William H. Thompson (actor)
William H. Thompson (April 24, 1852 - February 4, 1923) was an American actor on stage, in vaudeville, and in films. Early years Thompson was born in Scotland on April 24, 1852 and came to the United States when he was six years old. Both of his grandfathers were ministers, and his father was Joseph Thompson, a clergyman of Scotch Presbyterian Church. He also had an aunt who was an actress. When he was young, Thompson worked as a call boy at Daly's Theater in New York. By the time he was 14 years old, he knew the lines and plots of most classic plays, leading experienced actors to refer to him as "the human prompt book". When his father died and left his entire estate of $130,000 for constructing a memorial temple in New York City, Thompson decided to become an actor. By age 20 he was playing second-character parts. Career Thompson was a member of the original California Theater Company. His career took him from San Francisco to Broadway and then to vaudeville. His Broadway debut came in The Girl I Left Behind Me (1893). He performed in at least 36 Broadway plays, ending with The Czarina (1922).