Gabriel Francis Marshall Thomson (born 27 October 1986) is an English actor, best known for his role as Michael Harper in the British situation comedy series My Family.

Quick Facts Born, Other names ...
Gabriel Thomson
Born
Gabriel Francis Marshall-Thomson

(1986-10-27) 27 October 1986 (age 38)
London, England
Other namesGabriel Marshall-Thomson
Gabriel Marshall Thomson
Occupation(s)Actor, producer
Years active1995–2015, 2017-present
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Career

Thomson began his acting career at the age of four, performing in plays with a company called the Goliards while his family holidayed in Devon. At the age of five, he gave his first TV performance in an advert for Frosties which he later said he'd "rather forget." In 1995, he appeared in a television version of The Bible: Joseph. He followed this up with a small role in another television mini-series called Painted Lady.[1]

It was in 1999 that Thomson secured his first major acting role, playing Young Pip in a BBC adaption of Great Expectations.[2] It was through his role on Painted Lady that he was cast in Great Expectations, as the casting director of Painted Lady thought he would be perfect as Pip.[1] The same year, Thomson made his big screen debut as he had replaced Jonathan Taylor Thomas' live-action and voice role as Pinocchio in The New Adventures of Pinocchio.

From 2000 until 2011, Thomson played Michael Harper in the British BBC sitcom My Family, starring alongside Robert Lindsay, Zoë Wanamaker, Daniela Denby-Ashe and Kris Marshall. He is the only one out of the Harper children to have appeared in every series as Daniela Denby-Ashe left the series in 2002, later returning in 2004 and Kris Marshall left the series in 2005. He is also remembered for acting alongside Jude Law, Rachel Weisz and Ed Harris in the 2001 film Enemy at the Gates as Soviet spy Sasha Filippov.

He was at one time rumoured to play Harry Potter in the series of films based on the popular books by J.K. Rowling;[3] however, just days later Warner Brothers announced that the part was to be portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe.[4]

Thomson portrayed Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing with the British Shakespeare Company on their 2009 tour of the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Norway and the Czech Republic.[5]

Also starred in the British film 13Hrs. In 2010, Gabriel joined the cast of GB Theatre Company, playing Orlando in As You Like It and Dr Caius in The Merry Wives of Windsor. The tour included the Republic of Ireland, Norway, the Czech Republic and the UK.[6]

Gabriel also starred in the film, The Lost Choices, released by Metrodome in the UK on 14 September 2015.

On 20 August 2015, Thomson had announced on his Facebook page that he was leaving acting to return to university, and on 15 September the Daily Mirror reported that he was to attend King's College in London for three years to study for a degree in philosophy, with the aim of becoming a human rights lawyer.[7]

In 2017 he returned to acting

Personal life

Thomson attended Elliott School in Putney.[citation needed]

Filmography

More information Year, Title ...
Year Title Role Notes
1995 Joseph Ephraim Miniseries (1 episode)
1997 Painted Lady Young Sebastian Miniseries
1999 Great Expectations Young Pip TV movie
1999 The New Adventures of Pinocchio Pinocchio Feature film
2000–2011 My Family Michael Harper Series 1–11 (main role, 114 episodes)
2001 Enemy at the Gates Sacha Filipov Feature film, credited
as Gabriel Marshall-Thomson
2010 13Hrs Charlie Moore Feature film (a.k.a. Night Wolf)
2014 The Lost Choices Adam Grainger Feature film
2020 A Little More Flesh Leon Decker Feature film
2023 The Score The Taker Short film
2023 Hungry Like the Wolf Adam Short film
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References

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