Frederick Dalton "Fred" Thompson (born August 19, 1942) is an American politician, lawyer, lobbyist, and character actor. He represented Tennessee as a Republican in the U.S. Senate from 1994 through 2003. Thompson resides in McLean, Virginia near Washington D.C. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Visiting Fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, specializing in national security and intelligence. As an actor, Thompson has performed in film and on television. He has frequently portrayed governmental figures. In the final months of his U.S. Senate term in 2002, Thompson joined the cast of the long-running NBC television series Law & Order, playing New York City District Attorney Arthur Branch. On May 30, 2007, he asked to be released from the show, po...more >>tentially in preparation for a presidential bid. On June 1, 2007 Thompson formed a presidential exploratory committee regarding his possible 2008 campaign for President.