Marshall Thompson

James Marshall Thompson was born on November 27, 1925, in Peoria, Illinois, to Dr. Laurence B. Thompson and Pauline (née Marshall). The family relocated to California when he was one year old. Thompson attended University High School, where Norma Jean Baker — later known as Marilyn Monroe — was among his classmates. He enrolled at Occidental College intending to pursue dentistry before shifting his focus to divinity studies.

In 1943, Universal Pictures signed Thompson, then known for his boy-next-door appearance, and cast him in quiet, thoughtful teenage roles. Among these early credits was a lead opposite singing star Gloria Jean in Reckless Age, for which he earned $350 per week. When Universal discharged the majority of its contract players in 1946, Thompson transitioned to MGM, where his roles grew in scope and prominence. His MGM work included appearances in The Clock, a lead role in Gallant Bess — the studio's first film shot in Cinecolor — and a featured part in Battleground, in which he played a green replacement soldier in the 101st Airborne Division during the Siege of Bastogne. At twenty-four, he served as narrator for Stars in My Crown (1950).

Thompson spent the 1950s working as a freelance actor across multiple studios, taking on a range of projects that included horror and science fiction films. He appeared in Cult of the Cobra (1955), Audie Murphy's To Hell and Back (1955), Fiend Without a Face (1958), and First Man Into Space (1959). His starring role as Carruthers in It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) later became recognized as one of two genre films that inspired the plot of director Ridley Scott's 1979 feature Alien. Also in 1959, Thompson starred in the syndicated science fiction television series World of Giants, a 13-episode production in which he played Mel Hunter, a U.S. counter-espionage agent accidentally miniaturized to six inches in height who lives in a dollhouse when not on assignment.

During this same period, Thompson made his Broadway debut, appearing in A Girl Can Tell in 1953.

As the 1960s began, Thompson's screen persona shifted toward more authoritative characters. He co-starred with Belgian-born actress Annie Fargé in the CBS sitcom Angel (1960–1961), a 33-episode series centered on an American architect whose French wife's limited English fluency led to comedic situations. The show was canceled due to low ratings despite critical recognition of Fargé. Thompson also guest starred in a 1960 episode of Perry Mason, "The Case of the Wayward Wife," playing murderer Arthur Poe. He directed and starred in A Yank in Viet-Nam (1964), filmed on location in South Vietnam, and appeared in To the Shores of Hell (1965).

In 1965, Thompson returned to MGM to headline the Ivan Tors-produced film Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion, playing veterinarian and single father Marsh Tracy, set in Kenya. The film spawned the television series Daktari (1966–1969), in which Thompson reprised the role. During production, he and his wife made multiple trips to African nations to shoot second unit footage used in both the series and the film The Mighty Jungle (1965). Thompson also hosted and narrated the television anthology series Jambo (1969–1971).

In later years, Thompson appeared in The Turning Point (1977), Bog (1979), and The Formula (1980), among other film and television projects. In his personal life, he married Barbara Long in 1949, which made him a brother-in-law of actor Richard Long, known for his role as Jarrod Barkley in ABC's The Big Valley. Thompson and Long appeared together in Cult of the Cobra (1955). Thompson died on May 18, 1992, from congestive heart failure in Royal Oak, Michigan, at the age of 66.