Linda Thompson | |
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 Thompson in 2019 | |
| Born | Linda Diane Thompson (1950-05-23)May 23, 1950 (age 74) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Other names | Linda Jenner Linda Foster |
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| Years active | 1976–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | Brandon Jenner Brody Jenner |
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 showHee Haw. She was also a girlfriend ofElvis Presley, before marrying Olympic decathlon championBruce Jenner,[a] and later music producerDavid Foster.
Thompson was born on May 23, 1950[1] inMemphis, Tennessee, the daughter of Margie (née White) and Sanford Abel Thompson.[2] Her older brother, Sam, was one ofElvis Presley's bodyguards.[3]
In 1969 Thompson was named Miss Shelby County.[4] In 1970, she was named "MissMid-South Fair" in Memphis.[5]
Also in 1970, Thompson was named "MissMemphis State University" and was third runner-up in the 1970Miss Tennessee pageant.[6]
Thompson was named Miss Tennessee in 1972.[7]
I was Miss Tennessee. I was Miss Tennessee Universe in 1972, and Elvis was Elvis. And I was invited to go to the Memphian Theater, which he rented out after midnight to screen films. ... So, I was invited to go to the theater. And Miss Rhode Island, Jeannie LaMay, was my roommate in the Miss USA pageant. She was living in Memphis. And she and I went to the theater and were introduced to him properly.[8]
Jeanne LeMay Dumas, Thompson's best friend, recounts this first meeting with Elvis in an interview for her book,Elvis, Linda and Me[9]" and later became Elvis' personal secretary.[10] Dumas said:
Like most people, I was a huge Elvis fan and never dreamed I'd get to meet him, much less have the experiences I ended up sharing with him and Linda. I've always in my heart felt it was fate, destiny, whatever you want to call it, that first brought me and Linda Thompson together as roommates at a beauty pageant inPuerto Rico. She was Miss Tennessee and I was Miss Rhode Island.[11][12]
In 1977, Thompson became a regular on the television seriesHee Haw. She later had small one-episode roles in such television series asCHiPs,Starsky & Hutch,Vega$,Fantasy Island,The Fall Guy andBeverly Hills, 90210.
Thompson starred in several television pilots, including "Mars Base One" and "Two for Two". She appeared in several films, includingThree on a Meathook (1972),Rabbit Test (1978) andOriginal Intent (1991). She had a small role inThe Bodyguard (1992).
She appeared as Linda Jenner in a workout video by then-spouse Bruce Jenner, four documentaries aboutElvis Presley between 1997 and 2004, and in the short-livedPrinces of Malibu, a reality series about then-husband David Foster's efforts to improve her two sons and herself.
She began her career as a lyricist with the Kenny Rogers single "Our Perfect Song" from his albumThe Heart of the Matter (1985). Thompson collaborated with composerRichard Marx onJosh Groban's first hit record, "To Where You Are", with composerSteve Dorff on theCeline Dion hit "Miracle", withAndreas Carlsson for "Drowning" by theBackstreet Boys, and composerDavid Foster on several compositions, including "No Explanation" for the filmPretty Woman (1990), and "I Have Nothing" for the filmThe Bodyguard (1992), for which they were nominated both for theAcademy Award for Best Song in 1993[citation needed] and theGrammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television in 1994, and "Grown-Up Christmas List".[citation needed]
In 1999, Linda Thompson,Clint Eastwood andCarole Bayer Sager wrote "Why Should I Care" for the filmTrue Crime. In 2001, she wrote "Drowning" for the American boybandBackstreet Boys. In 2011, Thompson, Foster andJackie Evancho collaborated on the title track for Evancho's albumDream With Me.[citation needed]
Thompson and Foster received the 2003 Emmy Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for "Aren't They All Our Children" for "The Concert for World Children's Day", which aired November 14, 2002.[13]
In 2016,HarperCollins imprint Dey Street Books published Thompson's memoir,A Little Thing Called Life, which featured onThe New York Times Best Seller list.
On July 6, 1972, Thompson attended a private movie screening hosted byElvis Presley at the Memphian Theater in Memphis. Thompson was 22 at the time.[14] She and Presley subsequently dated for four years before breaking up around Christmas 1976. They broke up because, likePriscilla 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.[15]
In 1980, Thompson began a relationship withOlympic gold medaldecathleteCaitlyn Jenner prior to Jenner'stransition. The couple married on January 5, 1981, inOahu,Hawaii.[16] They have two sons together,Brandon andBrody.[17] The couple separated in 1986 after Jennercame out to Thompson as atrans woman, and they eventually divorced after going through counseling.[18]
On June 22, 1991, Thompson married Canadian composer and record producerDavid Foster; they divorced in 2005.[19][20]
Thompson won aBMI Film & TV Award in 1994 for Most Performed Song from a Film ("I Have Nothing"), composed by Thompson and David Foster for the soundtrack forThe Bodyguard.[21] She shared Special Recognition Awards in 1997 and 2004 with several others for work related to theOlympics, including lyrics for the official 1996 Olympic theme song, "The Power of the Dream", sung byCeline Dion.[citation needed]
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