Derek Thompson (born 4 April 1948) is a British actor and former singer who is best known as Charlie Fairhead in Casualty, a role he portrayed for 38 years from the show's inception in 1986 to 2024.
His other credits include Gonks Go Beat (1965), Yanks (1979), Breaking Glass (1980), The Long Good Friday (1980), The Gentle Touch (1980–1982), Brookside (1983), Wild Geese II (1985), Resurrection Man (1998), Holby City (2012) and Blue Lights (2024).
Early life
Thompson was born in and is from Belfast and has a twin sister. During their teenage years, they combined to form the singing duo Elaine and Derek.
Career
Thompson appeared in the feature film Gonks Go Beat (1965).
From 1976, he appeared in many early productions at the National Theatre, London's new South Bank home.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Thompson became a regular face in BBC and ITV dramas. Appearances include Softly, Softly, Play for Today, In 2023, it was announced that, after 38 years, Thompson would be leaving Casualty; his exit aired in March 2024, at the conclusion of a special two-part episode.
Family
As of 2010, Thompson and his wife, Dee, lived in a rented flat in Bristol; they also own a house in Brixton. The couple have a son, who appeared as a baby in one 1990 episode of Casualty, as the son of regular character Duffy, and he also has an older son by a previous marriage to Christine, a theatre director.
A sufferer of dystonia, Thompson became patron of the Dystonia Society in 2006.
Theatre
Most of Thompson's theatrical work was in London between 1975 and 1985, mainly for the National Theatre, but also at the Garrick, Half Moon and Old Vic theatres.
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| 2001
| Through the Keyhole
| rowspan=2| Himself
| Participant
|-
| rowspan=2| 2007
| Gina's Laughing Gear
| Episode: "Dollby City" (1.8)
|-
| HolbyBlue
| Charlie Fairhead
| Episode #1.1
|-
| 2014
| You Saw Them Here First
| Himself
| Television special
|-
| 2024
| Blue Lights
| Robin Graham
| Series 2: 5 episodes
|-
| 2025
| Vera
| Gordon Spencer
| episode: "The Dark Wives" (14.2)
|}