R.H. Thomson

Acting

R.H. Thomson

Born

1947-09-24 (79)

Place of birth

Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada

Known for

Acting

Credits

77 titles

Robert Holmes "R. H." Thomson, CM (born September 24, 1947) is a Canadian television, film and stage actor. Thomson was born in Richmond Hill, Ontario. He studied at the University of Toronto, and the National Theatre School. His own play The Lost Boys was staged at the Great Canadian Theatre Company in March 2000 and at Canadian Stage in February 2002. Thomson has also hosted programming for CBC Radio and CBC Television. In 2010, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada. Thomson has portrayed a number of historical figures including Charlie Grant, Samuel Lount, Edsel Ford, Dr. Frederick Banting, Duncan Campbell Scott, Mitchell Sharp, and James Cross. ​From Wikipedia, the free enc…

Known for

Film credits

2020s · 3 titles

2010s · 6 titles

Chloe poster
6.1

Catherine and David Stewart are a well-to-do couple living in a posh area of Toronto, but all is not well in paradise. Catherine suspects that David is cheating on her, so she hires an escort named Chloe to meet David and see if he gives in to temptation — but events spin out of control when Chloe spills the details of her torrid encounters.

Chloe

2010

Clara poster
7.4

An astronomer becomes obsessed with searching the cosmos for signs of life beyond Earth which leads to a shocking discovery.

Clara

2018

Love's Complicated poster
6.2

Leah thinks all is fine coasting along in a relationship with the ever-predictable Edward until he surprises her and enrolls her in a conflict-management class. In the class, Leah finds herself locking horns with a handsome, radio talk-show host who thrives on making waves. Through the course, Leah develops new friendships, an inner strength she never knew she had and discovers real love should never mean settling for the easy and predictable.

Love's Complicated

2016

Five Stories poster
NR

In this inventive short, celebrated actor and director R.H. Thomson playfully deconstructs narrative, parting the curtain on the five central stories that frame our understanding of the world.

Five Stories

2015

Whirligig poster
NR

Floundering twenty-something Nicolas Sinclair attempts to win the heart of a married woman by befriending her 12-year-old son in this independent comedy. His life in ruins, Nicolas arrives to live with his parents at a seaside retirement home, disrupting their peaceful retirement. When Nicolas meets Nina, he falls head over heels in love. But Nina is only using Nicolas as a means of getting back at her cheating husband André, a prominent theater director. Determined to win Nina's heart at any cost, Nicolas goes against her wishes by striking up a friendship with her son Quang, and attempting to gather enough information to charm the elusive beauty out of her turbulent marriage.

Whirligig

2011

No artwork available
9.5

Past meets present in a film that is evocative in approach, energized by breathtaking cinematography and an uplifting musical score, and offers a new and articulate voice to the artists who were the Group of Seven. Painted Land weaves seamlessly the experiences of Lawren Harris, J.E.H. MacDonald, A.Y. Jackson, Frank Johnston, Arthur Lismer, Franklin Carmichael and A.J. Casson – with the adventures of three modern day sleuths. Historian Michael Burtch, and the writer and photographer team of Gary and Joanie McGuffin are determined to track down the precise locations of these famous paintings. Archival film, letters, journals and photographs of the artists – some of which have never been seen in public – take the viewers back in time.

Painted Land: In Search of the Group of Seven

2015

2000s · 11 titles

Population 436 poster
5.8

A census-taker is sent to investigate why a certain small town has had the same population -- 436 residents -- for the last 100 years.

Population 436

2006

Full-Court Miracle poster
5.8

Inspired by the true story of University of Virginia basketball star Lamont Carr, the film centers on a group of young Jewish basketball players who search for a coach to help them out of a slump. The main character Alex Schlotsky is inspired by the true story of Alex Barbag and Chad Korpeck.

Full-Court Miracle

2003

The Dinosaur Hunter poster
6.1

A 13-year-old girl and her older brother live on a farm where paleontologists search for fossils.

The Dinosaur Hunter

2000

Who Loves the Sun poster
5.3

A man encounters a childhood friend who had an affair with his wife five years earlier.

Who Loves the Sun

2006

Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay poster
6.3

Cosmetics mogul Mary Kay Ash faces competition from a driven newcomer, who plots to take apart her control of the makeup industry.

Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay

2002

Trudeau poster
8.2

This docu-drama spans fifteen turbulent years in the political and personal life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, one of the most enigmatic and polarizing Prime Ministers in Canadian history. The film explores the many facets of his character and his vision for his country which has both inspired and frustrated Canadians.

Trudeau

2002

The Piano Man's Daughter poster
10.0

Terrified of passing on the madness that runs in his family, Charlie Kilworth (Christian Campbell) stays away from relationships that could lead to marriage and children. Meanwhile, his grandparents (R.H. Thomson and Wendy Crewson) are debating whether to put his mother (Stockard Channing) into a mental institution. Whoopi Goldberg shares producing credits on this generational drama adapted from the acclaimed novel by Timothy Findley.

The Piano Man's Daughter

2003

The Stork Derby poster
6.5

The woman who birthed the most children in the City of Toronto within a certain time period would inherit a fortune in the midst of the Great Depression

The Stork Derby

2002

The Royal Scandal poster
5.9

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes - the world's greatest detective - faces a most alluring adversary... Legendary opera star Irene Adler is threatening to destroy the King of Bohemia's reputation with proof of their illicit affair. The evidence? A photograph. Her ransom? The king's hand in marriage. But not only does investigating detective Sherlock Holmes already know Irene from the past, he also knows that the queen of manipulation would never resort to such a common crime. After uncovering her true ambitions, Holmes draws the cunning songstress into a well-matched game of cat and mouse

The Royal Scandal

2001

Hamlet {Solo} poster
NR

"Hamlet {Solo}" chronicles the six-year journey of actor Raoul Bhaneja as he mounts a one-man version of Shakespeare's Hamlet. The film includes a number of notable Hamlets who provide advice and perspective on the creative process.

Hamlet {Solo}

2007

Well Kept Secrets: Athanasia poster
6.2

A young American woman returns to her Greek roots in search of her real father. Accompanied by her stepfather, she shatters the very myths designed to protect her. She uncovers an unlikely relationship between those who raised her, a globe-trotting photojournalist and Athanasia. Athanasia, a girl with no right in life. A choice of nature, but not of her community. Angela finds her father and discovers her mother.

Well Kept Secrets: Athanasia

2008

1990s · 17 titles

Bone Daddy poster
4.6

Doctor Palmer, a former pathologist, wrote a fictional book based on his real cases. In the book, the madman gets caught, but in reality he is still uncaught. After the book is released, Palmer's editor is kidnapped. Palmer soon is sent a present containing a page of his book, and a bone from his editor. Together with the police, Palmer tries to find his editor, who might still be alive. In addition, his own son becomes one of the main suspects. Written by Julian Reischl

Bone Daddy

1998

My Breast poster
7.0

Meredith Baxter plays Joyce Wadler in this heartwarming story of hope, courage and redemption inspired by the New York City journalist's real-life struggle with breast cancer. Stuck in a lackluster relationship with her boyfriend, she's forced to re-examine her life when she receives the troubling diagnosis.

My Breast

1994

Murder at My Door poster
3.7

In a quiet neighborhood, a suburban family is shocked when their son is the prime suspect in the brutal murder of a neighbor's daughter.

Murder at My Door

1996

P.T. Barnum poster
7.0

This series illustrates the life and career of P.T. Barnum, America's greatest showman and promoter. Starting as a young man who managed an old woman who was supposedly George Washington's nursemaid, we see his career as he finds success promoting curiosities and attractions with panache and a judicious mix of truth and creativity, whether it be promoting his museum or characters like the midget General Tom Thumb. Yet because the demands of his businesses, his family life is troubled and marred by tragedy. All the while, events lead to his greatest creation, the Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey Circus.

P.T. Barnum

1999

Mark Twain and Me poster
7.5

During the final years of his life, the famous writer Samuel "Mark Twain" Clemens is befriended by a young girl named Dorothy Quick.

Mark Twain and Me

1991

Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and the American Dream poster
7.2

This film discusses the effect on how major American films in Hollywood were influenced by the Eastern European Jewish culture that most of the major movie moguls who controlled the studios shared. Through clips of various films, the filmmakers illustrate the dominant themes like that of the outsider, the outspoken American patriotism, and rooting for the underdog in society.

Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and the American Dream

1998

Crime in Connecticut: The Story of Alex Kelly poster
5.0

About a notorious Connecticut convicted rapist.

Crime in Connecticut: The Story of Alex Kelly

1999

The Lotus Eaters poster
8.5

Set off the West Coast of Canada in 1965, a hip new teacher with a miniskirt and lots of ideas turns a small town upside down. The soft autumn light of Galiano Island is beautifully rendered in writer/producer Peggy Thompson's The Lotus Eaters, and that's not the only elusive element that this film has captured. In revisiting its particular time and place - the Gulf Islands of the early '60s -Thompson obviously draws on her own family experiences there. For those who share Thompson's love of Gulf Islands magic, the elements she has assembled will feel as familiar as their own childhood blanket. But there are problems at the core of this story about a family's loss of innocence.

The Lotus Eaters

1993

Max poster
5.7

The Blakes have a rancher in the burbs, 2 kids, a mid-sized American car, a gas barbecue and lawn furniture. Dad works in an office, Mom does something vague and equally meaningless. They are exactly like all the people you see on the freeway every morning. Something happens - their young son gets sick.

Max

1994

Net Worth poster
6.9

The story of the NHL in the 1950's, focusing on the battle between the players, led by Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay, and the owners, over issues of benefits and pensions. A dramatization based on the true story from the book of the same title.

Net Worth

1995

The Babymaker: The Dr. Cecil Jacobson Story poster
6.0

Married couples, unable to conceive, are thrilled to find they are going to become parents, thanks to a larger-than-life "miracle doctor" and his unusual treatments.

The Babymaker: The Dr. Cecil Jacobson Story

1994

Bonds of Love poster
5.8

A divorced woman falls in love with a mentally-disabled man, but his family objects to their relationship.

Bonds of Love

1993

Twilight of the Ice Nymphs poster
5.9

Set in a blazing land where the sun ceaselessly shines, this dramatic fantasy examines love’s darker aspects.

Twilight of the Ice Nymphs

1997

Silent Cradle poster
6.8

A woman has a miscarriage. After her grief becomes bearable, she attempts to adopt a baby, but discovers evidence that her baby might not have been dead when it was removed from her stomach. If so, who took the baby, why and where?

Silent Cradle

1997

The Quarrel poster
6.3

In Montreal, on Rosh Hashanah, 1948, writer Chaim is forced to reflect on his religion when asked to be the tenth in a minyan. As he sits in the park, he suddenly sees an old friend whom he hasn't seen since they quarrelled when they were Yeshiva together. Hersh, a rabbi, survived Auschwitz and his faith was strengthened by his ordeal, while Chaim escaped the Nazis, but had lost his faith long before. The two walk, reminisce, and argue passionately about themselves, their actions, their lives, their religion, their old quarrel, and their friendship.

The Quarrel

1991

Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight poster
7.3

Interviews with Guy Maddin and his pals are included in this documentary about the Canadian film-maker's life and movies. Features clips from most of Maddin's films up to Twilight of the Ice Nymphs, including Careful and Archangel.

Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight

1997

No artwork available
NR

Biographic film about Canadian author Ernest Buckler.

Inner Mountains, Inner Valleys: The Life and Writing of Ernest Buckler

1993

1980s · 20 titles

Vision Quest poster
6.4

After deciding he needs to do something meaningful with his life, high school wrestler Louden Swain sets out on a mission to drop weight and challenge the area's undefeated champion, which creates problems with his teammates and health. Matters are complicated further when Louden's father takes in an attractive female drifter who's on her way to San Francisco.

Vision Quest

1985

The Terry Fox Story poster
6.2

The true story about the Canadian cancer amputee hero, who decided to run across Canada on only one leg to raise money for cancer research.

The Terry Fox Story

1983

Ticket to Heaven poster
6.8

David is a young man seduced by a religious cult that uses starvation, exhaustion, and brainwashing to mold recruits into money hustling disciples of a messiah-like leader. Chronicles David's chilling transformation into a gaunt, mindless shadow of his former self...and his ultimate salvation when friends and family launch a plan to kidnap and deprogram him.

