Linda Diane Thompson (born May 23, 1950) is an American songwriter, former actress and beauty pageant winner.
Thompson began her acting career as a " Hee Haw Honey" on the American television variety show '' Hee Haw''. She was also a girlfriend of Elvis Presley, before marrying Olympic decathlon champion Bruce Jenner, and later music producer David Foster.
Early life
Thompson was born on May 23, 1950 in Memphis, Tennessee, the daughter of Margie (née White) and Sanford Abel Thompson. Her older brother, Sam, was one of Elvis Presley's bodyguards.
Career
Pageants
In 1969 Thompson was named Miss Shelby County. In 1970, she was named "Miss
Mid-South Fair
The Mid-South Fair is a fair that was held for many years in Memphis, Tennessee, every year in late September and early October. It is now held in neighboring northwest Mississippi. It hosts many shows and attractions, as well as different type ...
" in Memphis.
Also in 1970, Thompson was named "Miss Memphis State University" and was third runner-up in the 1970
Miss Tennessee
The Miss Tennessee competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss America Scholarship Competition.
Lauren Dickson of Parsons was crowned Miss Tennessee 2022 on June 25, 2022 at the Cannon Center ...
pageant.
Thompson was named Miss Tennessee in 1972.
Jeanne LeMay Dumas, Thompson's best friend, recounts this first meeting with Elvis in an interview for her book, ''Elvis, Linda and Me''" and later became Elvis' personal secretary. Dumas said:
Acting
In 1977, Thompson became a regular on the television series '' Hee Haw''. She later had small one-episode roles in such television series as '' CHiPs'', ''
Starsky & Hutch
''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a ''Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired by th ...
'', '' Vega$'', '' Fantasy Island'', '' The Fall Guy'' and '' Beverly Hills, 90210''.
Thompson starred in several television pilots, including "Mars Base One" and "Two for Two". She appeared in several films, including ''
Three on a Meathook
''Three on a Meathook'' is a 1972 horror film written and directed by William Girdler and starring Charles Kissinger, James Pickett and Sherry Steiner. The film is loosely based on the crimes committed by Ed Gein.
Plot
When four girls go on a w ...
'' (1972), ''
Rabbit Test
The rabbit test, or Friedman test, was an early pregnancy test developed in 1931 by Maurice Friedman and Maxwell Edward Lapham at the University of Pennsylvania.
Test
The hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is produced during pregna ...
'' (1978) and '' Original Intent'' (1991). She had a small role in ''
The Bodyguard
A bodyguard is an individual who protects another from harm or threats.
Bodyguard may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* The Bodyguard (1944 film), ''The Bodyguard'' (1944 film), a Tom and Jerry short
* Bodyguard (1948 film), ...
'' (1992).
She appeared as Linda Jenner in a workout video by then-spouse Bruce Jenner, four documentaries about Elvis Presley between 1997 and 2004, and in the short-lived ''
Princes of Malibu
''The Princes of Malibu'' is an American reality television series which premiered on Fox on July 10, 2005. There were six episodes broadcast; the first two aired on Fox, and the remaining four aired on Fox Reality Channel. It starred Brody Jenner ...
'', a reality series about then-husband David Foster's efforts to improve her two sons and herself.
Songwriting
She began her career as a lyricist with the Kenny Rogers single "Our Perfect Song" from his album ''
The Heart of the Matter
''The Heart of the Matter'' (1948) is a novel by English author Graham Greene. The book details a life-changing moral crisis for Henry Scobie. Greene, a former Secret Intelligence Service, British intelligence officer in Freetown, British Sie ...
'' (1985). Thompson collaborated with composer
Richard Marx
Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963) is an American adult contemporary music, adult contemporary and pop rock singer-songwriter. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
Marx's Richard Marx (album), self-titled debut album went tri ...
To Where You Are
"To Where You Are" is a song performed by American singer Josh Groban on his 2001 self-titled debut album. It was written by Richard Marx and Linda Thompson and produced by Richard Marx.
Commercial performance
When released as a single in 20 ...
", with composer
Steve Dorff
Stephen Hartley Dorff (born April 21, 1949) is an American songwriter and composer whose work is mainly in the field of country music.
Career
Dorff has written several songs for other artists, including "Hypnotize the Moon" and " My Heart Wi ...
Pretty Woman
''Pretty Woman'' is a 1990 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall, from a screenplay by J. F. Lawton. The film stars Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, and features Héctor Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy (in his final performance), La ...
The Bodyguard
A bodyguard is an individual who protects another from harm or threats.
Bodyguard may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* The Bodyguard (1944 film), ''The Bodyguard'' (1944 film), a Tom and Jerry short
* Bodyguard (1948 film), ...
'' (1992), for which they were nominated both for the Academy Award for Best Song in 1993 and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television in 1994, and "
Grown-Up Christmas List
"Grown-Up Christmas List" (sometimes titled "My Grown-Up Christmas List") is a Christmas song composed by David Foster (music) and Linda Thompson-Jenner (lyrics). It was originally recorded by Foster, with Natalie Cole on vocals, for his 1990 ...
".
In 1999, Linda Thompson,
Clint Eastwood
Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...
Dream With Me
''Dream with Me'' is the second full-length album (first on a major label) by American singer Jackie Evancho. It was released on June 3, 2011 on digital download format, and on June 14, 2011 in the standard CD format.
On July 6, 1972, Thompson attended a private movie screening hosted by Elvis Presley at the Memphian Theater in Memphis. Thompson was 22 at the time. She and Presley subsequently dated for four years before breaking up around Christmas 1976. They broke up because, like Priscilla before her, Thompson wanted a "normal" life, which was not possible with Presley's lifestyle. However, they broke up on good terms and remained good friends until Presley's death.
Marriage to Jenner
In 1980, Thompson began a relationship with
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
gold medal
decathlete
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (''áthlos'', or ἄθ ...
Caitlyn Jenner
Caitlyn Marie Jenner (born William Bruce Jenner; October 28, 1949) is an American media personality and retired Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete.
Jenner played college football for the Graceland Yellowjackets before incurring a kne ...
prior to Jenner's transition. The couple married on January 5, 1981, in Oahu, Hawaii. They have two sons together, Brandon and Brody. The couple separated in 1986 after Jenner came out to Thompson as a trans woman, and they eventually divorced after going through counseling.
Marriage to David Foster
On June 22, 1991, Thompson married Canadian composer and record producer David Foster; they divorced in 2005.
Honors and awards
Thompson won a BMI Film & TV Award in 1994 for Most Performed Song from a Film (" I Have Nothing"), composed by Thompson and David Foster for the soundtrack for ''
The Bodyguard
A bodyguard is an individual who protects another from harm or threats.
Bodyguard may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* The Bodyguard (1944 film), ''The Bodyguard'' (1944 film), a Tom and Jerry short
* Bodyguard (1948 film), ...
.'' She shared Special Recognition Awards in 1997 and 2004 with several others for work related to the
Olympics
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
, including lyrics for the official 1996 Olympic theme song, "
The Power of the Dream
"The Power of the Dream" is a song by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released as a single in Japan on 20 August 1996. It was written and produced by David Foster, Linda Thompson, and Babyface for the opening ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics. D ...