Thompson, weighing presidential bid, will leave 'Law & Order'

[cheezedoodle]

Posted: 5/30/07 at 11:06pm

Baby steps...


Fred Thompson, edging toward a presidential run, is giving up his day job as a prosecutor on the TV series "Law & Order."


Thompson asked Wednesday to be released from the show after five seasons, series creator and executive producer Dick Wolf said.


"Although he told me he has not made a firm decision about his political future, he felt that given the creative and scheduling constraints of the upcoming season" he should leave "Law & Order," Wolf said in a statement.


The producer lauded Thompson's commitment to "Law & Order" and the new TV movie "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," in which the actor plays, of all things, a president — Ulysses S. Grant. The film, which Wolf produced, premiered last Sunday on HBO.


Thompson, 64, a former U.S. senator from Tennessee, has yet to announce he's seeking the GOP nomination but has taken steps toward a summer entry into the crowded field. He's been casting himself in speeches and on the Internet as a Reaganesque conservative.


Thompson, a lawyer, began his acting career with the film "Marie" in 1985, about a high-profile legal case he handled in Tennessee and in which he played himself. His credits include "In the Line of Fire" and "The Hunt for Red October."


Thompson served in the Senate from 1994 to 2002, resuming his Hollywood career when he left. On NBC's "Law & Order," which has been renewed for its 18th year, he played New York District Attorney Arthur Branch

Branch branches out

[BigFatBlonde]

Posted: 5/30/07 at 11:15pm

I hope he runs and gets the nomination. ANOTHER actor from the party that keeps telling perfomers to just "shut up" about politics.

[pab]

Posted: 5/30/07 at 11:49pm

Thompson's Advisers Say He’ll Join Presidential Race Over Fourth Of July Holiday.
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