Lea Katherine Thompson (born May 31, 1961) is an
American actress and
director. She is best known for her lead character in the hit 1990's series hit
Caroline in the City and her part as
Marty McFly's mother in the
Back to the Future trilogy
Early life
Thompson was born in
Rochester,
Minnesota, the daughter of Barbara, a singer and musician, and Cliff Thompson.
[Lea Thompson Biography (1961-)] She studied
ballet as a girl and would practice three to four hours every day. She was dancing professionally by the age of 14.
[Lea Thompson - Trailer - Showtimes - Cast - Movies - The New York Times] She won
scholarships to several
ballet schools, including the
American Ballet Theatre, the
San Francisco Ballet and the
Pennsylvania Ballet. Thompson danced in more than 45 ballets with the American Ballet Theatre. She also danced with the Pennsylvania Ballet, the
Minnesota Dance Theatre and the Ballet Repertory.
Thompson was told by ballet legend and then ABT artistic director
Mikhail Baryshnikov that she was "a beautiful dancer, but too stocky." Due to this (as well as some small nagging past injuries), she decided to give up dancing in favor of an acting career. She moved to
New York at age 20 and performed in a number of
Burger King advertisements in the 1980s along with
Elisabeth Shue, her eventual co-star in
Back to the Future Part II and
Back to the Future Part III.
