Fred Thompson is an American lawyer, politician, and actor who represented the state of Tennessee from 1994 to 2002 and ran in the 2008 Republican nomination for President of the United States. He was minority counsel to aid the Republican senators on the Senate Watergate Committee in 1973 and worked as a lobbyist in Washington D.C. from 1975 to 2002.

Thompson is scheduled to deliver the keynote address on September 2, 2008 at the Republican National Convention.Dailypress.com: President Bush to address GOP convention tonight (September 2, 2008)

In numerous film and television roles, Thompson is often cast as authoritative or governmental characters. He played District Attorney Arthur Branch in the NBC drama Law & Order and its spin-off series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit from 2002 to 2007 and President Ulysses S. Grant in the HBO drama Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

1. 1987: No Way Out
2. 1990: The Hunt for Red October
3. 1990: Die Hard 2
4. 1993: In the Line of Fire
5. 1993: Born Yesterday

1. U.S. Congress Directory: Fred Thompson

2. The New York Times: Fred Thompson Biography and News

3. Political Machine (AOL): Fred Thompson Previews Convention Speech (September 2, 2008)

4. BrietBart.com: Fred Thompson Quits Presidential Race (January 22, 2008)