest.
So where does fact end and fiction begin? We break it down for you.
Did a Bear Really Overdose on Coke?
Yes, a bear really ingested and overdosed on cocaine. Here’s what happened.
In September 1985, drug smuggler Andrew Thornton (played by Matthew Rhys in the film) was trafficking hundreds of millions of dollars worth of cocaine from Columbia into the U.S. aboard a Cessna plane.
The plane was carrying too heavy a load, so Thornton began throwing duffel bags full of cocaine out the hatch while above Georgia. Thornton, who had trained as a paratrooper, then jumped out of the plane. His parachute malfunctioned and Thornton...
- 2/24/2023
- by Lawrence Yee
- The Wrap
This is real? This isn’t an early April Fools’ Day joke? A bear actually ingested cocaine and there’s a movie about it… Incredible. Add Cocaine Bear to your Must-See Movies of 2023 list immediately.
“On a rampage for blow and blood. Meet Cocaine Bear.”
According to Kentucky for Kentucky, ex-narcotics cop turned drug smuggler Andrew Thornton II’s parachute didn’t open and he plunged to his death. Andrew was wearing a bulletproof vest and had cocaine in a duffel bag when he was discovered dead in someone’s yard in Knoxville. A short while later, a black bear was also discovered dead as the result of eating an incredibly large amount of Thornton’s cocaine.
The bizarre story of the black bear, nicknamed Pablo EskoBear, continued after the poor creature had been stuffed and put on display at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area visitors center. EskoBear’s...
“On a rampage for blow and blood. Meet Cocaine Bear.”
According to Kentucky for Kentucky, ex-narcotics cop turned drug smuggler Andrew Thornton II’s parachute didn’t open and he plunged to his death. Andrew was wearing a bulletproof vest and had cocaine in a duffel bag when he was discovered dead in someone’s yard in Knoxville. A short while later, a black bear was also discovered dead as the result of eating an incredibly large amount of Thornton’s cocaine.
The bizarre story of the black bear, nicknamed Pablo EskoBear, continued after the poor creature had been stuffed and put on display at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area visitors center. EskoBear’s...
- 11/30/2022
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Stars: Ron Thompson, Mark Wood, Matthew Rosvally, Corbin Timbrook, Danika Fields, Eliot, J.C. Macek III, Jose Rosete | Written and Directed by James Dylan
The feature debut of director James Dylan, [Cargo] sees Ron Thompson star as Anthony Peterson, a businessman with a dark past that finds himself incarcerated by unknown assailants and with only a mobile phone must raise one million pounds to prevent the death of him and his wife.
[Cargo] borrows heavily from recent hits Buried and Locke, although it leans heavily on the latter as the relationships between Peterson and his family and friends fall under the microscope. With just a sole actor to focus on, the success of this film hinges on a strong lead performance and tight script in order to keep the tension ratcheted and keep the viewer gripped. However a powerhouse performance from Thompson, this is not. We have a man who reacts to...
The feature debut of director James Dylan, [Cargo] sees Ron Thompson star as Anthony Peterson, a businessman with a dark past that finds himself incarcerated by unknown assailants and with only a mobile phone must raise one million pounds to prevent the death of him and his wife.
[Cargo] borrows heavily from recent hits Buried and Locke, although it leans heavily on the latter as the relationships between Peterson and his family and friends fall under the microscope. With just a sole actor to focus on, the success of this film hinges on a strong lead performance and tight script in order to keep the tension ratcheted and keep the viewer gripped. However a powerhouse performance from Thompson, this is not. We have a man who reacts to...
- 1/2/2019
- by Chris Thomas
- Nerdly
Performing vampire slayings on the spot? Yes, please. A trailer and details for Improvised Buffy at the High Stakes Theater Company in NYC headlines today's Highlights. Also: Dis photos and trailer and a Q&A with writer and director James Dylan for [Cargo].
Improvised Buffy and Ticketing Information: "Join us on our very own little slice of the Hellmouth. Buffy fans gather on the first Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. to watch a group of skilled actors and Whedon fanatics make up a live episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the spot. Grab a drink at "The Bronze" bar and get ready for vamp dustings, apocalypses, wiggins, and more!
More Information:
https://www.highstakestheatercompany.com/improvisedbuffy/
Tickets:
improvisedbuffy.com"
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Dis Photos and Trailer Revealed: "An ex-soldier with a criminal past takes refuge in the woods. A demonic figure seeks the seed of killers and the blood of...
Improvised Buffy and Ticketing Information: "Join us on our very own little slice of the Hellmouth. Buffy fans gather on the first Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. to watch a group of skilled actors and Whedon fanatics make up a live episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the spot. Grab a drink at "The Bronze" bar and get ready for vamp dustings, apocalypses, wiggins, and more!
More Information:
https://www.highstakestheatercompany.com/improvisedbuffy/
Tickets:
improvisedbuffy.com"
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Dis Photos and Trailer Revealed: "An ex-soldier with a criminal past takes refuge in the woods. A demonic figure seeks the seed of killers and the blood of...
- 11/29/2018
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
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