Biography
David Richard Thompson was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to American and Canadian parents and grew up in Morocco, Jordan, and Washington D.C. He moved alone to Ohio, USA, for his final year of high school. He attended university and graduate school in Washington D.C., Paris, France, and New York City, and speaks French fluently. David began acting as a child, with early roles including "Linus" in a grade school musical and performances in Rabat, Morocco, and community theater in Amman, Jordan. A standout moment was when King Hussein of Jordan attended his performance of "The Girl in The Freudian Slip" in Amman and personally congratulated him backstage for his comedic talent. David was only 16 at the time and aware the king was present, seated front and center, laughing.
On television, David has portrayed the love interest of Jenna Elfman and Peri Gilpin, was killed by Eric Stoltz in a poignant scene in Roger Avary and Quentin Tarantino's "Killing Zoe," and starred opposite Geena Davis in a national TD Waterhouse commercial featuring bows and arrows. He also co-founded the Los Angeles-based sketch comedy group "Unprotected Six," which included actresses Maria Russell and Diana Yanez alongside him.
In 2009, David took a decade-long break from acting to dive into Parkour, co-founding the World Freerunning Parkour Federation (WFPF) and the non-profit International Parkour Federation (IPF) with friend and business partner Victor Bevine. Despite this shift, his passion for acting and singing remained strong.
David holds several leadership and advisory roles: Co-Founder and President of WFPF, Co-Founder and Secretary General of IPF, Creator and Executive Producer of WorldParkourChampionship.com, Co-Founder and Advisor of USA Parkour, Board Member of the International Professional Training Certification (IPTC) and USA Sports Council, Co-Executive Producer of MTV's "Ultimate Parkour Challenge," and Board Member, volunteer, and mentor at "Second Families," a Syrian/Iraqi refugee resettlement organization in Southern California. He also volunteers with multiple animal rescue and adoption groups. Additionally, David sings with the all-volunteer "National In Choir," performing during the holiday season at hospitals, veterans' homes, shelters, and other venues alongside fellow Los Angeles-based music professionals.
David served as a consultant for RKO’s non-profit "The Story Project," where he developed a gang prevention film program and mentored at-risk youth in East L.A. for several years.
His documentary short "Starfish" won first place for Best Documentary at the Los Angeles-based Elevate Films 48 Hour Film Festival.
