Donald Whitney Thompson (August 18, 1937 – July 17, 2019) was a film director, producer and screenwriter of Christian films. He was best known for the evangelical Christian film series A Thief in the Night about the Rapture and Tribulation.
Donald Whitney Thompson | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 18, 1937 Hornell, New York, U.S. |
| Died | July 17, 2019 (aged 81) Iowa, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, producer and screenwriter |
| Years active | 1959–1993 |
Life and career
editThompson was born in Hornell, New York. He graduated from Hamburg Central High School in 1956.
Upon graduating high school, Thompson joined the Air Force where he served as a motion picture editorial specialist,[1] director and producer. He moved to Des Moines in 1967 to write a series of movies for General Motors. In 1968, he married his wife, Beverly.
In the 1972, Thompson partnered with Russell Doughten to form the Christian film company Mark IV Pictures.[2]: 577-578 Thompson wrote and directed 12 feature-length motion pictures, including the prophecy series that began with A Thief in the Night. According to Heather Hendershot, professor of film and media at MIT,
"It would be hard to overstate the influence of Thompson's films on evangelical culture. Today, many teen evangelicals have not seen A Thief in the Night, but virtually every evangelical over thirty I've talked to is familiar with it, and most have seen it."[3]: 187
After twelve years and twelve pictures together, a disagreement over management and distribution forced Thompson out of Mark IV in 1984.[2]: 355 Doughten retained Mark IV Pictures, while Thompson signed on with American Media in Des Moines.[4]: 66
The Christian and secular film industries alike have praised Thompson's work. Harry Bristow of the Christian Film Distributors Association calls him "the finest director in the industry."[4]: 65
Thompson also spent time as a radio disk jockey at KRNT in Des Moines, and did a Christian radio broadcast on KWKY in Des Moines.[4]: 69
He died in 2019 in Iowa.[5]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Candle in the Wind (TV Movie) | Producer, Director |
| 1972 | A Thief in the Night | Producer, Director, Writer (story) |
| 1974 | The Enemy | Director |
| 1974 | Blood on the Mountain | Producer, Director, Writer (screenplay/story) |
| 1975 | Survival | Producer, Director, Writer (story/screenplay) |
| 1976 | A Stranger in My Forest | Producer, Director, Writer (screenplay) |
| 1977 | All the King's Horses | Director, Writer |
| 1978 | A Distant Thunder | Producer, Director, Writer (screenplay/story) |
| 1979 | Paradise Trail | Producer, Director, Writer (screenplay) |
| 1980 | Heaven's Heroes | Producer, Director, Writer (screenplay) |
| 1980 | Image of the Beast | Producer, Director, Writer (screenplay/story) |
| 1981 | Home Safe | Director, Writer |
| 1982 | Face in the Mirror | Actor |
| 1983 | The Prodigal Planet | Producer, Director, Writer (screenplay/story) |
| 1984 | The Shepherd | Producer, Director, Writer (original story) |
| 1986 | The Miracle Man | International Silver Screen Award, New York Times Film Critics' Award[4]: 66 |
| 1987 | Life Flight: The Movie | Producer, Director, Writer (screenplay/story) |
| 1993 | Alone in the Dark (Short) | Producer, Director |
References
edit- ^ "Donald W. Thompson". Hamburg, NY: The Sun and the Erie County Independent. May 5, 1971. p. 33. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ a b Balmer, Randall (2002). Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 0-664-22409-1. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ Hendershot, Heather (2010). Shaking the World for Jesus, Media and Conservative Evangelical Culture. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-32679-5. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Balmer, Randall (2014). Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey Into the Evangelical Subculture in America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-936046-8. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ "Donald W. Thompson". Des Moines, IA: The Des Moines Register. July 21, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2021.