Kate Thompson

Background

Kate Thompson was born in Belfast on November 17, 1959. She began her professional acting career in 1979 when she appeared in an episode of “Play for Today,” a British television anthology drama series that aired on B.B.C. 1 from 1970 to 1984. She later appeared in the 1980 drama series “Escape” as a B.E.A. girl. Thompson played Mary Rose O’Regan in the 1981 television miniseries “The Ante Room,” and went on to take the role of Lucy in an episode of the television mini-series “The Price,” in 1985. Thompson’s last acting role was as Terry Killeen in two episodes of the drama series “Glenroe,” which ran from 1995 and 1997.

Thompson has published a dozen novels as Kate Thompson, including the number one bestseller “The Blue Hour,” which was published in 2002 and was nominated for an R.N.A. award. She holds an M.A. in French and English literature from Trinity College, Dublin, and is a recent ‘Bram Stoker Award’ winner. Thompson has also written and broadcast for RTE, contributed to numerous newspapers and magazines in Ireland and the United Kingdom, and is frequently invited to participate in literary events across the media.

As Kate Beaufoy, Thompson released her first historical novel in 2014, the critically acclaimed “Liberty Silk,” and spent four weeks on “The Irish Times” bestseller list. Her second book, “Another Heartbeat in the House,” debuted the following year and was nominated for an Irish Book Award in the popular fiction category in 2015. Her most recent novel, “The Gingerbread House,” was published in 2017 and has been described by Roddy Doyle as “gripping, heartbreaking, funny, and surprising.” The book was a finalist for “The Guardian” newspaper’s ‘Not the Booker Prize’ and was named among the ‘Books of the Year’ by the Irish daily publication, “The Independent,” in 2017.