Linda Thompson Biography

Linda Diane Thompson (born May 23, 1950) is an American actress, lyricist and beauty pageant winner who rose to international fame as Elvis Presley's longtime girlfriend after he separated from his wife.

Career

Pageants

Thompson was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. In September 1970, she was named Miss Mid-South Fair at Memphis, Tennessee. Some of her other titles include "Miss Shelby County", "Miss Liberty Bowl", Memphis State's Golf Queen", Miss Okra" (Bells, Tennessee), MSU's Homecoming Court, and others.

Thompson was named "Miss Memphis State University" and third runner-up in the Miss Tennessee pageant (which is part of the Miss America contest). According to Miss Tennessee pageant records, Thompson never won the Miss Tennessee pageant. She did win the Miss Tennessee Universe Pageant in 1972.

Acting

In 1977, Thompson became a regular on the TV series Hee Haw, wherein she was in the cornfields until 1992. The Internet Movie database lists 19 acting credits for her, mostly small, one-episode parts in television shows such as Starsky and Hutch, Vega$, Fantasy Island, The Fall Guy, and Beverly Hills, 90210.

Linda starred in the TV pilots "Mars Base One" for producer Dan Aykroyd, "Two for Two", the Witt/Thomas production "The Arena", "Good Ole Boys" with Jerry Reed, and more. She has also appeared in several films, including Three on a Meathook (1972), Rabbit Test (1978, Billy Crystal's first movie) directed by Joan Rivers, and RoboCop 2 in 1990. She was cast for a small role, "Female Academy Member", in the blockbuster The Bodyguard (1992), for which she co-wrote (with David Foster) the lyrics for the theme song "I Have Nothing", performed by Whitney Houston. The song won Linda a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture. She has also appeared as herself in a workout video by then-husband Bruce Jenner, four documentaries about Elvis Presley between 1997 and 2004, and in the short-lived Princes of Malibu, a reality show about then-husband David Foster's efforts to improve her two sons and herself. Linda Jenner (along with Lynn Mortensen) also voiced Sally Brown in It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown, It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (who also provided the voices of Violet, Frieda and Patty), and Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown. She also provided the voice of Lucy van Pelt in Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown. Her latest credits are appearances as herself in the reality series The Hills in 2009 and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in 2010 and 2011.

Songwriting

She began her musical career as a lyricist with the Kenny Rogers single "Our Perfect Song" from his 1985 album The Heart of the Matter. Thompson went on to collaborate with composers such as Richard Marx to pen Josh Groban's first hit record "To Where You Are", Composer Steve Dorff for the Celine Dion hit "Miracle", Andreas Carlsson for "Drowning" by the Backstreet Boys, and others including her many collaborations as lyricist to composer David Foster's musical compositions. (The two were married in 1991). Their collaborative successes include "No Explanation" for the 1990 film Pretty Woman, and "I Have Nothing" sung by Whitney Houston in the 1992 motion picture, The Bodyguard, for which they were nominated both for the Academy Award for Best Song in 1993 and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television in 1994. They also wrote what has become a Christmas classic, "Grown Up Christmas List", recorded by Natalie Cole, Barbra Streisand, Kelly Clarkson, Amy Grant, Michael Buble', and many others. In 2011, Thompson, Foster and Jackie Evancho collaborated on the title track for Evancho's album Dream With Me.

Thompson and Foster shared the 2003 Emmy for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for "Aren't They All Our Children" for the "The Concert for World Children's Day (2002 television).

Personal life

From July 1972 to November 1976, Thompson had a relationship with the recently separated Elvis Presley. (This relationship was portrayed in the 1981 television movie Elvis and the Beauty Queen, with Stephanie Zimbalist as Thompson and Don Johnson as Elvis.)

In 1980 Thompson began a relationship with former Olympic Gold Medal decathlete Bruce Jenner. The couple married on January 5, 1981. They had two children, Brandon (born June 4, 1981) and Brody (born August 21, 1983). They divorced in 1983.

Thompson is close personal friends with Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Taylor Armstrong.

On June 22, 1991, she married composer and record producer David Foster, with whom she has co-written many songs. Thompson filed for divorce from Foster in 2005.

Awards

In addition to her Emmy win, Thompson has also won a BMI Film & TV Award in 1994 for Most Performed Song from a Film ("I Have Nothing"), composed by Thompson and David Foster for the soundtrack for The Bodyguard, and she shared Special Recognition Awards in 1997 and 2004 with several others for work related to the Olympics, including her and Foster's powerful lyrics for the official 1996 Olympic theme song, sung by Celine Dion, "The Power of the Dream".

In 2002 she was awarded Women in Film Crystal's Humanitarian Awards and in 2007 she shared TV Land's Entertainer's Award with the rest of the cast of Hee Haw for their work on that show.

Humanitarian work

Thompson was active with then-husband David Foster in humanitarian causes in the David Foster Foundation Society.

She remains active in many philanthropic endeavors. Her animal-rescue efforts have included serving on the board of The Lange Foundation and her work with The Amanda Foundation and the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. She has participated on the board of The Bay Keepers and on the entertainment and auction committees of The Race To Erase MS. She has started her own foundation, PULSE (People Understanding Love Saves Everyone) dedicated primarily to advocacy for children, animals and the elderly. For many years Thompson has also supported St. Jude's Children's Hospital in her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.