Gary Scott Thompson (born October 7, 1959) is an American screenwriter, television producer, and director. Scott is notable for his work on ''
The Fast and the Furious
''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, ...
'' starring
Vin Diesel
Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for playing Dominic Toretto in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise.
Diesel began auditio ...
and
Paul Walker
Paul William Walker IV (September 12, 1973 – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He was known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise.
Walker began his career as a child actor in the 1980s, gaining recogniti ...
, the sequel ''
2 Fast 2 Furious'', ''
Hollow Man
Hollow may refer to:
Natural phenomena
*Hollow, a low, wooded area, such as a copse
*Hollow (landform), a small vee-shaped, riverine type of valley
*Tree hollow, a void in a branch or trunk, which may provide habitat for animals
Places
*Sleepy H ...
'' with
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. His films include the musical-drama film '' Footloose'' (1984), the controversial historical conspiracy legal thriller '' JFK'' (1991), the legal drama '' A Few Good Men'' (1992), t ...
and
Elisabeth Shue
Elisabeth Judson Shue (born October 6, 1963) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the films ''The Karate Kid'' (1984), '' Adventures in Babysitting'' (1987), ''Cocktail'' (1988), '' Back to the Future Part II'' (1989), ''B ...
, ''
Split Second'', ''
88 Minutes
''88 Minutes'' is a 2007 thriller film directed by Jon Avnet and starring Al Pacino, Alicia Witt, Leelee Sobieski, William Forsythe, Deborah Kara Unger, Amy Brenneman, Neal McDonough and Benjamin McKenzie. In the film, famed forensic psychiatr ...
'', starring
Al Pacino
Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy ...
, and ''
K-911
''K-911'' is a 1999 American buddy cop comedy film released direct-to-video, a direct-sequel to '' K-9'', and the third installment in the ''K-9'' film series. It was directed by Charles T. Kanganis and stars James Belushi as Detective Michael ...
'' and ''
K-9: P.I.''.
As creator, showrunner, writer, and executive producer of
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's hit series ''
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
'',
Thompson also directed 4 episodes and made a brief appearance as a psychotherapy patient. Thompson wrote, co-developed, and executive produced NBC and
TF1's ''
Taxi Brooklyn
''Taxi Brooklyn'' is a French-American action comedy police procedural television series, produced by EuropaCorp Television. The series stars Chyler Leigh and Jacky Ido, and is based upon the film ''Taxi'' written by Luc Besson. On March 6, 2015, N ...
''.
Life and career
Born in
Ukiah, California
Ukiah ( ; Pomo: ''Yokaya'', meaning "deep valley") is the county seat and largest city of Mendocino County, California, with a population of 16,607 at the 2020 census. With its accessible location along the U.S. Route 101 corridor, Ukiah serves ...
, but spending much of his childhood in
American Samoa
American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...
,
[About](_blank)
Gary Scott Thompson was born at MekMekSiwa Hospital in Pago Pago
Pago Pago ( ; Samoan: )Harris, Ann G. and Esther Tuttle (2004). ''Geology of National Parks''. Kendall Hunt. Page 604. . is the territorial capital of American Samoa. It is in Maoputasi County on Tutuila, which is American Samoa's main island. ...
, and grew up on the South Pacific island of Pago Pago, American Samoa. Thompson first gained exposure to the world of entertainment
actor, studying the craft from such actors as
Powers Boothe
Powers Allen Boothe (June 1, 1948 – May 14, 2017) was an American actor. He won an Emmy in 1980 for his portrayal of Jim Jones in '' Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones''. He also played saloon owner Cy Tolliver on '' Deadwood'', "C ...
. To pay for his education and support himself, Thompson worked in a junkyard, operated heavy equipment, delivered mail, built sets for a theatre company, tutored college students in English, taught high school in New York City, worked in a gym, was a stagehand at the Metropolitan Opera House NYC, was a reader and assistant dramaturgy at Circle Rep Theatre, and did story notes and development for a Hollywood film studio and distributor.
[About](_blank)
Thompson worked in a junkyard, operated heavy equipment, delivered mail, built sets for a theatre company, tutored college students in English, taught high school in New York City, worked in a gym, was a stagehand at the Metropolitan Opera House NYC, was a reader and assistant dramaturgy at Circle Rep Theatre, and did story notes and development for a Hollywood film studio and distributor.
Eventually settling on writing, he received a Master of Fine Arts degree from
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
and went to work as a playwright. Thompson's theater credits include "Small Town Syndrome," "Cowboys Don't Cry" and "Private Hells."
Thompson resides in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
with his wife and two children.
Awards
For ''Las Vegas'', Thompson received the honor of Best Drama Series at the ''
WIN Awards'', an awards show dedicated to highlighting positive and multi-dimensional portrayals of women in media.
Additionally, Thompson received the first-ever Visionary Award from
spinal cord injury
A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. Symptoms may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body served by the spinal cor ...
advocacy organization
Life Rolls On
''Life Rolls On'' is the fifth and final studio album by American country music duo Florida Georgia Line. It was released on February 12, 2021 through BMLG Records. It includes the hit singles " I Love My Country" and " Long Live", as well the m ...
for the first-ever portrayal of a featured character with a SCI on national television.
[Surfermag.com](_blank)
This year’s gala will proudly salute the work of producer Gary Scott Thompson and his hit NBC-show “Las Vegas” for its positive portrayal of the SCI community in the media.
Filmography
Films
Thompson has a "Based on characters created by" credit in ''
The Fast & Furious'' films and series in which he did not participate.
Television
References
External links
*
Tisch Dramatic Writing Alumni
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Gary Scott
1959 births
Living people
Television producers from California
Tisch School of the Arts alumni
American Samoan screenwriters
American male writers
American male screenwriters
American television writers
People from Ukiah, California
Showrunners