Derek Thompson

Derek Thompson, born in Belfast in 1948, is a British actor who began as a singer. In his teens he formed the duo Elaine and Derek, recording four albums and fifteen EPs; later came the folk trio Odin's People. He appeared in Gonks Go Beat (1965) and from 1976 acted at London's National Theatre. In the late 1970s and early 1980s he became a familiar face in British television drama, breaking through in Harry's Game as an IRA gunman on the run after a government minister was assassinated. He later played another IRA hitman in The Price and appeared in Wild Geese II (1985). Yanks (1979) and Breaking Glass (1980) gave him minor film parts, while The Long Good Friday (1980) cast him as Jeff. Before Casualty he had a recurring role in The Gentle Touch and appeared in Brookside in 1983. He played Charlie Fairhead in Casualty from 1986 until 2024 and returned briefly in 2026.