Derek Thompson has been on Casualty since the very beginning as nurse Charlie Fairhead. The Irish actor started out in the role in 1986 but will be leaving tonight after 38 years.
During his time on the show, Derek,75, has been run over by an ambulance on his wedding day, shot in the chest by a schizophrenic man and suffered a cardiac arrest during a gang siege. He confirmed he was quitting the BBC medical drama last year, with his exit due to air this year. At the time, he paid tribute to Pete Salt, a nurse who worked as an adviser on the drama series,who his character is based on.
He said: “Together with the writers and producers, I have tried to bring to Charlie the compassion, kindness, heroism and sound judgment that we all see and love in Pete. I want to say thanks to Pete and everyone else over that time who has inspired me in bringing this character to life.”
Apart from Casualty, he has also played Charlie in the spin-off shows Holby City and HolbyBlue. He also starred in dramas Softly Softly, Play for Today, and Rock Follies of 77.
He got a big break in Harry’s Game, where he played the lead IRA gunman on the run following the assassination of a government minister. Viewers might also recognise him from his role as Jeff in the gangster film The Long Good Friday and DS Jimmy Fenton, in the ITV police drama The Gentle Touch.
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But what else do we know about the actor away from his life on-screen? Below we look at his surprising career in the music business, his impressive net worth, his hidden health condition and how he met his famous wife.
Derek Thompson’s hidden health condition
When he was 61, Derek was diagnosed with dystonia. The NHS says the neurological movement disorder causes uncontrolled and sometimes painful muscle movements (spasms).
Symptoms include uncontrolled muscle cramps and spasms, parts of your body twisting into unusual positions, shaking (tremors) and uncontrolled blinking. It’s usually a lifelong problem, but treatment can help relieve the symptoms.
In an interview with The Express Derek previously opened up about his first symptoms. He shared: “I began to get cramps and spasms in my neck and tremors which caused my whole head to nod.
“Being a typical bloke, I tried to ignore it. But when it got worse I started to fear I had Parkinson’s disease, like my mother. My father told me to seek a proper diagnosis and I was told it was dystonia.”
Derek now has Botox injections every three months to manage his condition and has been the patron of the Dystonia Society since 2006.
Derek Thompson’s famous wife and son
Derek’s role in Casualty must have been fate as just a year after he started out on the show he met his second wife, Dee Sadler. She joined the cast for an episode in the second series, playing the role of Maggie, a potholer who had to be rescued from a cave before hospitalisation. She is also known for roles in films No Place Like Home, Ultraviolet and The Little Drummer Girl.
The couple married in 1989 and have a son, called Charlie. He previously spoke about his family, saying: “Dee is the love of my life. We’ve been together for 24 years now and we have a son called Charlie. And, no, we didn’t name him after my character in Casualty!”
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His son Charlie has also starred in Casualty as a baby. He appeared in one 1990 episode as the son of regular character Duffy.
As of 2010, Derek and Dee lived in a rented flat in Bristol and also own a house in Brixton. Derek also had an older son by a previous marriage to Christine, a theatre director.
Derek Thompson’s impressive net worth
In July 2017, it was revealed that Derek was the BBC’s highest-paid actor, earning between £350,000 and £400,000 over that financial year. His net worth is estimated at a staggering 6.3m by Celebritynetworth.com.
Derek Thompson’s music career
Before becoming an actor, Derek was actually signed to a record label and released multiple music albums with his twin sister, Elaine Johns. They paired up to form as singing duo Elaine and Derek.
They recorded four albums and 15 EPs together, singing in harmonies, and released one eponymously titled album on the Parlophone label in 1961. It wasn’t Derek’s only foray into the music business either.
He and his sister went on to form the folk trio Odin’s People with Larry Johns, and the band recorded two singles in 1967. Derek later worked as a stage manager at the Nonentities Theatre in Kidderminster and then starred in many early productions at the National Theatre.
