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Linda Thorson

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Linda Thorson
Thorson with Patrick Macnee in a promotional photograph from The Avengers
Born
Linda Robinson

(1947-06-18) June 18, 1947 (age 77)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Alma materRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art
OccupationActress
Years active1968–present
Known forTara King in The Avengers
Spouses
Barry Bergthorson
​
​
(m. 1964; div. 1970)​
Cyril Jeffrey Smith Jr.
​
​
(m. 1979; div. 1981)​
Bill Boggs
​
​
(m. 1984; div. 2003)​
(1 child)
Gavin Mitchell
​
​
(m. 2005; div. 2011)​
Websitelindathorson.com

Linda Thorson (born Linda Robinson; June 18, 1947) is a Canadian actress known for playing Tara King in The Avengers (1968–69).[1]

Early life

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Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada,[1] Linda Robinson attended Bishop Strachan School,[2] and then moved to the UK in 1965 to study acting.[3] She graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art with an Honours Diploma, including speaking and singing honours (soprano), on July 1, 1967.[3][4] Her professional name is the final part of Bergthorson, the surname of her first husband Barry Bergthorson (married 1964 divorced 1970).[5]

Career

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Thorson is best known for her role as Tara King (succeeding Diana Rigg as Emma Peel) in the last series of the British TV adventure series, The Avengers, with the original star Patrick Macnee.[4] She was reunited with Macnee in a commercial for Laurent-Perrier champagne in the mid 1970s, which led to the series reappearing as The New Avengers,[6] although Thorson did not regain her role.

Since then, Thorson appeared in character roles in many TV series and films, including Thriller, Return of the Saint, Valentino, The Greek Tycoon, the cult horror film Curtains, Blind Justice, Alan Alda's Sweet Liberty, and Marblehead Manor.[3]

Thorson appeared from 1989 to 1992 in the daytime drama One Life to Live as Julia Wheaton Medina.[3] She also appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation, playing female Cardassian starship commander Gul Ocett in the 6th-season episode "The Chase" (1993).[7] From 1998 to 2000, she played Isabel in the Canadian series Emily of New Moon.

In 2002, Thorson portrayed a Supreme Court Justice in the movie Half Past Dead with Steven Seagal and Ja Rule, and appeared in the 2006 action sequel Max Havoc: Ring of Fire. Throughout 2006–07, Thorson played the villainous Rosemary King in the ITV series Emmerdale.

Thorson has performed in many dramatic and musical stage productions, including appearances on Broadway in Nell Dunn's Steaming and Michael Frayn's Noises Off!.[8] In 1971, she starred alongside Michael Crawford and Anthony Valentine in the London West End hit show No Sex Please, We're British and later appeared as Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Open Air Theatre, Regents Park, London. She also played Hester Salomon in a UK tour of Equus opposite Simon Callow.[9] In the summer of 2008, she appeared at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park in the Lerner & Loewe musical, Gigi.

In 2013, Thorson appeared onstage in Tracy Letts's play August: Osage County about a dysfunctional family in Oklahoma. In 2014, she was slated to appear in Jon Robin Baitz's play Other Desert Cities.[10]

In 2013, Thorson produced a new stage play called The Goodbye Bird written by Colleen Murphy.[10]

Personal life

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Thorson married Cyril Jeffrey Smith Jr. in 1979; they divorced two years later.[citation needed]

Thorson was married in 1984 to the American news anchorman and producer Bill Boggs with whom she has a son; they divorced after 19 years.[11] She was married to production designer Gavin Mitchell in November 2005, but divorced in 2011.[citation needed]

Thorson is bi-dialectal, speaking in her native Canadian accent when she is in North America, and received pronunciation when she is in the United Kingdom.[citation needed]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1977 Valentino Billie Streeter
1978 The Greek Tycoon Angela
1983 Curtains Brooke Parsons
1985 Walls of Glass Andrea
1986 Joey Principal O'Neill
1986 Sweet Liberty Grace James
1988 Olympus Force Athene
1999 Giving It Up Marlene Gigante
1999 The Other Sister Drew
2002 Half Past Dead Judge Jane McPherson
2004 Touch of Pink Giles' Mother
2004 Straight into Darkness Maria
2006 Max Havoc: Ring of Fire Denise Blaine
2011 Man on the Train Sister
2016 The Second Time Around Katherine Co-lead
2022 Lion Versus the Little People Gayle Bennet

