Lea Thompson was born on May 31, 1961, and spent the first year of her life living in the Starlight Motel in Rochester, Minnesota, with her parents and five brothers and sisters. Poverty was part of Thompson's childhood until age 12 when, four years after her parents divorced, Thompson's mother remarried.

Lea began studing dance at the age of 9, and her career began at the age of 14 when she went on to win scholarships to the American Ballet and the San Francisco Ballet. Thompson graduated from Marshall-University High School in Minneapolis at 16 to dance professionally. She performed in more than 45 ballets with The Minnesota Dance Theatre, The Pennsylvania Ballet Company and The Ballet Repertory (her first part was a mouse in the "Nutcracker"). But her dreams of being a ballerina ended after an audition for the American Ballet Theater in New York City, when ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov told the five-foot-four, 94-pound Thompson that her legs were too short and she was too stocky to make it as a dancer.

At the age of 19 with only 300$ in her pocket Lea moved to New York City to pursue a career in acting. Although she never experienced a typically idyllic teenage lifestyle (she used to work as a waitress, until she was 14 her family didn't even have a TV), she was cast as the wholesome, all-American girl with Midwestern values in Burger King and Twix commercials during the 1970s. Thompson earned enough money from these commercials to eventually buy a house for her mother.

Thompson began her career in interactive film (or should I say computer game) "MysteryDisc: Murder, Anyone" in 1982, but her real debut was part of the "water-ski bunny" in "Jaws 3D". She lied about her abilities to swim and ski in order to beat out 100 other actresses for that role (btw. I heard that she still can't really swim). While on the set, Thompson met actor Dennis Quaid, to whom she later became engaged for about three years.

Thompson added Tom Cruise to her list of major movie co-stars in her next film, "All the Right Moves" which brought her to the attention of critics and audiences alike. In 1984, she starred together with Patrick Swayze and young Charlie Sheen in "Red Dawn" and also appeared in Universal's "The Wild Life".

But the real breakthrough for her was the role of Lorraine McFly, the mother of Michael J. Fox's character in the hit movie "Back to the Future", which propelled her to the front ranks of filmdom. Next year she took role of Cathryn Cleary in teenage-movie "Spacecamp". The very same year her next movie, "Howard the Duck" flopped, and critics were especially critical of Thompson's performance. She was deeply hurt by the seemingly personal attacks on her acting ability.

On the set of next movie, "Some Kind of Wonderful", she met film director Howard Deutch, while she was engaged to Dennis Quaid. Despite of that he eventually became her husband.

Sequells of "Back to the Future" and parts in movies "The Wizard of Loneliness" and "Casual Sex?" brought her in 1989 to her first TV movie - "Nightbreaker" for which she was nominated to the AceŽ Award. Other recent television movies include "The Unspoken Truth" and "The Substitute Wife".

Thompson's theater work includes "Bus Stop" at the Pasadena Playhouse and "The Illusion" at the Los Angeles Theater Company. She has also appeared in the Powerhouse Theatre's production of "Long Time Coming", "Charlie Bacon's Family" at the John Drew Theatre in East Hampton and "The Trip Down Back" at the Actor's Repertory Theatre.

In the early 90s she took small role in directed by her husband "Article 99", where Kiefer Sutherland and Ray Liotta played doctors in military hospital. In 1993 Thompson played mother of "Dennis the Menace", Laura Jackson in "The Beverly Hillbillies" and next year she appeared in "The Little Rascals" as Ms. Roberts, the ballet teacher. After that she played in three TV/cable movies, including "Stolen Babies", "The Unspoken Truth", "The Substitute Wife" with Farrah Fawcett and police story "The Right to Remain Silent" with Robert Loggia.

Besides the movie/television credits she has also made guest starring roles on the series "Tales From The Crypt" (1989), "Friends" (1995) and "The Larry Sanders Show" (1998).

In 1996, she did a commercial for the Mall of America located in Bloomington, MN, and the commercial is shown regularly in that area. Late in 1996 and throughout 1997 (and also again in late 1999/early 2000) she did a few commercials for Chevrolet.

After Warren Littlefield spotted Thompson in the television movie "The Substitute Wife", the NBC entertainment president sent her a stack of scripts he was developing for the 1995 television season. Although Thompson wanted to do movies again, he encouraged her to star in the sitcom "Caroline in the City", which enjoyed huge popularity among viewing audiences until the show ended in 1999. In that period she also made two special appearances as a host of "TV Guide Looks at Christmas" (1997) and "Celebrity Weddings: In Style" (1998). In 1998 American audience could also see the "Intimate Portrait: Lea Thompson".

Since that she played in comedy-drama "The Unknown Cyclist" (1998) and during the beginning of 2000 took some time off from TV and the movies to once again pursue her Broadway aspirations by starring in the touring production of "Cabaret" in Saenger Performing Arts Center.

During year 2001 Lea has played in comedy "Fish don't Blink" and also appeared in February in the theatre in play "Vaginas Monologues".

On year 2002 Thompson has played in three movies: "Haunted Lighthouse", "Electric" and "For the People". She was also a producer of one of them. She's expected to be also a director of her next movie, but probably in year 2003.

Lea Thompson lives together with her husband and two daughters, Madeline and Zoey, in San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California.