That list isn’t exhaustive, either. As an attorney, Thompson served as counsel to the Senate Watergate committee and later represented a whistleblower in the case that would bring down Tennessee Gov. Ray Blanton. His acting career also included parts in The Hunt for Red October and Die Hard 2.
Thompson died in Nashville after a recurrence of lymphoma, according to a statement from his family. They remembered a man at home in Tennessee, Washington, D.C., or Hollywood.
“Fred once said that the experiences he had growing up in small-town Tennessee formed the prism through which he viewed the world and shaped the way he dealt with life. Fred stood on principle and common sense, and had a deep love for and connection with the people across Tennessee whom he had the privilege to serve in the United States Senate. He enjoyed a hearty laugh, a strong handshake, a good cigar, and a healthy dose of humility. Fred was the same man on the floor of the Senate, the movie studio, or the town square of Lawrenceburg, his home.”
In 2010, he spoke to former Scene editor Liz Garrigan about his memoir Teaching the Pig to Dance. Read their interesting and entertaining conversation — in which Thompson calls Garrigan a “rascal” and speaks of maintaining his status as a sex symbol — after the jump:
You decided to concentrate your memoir on growing up in Lawrenceburg. Happier memories in small-town Tennessee than in the Senate? (continue reading at Nashville Scene)