Brian Thompson

There are a handful of men who, when they come on the screen, you know nothing good is gonna happen. Brian Thompson is one of those men, yet he can give layers to the spookiest of villains, if given a proper chance.



Many people overlook Mr. Thompson's actual acting chops because he is usually called to play cartoonish or over-the-top villains. While I haven't seen all his roles, I have seen the layers in a few of his characters.



His Eddie Fiori of Kindred: The Embraced was a loud, idiotic oaf, but when he realized what was what and that his mentor-father figure was really behind, the hurt, betrayal, sadness, and acceptance broke my heart.



The Alien Assassin he played on The X-Files was menacing and blood-chilling, totally. Yet, Mr. Thompson, as his part progressed, showed the neutrality that the character felt. This was just a job; he wasn't there to debate the ethics, if any, of the situation. The calm, deliberate tone he took when the character started conversations could be left for harsher tones of frustration with an unwilling subject, true. But The Assassin was just trying to do his job and get it over with.



His build tends to get him certain roles, but he can be more than just the Designated Bad Guy. Since he plays the villains so well, and with a bit of depth were he can, I wish he could have a role like Danziger in Earth 2 or Robert Davi's role on Profiler. He would rock it!