Gary Scott Thompson (born October 7, 1959) is an American screenwriter, television producer, and director. He is best known for his work on The Fast and the Furious, starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker; its sequel 2 Fast 2 Furious; Hollow Man, featuring Kevin Bacon and Elisabeth Shue; Split Second; 88 Minutes, starring Al Pacino; and K-911 and K-9: P.I.. Thompson was the creator, showrunner, writer, and executive producer of NBC's comedy-drama series Las Vegas, also directing four episodes and making a brief appearance as a psychotherapy patient. Additionally, Thompson wrote, co-developed, and executive produced NBC and TF1's Taxi Brooklyn.

Life and career

Born in Ukiah, California, Thompson spent much of his childhood in Pago Pago, American Samoa. He first gained exposure to the entertainment industry as an actor, studying the craft under such actors as Powers Boothe at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts. To pay for his education and support himself, Thompson worked in a junkyard, operated heavy equipment, delivered mail, built sets for a theatre company, tutored college students in English, taught high school in New York City, worked in a gym, was a stagehand at the Metropolitan Opera House (MET), was a reader and assistant dramaturgy at Circle Rep Theatre, and did story notes and development for a Hollywood film studio and distributor. Eventually settling on writing, he received a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University and went to work as a playwright. Thompson's theater credits include Small Town Syndrome, Cowboys Don't Cry, and Private Hells. In 1991, Thompson created the company Pago Pago Productions, located in Encino, California. Thompson now resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

Awards

For Las Vegas, Thompson received the honor of Best Drama Series at the WIN Awards, an awards show dedicated to highlighting positive and multi-dimensional portrayals of women in media. Additionally, Thompson received the inaugural Visionary Award from Life Rolls On, a spinal cord injury advocacy organization, for his portrayal of the first featured character with a spinal cord injury on national television.

Filmography

Films

Thompson has a "Based on characters created by" credit in the Fast & Furious films and series in which he did not participate.

Television