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1968–69 The Avengers Tara King Regular role; 33 episodes
1973 Thriller Toni Tanner "Lady Killer"
1976 The Howerd Confessions Eve "1.5"
1977 A Month in the Country Vera Alexandrovna TV film
1977 King of Kensington Suzanne "The Teacher"
1978 Les palmiers du métropolitain Anna TV film
1978 Return of the Saint Diamond "The Roman Torch"
1979 The Great Detective Sarah Lyall "Murder at Blenheim Swamp"
1980 Matt and Jenny Ann Winfield "Wagon Train West"
1981 The Two of Us Melissa "Upstairs, Downstairs"
1981 McClain's Law Teri Fields "Portrait of a Playmate"
1982 The Great Detective Sarah Lyall "Death on Delivery"
1984 The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck Cory Fuhrman TV film
1985 Lime Street Uli "Diamonds Aren't Forever"
1985 St. Elsewhere Mrs. Cochrane "Lost and Found in Space", "Close Encounters", "Watch the Skies"
1986 Blind Justice Pamela TV film
1986 Spenser: For Hire Karen Cooper "Hell Hath No Fury"
1986 Moonlighting Agent Gregory "Symphony in Knocked Flat"
1987 Dynasty Dr. Mansfield "The Birthday", "The Test"
1987 Tales from the Darkside Elizabeth Eaton "Auld Acquaintances"
1987 The Bronx Zoo Connie Delvecchio "Signs of Life", "Small Victories", "The Moral Equation"
1987–88 Marblehead Manor Hillary Stonehill Main role
1988 Buck James Laura Browne "Act of Aggression"
1989 Empty Nest Janice Brattle "The More Things Change..."
1989–92 One Life to Live Julia Medina Regular role
1990 Monsters Jessica "A New Woman"
1993 Tropical Heat Janet "The Last of the Magnificent"
1993 Star Trek: The Next Generation Gul Ocett "The Chase"
1994 Street Legal Ellen Filipchuk "The Morning After"
1994 E.N.G. Barbara Stollery "Before the Axe"
1994 Kung Fu: The Legend Continues Helen Richmond "Laurie's Friend"
1996 Kung Fu: The Legend Continues Geena Sinclair "Requiem"
1997 Dead Silence Constance Stanley TV film
1997 F/X: The Series Cassandra Delarossa "Medea"
1998–99 Emily of New Moon Isabel Murray Regular role
1999–00 The Hoop Life Emily Yeager Main role
2001 Law & Order Martha Taylor "Possession"
2006 Vital Signs Mrs. Percy "1.6"
2006 Silent Witness Anne Wheaton "Body of Work: Parts 1 & 2"
2006 The Wives He Forgot Eva TV film
2006–07 Emmerdale Rosemary King Regular role
2008 Doctors Carol Francis "Another Day"
2011 Committed Isadora TV film
2011 Flashpoint Elaine Stearns "Through a Glass Darkly"
2012 The Listener Mrs. Slatterly "Rogues' Gallery"
2012 Saving Hope Melissa Hurst "Out of Sight"
2012 Sylvia Plath: Girl Detective Olive TV series
2013 Rookie Blue Eleanor Ward "For Better, for Worse"
2014 Transporter: The Series Rae Henson "Sixteen Hands"
2014 Best Christmas Party Ever Petra TV film
2015 Two Wrongs Judy TV film
2018 Free Rein Wilma TV series; 2 episodes
2018 New Amsterdam Mrs. Monaghan Episode: "Boundaries"
2019 Schitt's Creek Gloria Gregson Episode: "Meet the Parents"
2019 Good Witch Mrs Hansen Episode: "The Graduation"
2020 Little Birds Gladys Savage Episode: #1.1
2020–23 The Hardy Boys Gloria Estabrook 19 episodes
2021 The Vows We Keep Simone TV film

References

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  1. ^ a b Hal Erickson (2012). "Full Biography: Linda Thorson". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
  2. ^ "Linda Thorson is Star at 20 in Avengers". Gettysburg Times. November 9, 1968. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d Lisanti, Tom; Paul, Louis (April 2002). Film fatales: women in espionage films and television, 1962–1973. McFarland & Company. pp. 287–289. ISBN 978-0-7864-1194-8.
  4. ^ a b Rogers, Dave (August 15, 1989). The Complete Avengers: The Full Story of Britain's Smash Crime-Fighting Team!. Berlin: St. Martin's Griffin. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-312-03187-9.
  5. ^ Room, Adrian (1981). Naming names: stories of pseudonyms and name changes. Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-7100-0920-3.
  6. ^ "The Avengers Forever: Behind the Scenes". theavengers.tv. Archived from the original on February 23, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
  7. ^ "Interview with Linda Thorson". BBC. September 26, 2005. Archived from the original on May 29, 2011. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  8. ^ "Linda Thorson". playbill.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  9. ^ "I, Audra: An Interview with Linda Thorson Part 2". The Terror Trap. October 3, 2013. Archived from the original on October 6, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  10. ^ a b "I, Audra: An Interview with Linda Thorson". The Terror Trap. October 3, 2013. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  11. ^ Boehm, Mike (April 3, 2000). "Her Art Imitates Her Life: Ex-Avenger Linda Thorson Revisits Trying Times in SCR Role". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
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