Charles P. Thompson

Charles P. Thompson (January 2, 1891 – October 26, 1979) was an American actor who worked across stage, film, and television over the course of a career spanning several decades. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he is perhaps best remembered for his recurring role as Mayberry security guard Asa Breeney on The Andy Griffith Show.

Thompson's stage career began in the 1920s and continued through 1955, encompassing a wide range of Broadway productions. His credits included Heavenly Express, Out West of Eighth, Season in the Sun, Mr. Peebles and Mr. Hooker, and Inherit the Wind, among others.

His transition to film came relatively late; at 57, Thompson made his feature film debut playing a ticket taker in The Naked City (1948). Television work followed, and it was in that medium that he accumulated his most extensive screen credits. He appeared in seven episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, five of them as Asa Breeney and two in the role of a doctor. He also appeared in four episodes of Bonanza, two episodes of Gunsmoke, and as Doc Williams in Wanted Dead or Alive. Additional television appearances included the role of a janitor in "The Return," the pilot episode of Window on Main Street (1961), and the part of an old man in the Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. episode "Love Letter to the Sarge" (1965). His final screen appearance came in a 1972 episode of Bonanza.

Thompson died on October 26, 1979, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 88.