Malcolm Thompson
Encyclopedia
Malcolm Thompson is a former Australian-based television actor, best known for his role in 1970s soap opera The Restless Years
.
Thompson was born in Yorkshire
, England in 1949 and began acting in England in weekly-repertory and other theatre companies, including The Bristol Old Vic, The Mermaid Theatre Co and London's West End. Television and film work included educational programmes made for schools, and a role in the soap opera Coronation Street
, playing a young roughneck named Thomo for ten months. After marrying an Australian woman and visiting that country in 1976 he decided to make Australia his home.
In 1977, while waiting tables at the Hyatt Kingsgate Sydney, Thompson received his first break into Australian television, when he was cast in the on-going role of Toby Buxton in the soap opera Number 96
. At that time the once top-rated Number 96 – which presented a heady mix of comedy, drama, melodrama and sex and nudity – was experiencing declining ratings so fought back by reemphasising sexual situations and nudity. Thompson's character would be shown enlisting the services of a prostitute for a bondage and domination session, and became the first male to be shown full frontally nude in the series. Thompson's role lasted from April until June 1977; the show was cancelled soon after and the final episode was transmitted in August 1977.
He followed this with the key role of the clean-cut Dr Bruce Russell in teen oriented serial The Restless Years, which began on-air in December 1977. Thompson became the only cast member to appear continuously for the program's entire 1977–1981 run. Other credits in Australia cover live theatre, television series and morning television.
at the hotel in 2002. To ensure that guests would not be disturbed, Thompson insisted that all filiming take place at night, between midnight and 6:00 am, and that the crew be escorted by a hotel employee at all times. Although several Park Hyatt employees were cast as extras, Thompson himself does not appear in the film.
Thompson was thrice nominated for Hyatt International General Manager of the Year. In 2006, he returned to Japan to serve as general manager of The Peninsula Tokyo
, which opened for business in September, 13 2007.
The Restless Years
The Restless Years is an Australian soap opera which followed the lives of several Sydney school-leavers and young adults. It was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for Network Ten. It debuted December 1977 and ran until late 1981. It was not renewed by the network due to declining ratings...
.
Thompson was born in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England in 1949 and began acting in England in weekly-repertory and other theatre companies, including The Bristol Old Vic, The Mermaid Theatre Co and London's West End. Television and film work included educational programmes made for schools, and a role in the soap opera Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, playing a young roughneck named Thomo for ten months. After marrying an Australian woman and visiting that country in 1976 he decided to make Australia his home.
In 1977, while waiting tables at the Hyatt Kingsgate Sydney, Thompson received his first break into Australian television, when he was cast in the on-going role of Toby Buxton in the soap opera Number 96
Number 96 (TV series)
Number 96 was a popular Australian soap opera set in a Sydney apartment block. Don Cash and Bill Harmon produced the series for Network Ten, which requested a Coronation Street-type serial, and specifically one that explored adult subjects...
. At that time the once top-rated Number 96 – which presented a heady mix of comedy, drama, melodrama and sex and nudity – was experiencing declining ratings so fought back by reemphasising sexual situations and nudity. Thompson's character would be shown enlisting the services of a prostitute for a bondage and domination session, and became the first male to be shown full frontally nude in the series. Thompson's role lasted from April until June 1977; the show was cancelled soon after and the final episode was transmitted in August 1977.
He followed this with the key role of the clean-cut Dr Bruce Russell in teen oriented serial The Restless Years, which began on-air in December 1977. Thompson became the only cast member to appear continuously for the program's entire 1977–1981 run. Other credits in Australia cover live theatre, television series and morning television.
Hotelier
Thompson eventually chose to leave acting and devote himself to what would prove to be a successful career in the hotel industry. Working his way up from waiter, he eventually served as general manager of the Hyatt Regency Sydney, the Park Hyatt Canberra, the Park Hyatt Tokyo, and the Park Hyatt Los Angeles. While at the Park Hyatt Tokyo, Thompson coordinated the shooting of the film Lost in TranslationLost in Translation (film)
Lost in Translation is a 2003 American film written and directed by Sofia Coppola; her second feature film after The Virgin Suicides and it stars Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson...
at the hotel in 2002. To ensure that guests would not be disturbed, Thompson insisted that all filiming take place at night, between midnight and 6:00 am, and that the crew be escorted by a hotel employee at all times. Although several Park Hyatt employees were cast as extras, Thompson himself does not appear in the film.
Thompson was thrice nominated for Hyatt International General Manager of the Year. In 2006, he returned to Japan to serve as general manager of The Peninsula Tokyo
The Peninsula Tokyo
The Peninsula Tokyo is a hotel located at Yurakucho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It opened on September 1, 2007, and is managed by Malcolm Thompson, former General Manager of the Park Hyatt Tokyo....
, which opened for business in September, 13 2007.