Linda Thorson
| Linda Thorson | |
|---|---|
 Thorson with Patrick Macnee in a promotional photograph from The Avengers | |
| Born |
Linda Robinson 18 June 1947 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse(s) |
Barry Bergthorson (divorced) Cyril J. Smith (divorced) Bill Boggs (divorced); 1 child Gavin Mitchell (divorced) |
| Website | Linda Thorson: The Official Website |
Linda Thorson (born Linda Robinson on 18 June 1947) is a Canadian actress, best known for playing Tara King in The Avengers[1] (1968–69). For her role in The Avengers, Thorson received a special BAFTA at the 2000 BAFTA TV Awards along with the other three actresses from the series, Honor Blackman, Joanna Lumley and Diana Rigg.
Biography
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada,[1][2] she attended Bishop Strachan School,[3] and then moved to the UK in 1965 to study acting.[4] She graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art with an Honours Diploma on 1 July 1967.[4][5] Her professional name is based upon her first married name, Mrs Barry Bergthorson.[6]
She was married to the American news anchorman and producer Bill Boggs with whom she has a son; they divorced.[2] She was married to production designer Gavin Mitchell in November 2005, but divorced in 2011.
Thorson is bi-dialectal, speaking in her native Canadian accent when she is in North America, and received pronunciation when she is in the United Kingdom.
Career
Thorson is best known for her role as Tara King (succeeding Diana Rigg as Emma Peel) in the last season of the British TV adventure series, The Avengers, with the original star Patrick Macnee.[5] She was reunited with Macnee in a commercial for Laurent-Perrier champagne in the mid 1970s which led to the series reappearing as The New Avengers,[7] although Thorson did not regain her role.
Since then, she appeared in character roles in many TV series and films, including Thriller, Return of the Saint, Valentino, The Greek Tycoon, the cult horror film Curtains, Blind Justice, Alan Alda's Sweet Liberty, and Marblehead Manor.[4]
She appeared from 1989 to 1992 in the daytime drama One Life to Live as Julia Wheaton Medina.[4] She also appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation, playing female Cardassian starship commander Gul Ocett in the 6th season episode 'The Chase' (1993).[8] From 1998-2000, she played Isabel in the Canadian series Emily of New Moon.
In 2002, she portrayed a Supreme Court Justice in the movie Half Past Dead with Steven Seagal and Ja Rule, and appeared in the 2006 action sequel Max Havoc: Ring of Fire. Throughout 2006-07, Thorson played the villainous Rosemary King in the ITV series Emmerdale.
Thorson has performed in many dramatic and musical stage productions, including appearances on Broadway in Nell Dunn's Steaming and Michael Frayn's Noises Off!.[2] In 1971, she starred alongside Michael Crawford and Anthony Valentine in the London West End hit show No Sex Please, We're British and later appeared as Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Open Air Theatre, Regents Park, London. She also played Hester Salomon in a UK tour of Equus opposite Simon Callow.[9] In the summer of 2008, she appeared at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park in the Lerner & Loewe musical, Gigi.
In 2013, Thorson appeared onstage in Tracy Lett's play August: Osage County about a dysfunctional family in Oklahoma. In 2014, she is slated to appear in Jon Robin Baitz's play Other Desert Cities.[10]
In 2013, Thorson produced a new stage play called The Goodbye Bird written by Colleen Murphy.[10]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Valentino | Billie Streeter | |
| 1978 | Greek Tycoon, TheThe Greek Tycoon | Angela | |
| 1983 | Curtains | Brooke Parsons | |
| 1985 | Walls of Glass | Andrea | |
| 1986 | Joey | Principal O'Neill | |
| 1986 | Sweet Liberty | Grace James | |
| 1988 | Olympus Force: The Key | Athene | |
| 1999 | Giving It Up | Marlene Gigante | |
| 1999 | Other Sister, TheThe Other Sister | Drew | |
| 2002 | Half Past Dead | Judge Jane McPherson | |
| 2004 | Straight into Darkness | Maria | |
| 2006 | Max Havoc: Ring of Fire | Denise Blaine | |
| 2010 | Rachel | Texas Lady | Short |
| 2010 | Will | Greta | Short |
| 2016 | Second Time Around, TheThe Second Time Around | Katherine |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-69 | Avengers, TheThe Avengers | Tara King | Regular role |
| 1973 | Thriller | Toni Tanner | "Lady Killer" |
| 1976 | Howerd Confessions, TheThe Howerd Confessions | Eve | "1.5" |
| 1977 | Month in the Country, AA Month in the Country | Vera Alexandrovna | TV film |
