Eric Norman Thompson (9 November 1929 – 30 November 1982) was an English actor, scriptwriter and stage director. He is best remembered for creating and performing the English narration for The Magic Roundabout,
Early life
Eric Norman Thompson was born on 9 November 1929 in
Sleaford,
Lincolnshire, England, the son of Annie (née Jackson) and George Henry Thompson, a hotel waiter,
and grew up in
Rudgwick,
Sussex, attending Collyer's School,
Horsham. He trained to be an actor at the
Old Vic acting school in London and joined the Old Vic theatre company in 1952.
Career
Thompson worked regularly for the
BBC, and was a presenter of the children's television programme
Play School from 1964 to 1967. He was best known as the narrator of
The Magic Roundabout, for which he also wrote the
English language scripts, using the visuals from the original
French language Le Manège enchanté. These were transmitted from October 1965 to January 1977. Thompson rarely worked in television after his voice became well known, but occasionally appeared in programmes including
Doctor Finlay's Casebook (episode: "Beware of the Dog"),
Doctor Who in the serial
The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve in 1966, and in two episodes of
Coronation Street, in 1964 and 1969 (playing two different characters).
Personal life
Thompson married Scottish actress
Phyllida Law,
whom he met while at the Old Vic in 1957. Their daughters
Emma Thompson and
Sophie Thompson followed their parents into acting.
In 1967, he had a heart attack, attributed to overwork and heavy smoking, and he therefore changed his focus to directing.[ Eric Thompson article, The Scotsman, Friday 31 March 2006] He directed Kenneth Williams in My Fat Friend in 1972 and the conflicts between the two are extensively discussed in Williams' diaries.
On 30 November 1982, Thompson died of a heart attack in London.
Selected filmography
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External links