| 1977 | King of Kensington | Suzanne | "The Teacher" |
| 1978 | Les palmiers du métropolitain | Anna | TV film |
| 1978 | Return of the Saint | Diamond | "The Roman Torch" |
| 1979 | Great Detective, TheThe Great Detective | Sarah Lyall | "Murder at Blenheim Swamp" |
| 1980 | Matt and Jenny | Ann Winfield | "Wagon Train West" |
| 1981 | Two of Us, TheThe Two of Us | Melissa | "Upstairs, Downstairs" |
| 1981 | McClain's Law | Teri Fields | "Portrait of a Playmate" |
| 1982 | Great Detective, TheThe Great Detective | Sarah Lyall | "Death on Delivery" |
| 1984 | Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck, TheThe Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck | Cory Fuhrman | TV film |
| 1985 | Lime Street | Uli | "Diamonds Aren't Forever" |
| 1985 | St. Elsewhere | Mrs. Cochrane | "Lost and Found in Space", "Close Encounters", "Watch the Skies" |
| 1986 | Blind Justice | Pamela | TV film |
| 1986 | Spenser: For Hire | Karen Cooper | "Hell Hath No Fury" |
| 1986 | Moonlighting | Agent Gregory | "Symphony in Knocked Flat" |
| 1987 | Dynasty | Dr. Mansfield | "The Birthday", "The Test" |
| 1987 | Tales from the Darkside | Elizabeth Eaton | "Auld Acquaintances" |
| 1987 | Bronx Zoo, TheThe Bronx Zoo | Connie Delvecchio | "Signs of Life", "Small Victories", "The Moral Equation" |
| 1987-88 | Marblehead Manor | Hillary Stonehill | Main role |
| 1988 | Buck James | Laura Browne | "Act of Aggression" |
| 1989 | Empty Nest | Janice Brattle | "The More Things Change..." |
| 1989-92 | One Life to Live | Julia Medina | Regular role |
| 1990 | Monsters | Jessica | "A New Woman" |
| 1993 | Tropical Heat | Janet | "The Last of the Magnificent" |
| 1993 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Gul Ocett | "The Chase" |
| 1994 | Street Legal | Ellen Filipchuk | "The Morning After" |
| 1994 | E.N.G. | Barbara Stollery | "Before the Axe" |
| 1994 | Kung Fu: The Legend Continues | Helen Richmond | "Laurie's Friend" |
| 1996 | Kung Fu: The Legend Continues | Geena Sinclair | "Requiem" |
| 1997 | Dead Silence | Constance Stanley | TV film |
| 1997 | F/X: The Series | Cassandra Delarossa | "Medea" |
| 1998-99 | Emily of New Moon | Isabel Murray | Regular role |
| 1999-00 | Hoop Life, TheThe Hoop Life | Emily Yeager | Main role |
| 2001 | Law & Order | Martha Taylor | "Possession" |
| 2006 | Vital Signs | Mrs. Percy | "1.6" |
| 2006 | Silent Witness | Anne Wheaton | "Body of Work: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 2006 | Wives He Forgot, TheThe Wives He Forgot | Eva | TV film |
| 2006-07 | Emmerdale | Rosemary King | Regular role |
| 2008 | Doctors | Carol Francis | "Another Day" |
| 2011 | Committed | Isadora | TV film |
| 2011 | Flashpoint | Elaine Stearns | "Through a Glass Darkly" |
| 2012 | Listener, TheThe Listener | Mrs. Slatterly | "Rogues' Gallery" |
| 2012 | Saving Hope | Melissa Hurst | "Out of Sight" |
| 2012 | Sylvia Plath: Girl Detective | Olive | TV series |
| 2013 | Rookie Blue | Eleanor Ward | "For Better, for Worse" |
| 2014 | Transporter: The Series | Rae Henson | "Sixteen Hands" |
| 2014 | Best Christmas Party Ever | Petra | TV film |
| 2015 | Two Wrongs | Judy | TV film |
References
- 1 2 "Full Biography: Linda Thorson". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-05-09.
- 1 2 3 "Linda Thorson Biography". Film Reference. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
- ↑ "Linda Thorson is Star at 20 in Avengers". Gettysburg Times. November 9, 1968.
- 1 2 3 4 Lisanti, Tom; Paul, Louis (April 2002). Film fatales: women in espionage films and television, 1962-1973. McFarland & Company. pp. 287–289. ISBN 978-0-7864-1194-8.
- 1 2 Rogers, Dave (1989-08-15). The Complete Avengers: The Full Story of Britain's Smash Crime-Fighting Team!. Berlin: St. Martin's Griffin. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-312-03187-9.
- ↑ Room, Adrian (1981). Naming names: stories of pseudonyms and name changes. Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-7100-0920-3.
- ↑ Behind the Scenes: The New Avengers
- ↑ "Interview with Linda Thorson". BBC. 26 September 2005. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
- ↑ "I, Audra: An Interview with Linda Thorson Part 2". The Terror Trap. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- 1 2 "I, Audra: An Interview with Linda Thorson". The Terror Trap. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
External links
- Linda Thorson: The Official Website
- Linda Thorson at the Internet Movie Database
- Linda Thorson at the Internet Broadway Database
- Audio interview at BBC Wiltshire
- I, Audra: An Interview with Linda Thorson - The Terror Trap