Ticket to Heaven

1981

Glory Enough For All poster
10.0

Glory Enough for All is the 1988 television movie depicting the discovery and isolation of insulin at the University of Toronto by Frederick Banting and Charles Herbert Best. It won the 1989 Gemini award for best miniseries.

Glory Enough For All

1988

And Then You Die poster
6.5

An intense crime drama about a Canadian drug lord who amasses a fortune from the cocaine and marijuana trade. His empire is threatened by the Mafia, Hell's Angels and the police who are all trying to bring him down.

And Then You Die

1987

Charlie Grant's War poster
8.0

A Canadian artist turned diamond merchant in Vienna, Austria risks his life to smuggle Jews out of the Third Reich.

Charlie Grant's War

1985

If You Could See What I Hear poster
5.0

A light comedy/love story based on the life of blind musician Tom Sullivan.

If You Could See What I Hear

1982

Martin's Day poster
6.2

Threatened with recapture after a prison escape, Martin Stechert grabs a 12-year-old as hostage. He proves to be named Martin, too a quiet "good little boy" always obeying the rules, whom life has given only dismal loneliness and frustration in return. Soon he begins to admire "Stech" for his cheeky pranks against society and his desperate mission to make dreams come true. In a climactic moment, he chooses to stay with the man even though he could run away. Via hijacks and hijinx, they flee to the idyllic peace of the older Martin's childhood home, a cabin on a lake. But the police are close behind, impatient and trigger-happy.

Martin's Day

1985

Love & Hate: The Story of Colin and Joanne Thatcher poster
7.7

Narcissistic Saskatchewan Tory politician Colin Thatcher is engaged in a bitter divorce from his wife Jo-Ann. When a series of court rulings over the divorce go against him, Thatcher decides a more drastic solution is needed - murder! A series of attempts on Jo-Ann's life follow, most of which don't succeed. Finally one does, and the arrogant Thatcher believes he is above the law and immune to prosecution. But his arrogance proves to be his undoing, as Crown Counsel Serge Kujawa builds a case against this psychopathic monster for 1st-degree murder - charging that Thatcher hired someone to kill his wife. The true story of one of the most disturbing stories of murder-for-hire in Canada.

Love & Hate: The Story of Colin and Joanne Thatcher

1989

Escape from Iran: The Canadian Caper poster
8.0

A dramatized account of how the staff of the Canadian Embassy helped a group of American diplomats escape from Iran during the Iranian Revolution.

Escape from Iran: The Canadian Caper

1981

Samuel Lount poster
9.0

Back in 1837 in the Northwoods of Canada and beyond, a movement was started among the colonialists to demand the right to own property in the New World. This interesting docudrama follows the tragic outcome of that movement for one of its leaders, the pacifist and nearly beatific Samuel Lount (also the great-great-great uncle of producer Elvira Lount). The orator and journalist William Lyon Mackenzie stoked up the fire among the property-deprived, and a march on Toronto was begun. Lount was convinced to join the rebellion much against his better judgment -- he belonged to the Children of Peace religious sect. Lount's own pacifism meant nothing to the authorities; they executed Lount for treason after crushing the rebellion. R.H. Thomson plays the title role in this low-budget but high-energy effort.

Samuel Lount

1985

Heaven On Earth poster
8.0

An armful of destitute orphans transported to the New World at the turn of the century. This is the turbulent and moving story of four British 'bricks for Empire building' - based on the memoirs of some of the 100,000 'home children' who helped build the new Canada.

Heaven On Earth

1987

Ford: The Man and the Machine poster
7.3

Adapted from a book by Robert Lacey, this biographical film chronicles both the private and public life of automobile manufacturer Henry Ford (Cliff Robertson).

Ford: The Man and the Machine

1987

Surfacing poster
4.7

Following her father's puzzling disappearance, Kate and her city-bred companions brave the untamed backwoods in a desperate search for him. However, the harsh environment becomes a dangerous catalyst for their explosive mix of personalities, propelling them into a world of raw emotion and unbridled passion.

Surfacing

1981

Stranger in My Bed poster
4.6

A woman gets amnesia after an accident, and doesn't remember her life, including her husband. While she tries to recall, she meets a man and begins a relationship with him.

Stranger in My Bed

1987

The Marriage Bed poster
8.5

Linda Griffiths stars as very pregnant Annie Graham, who's about to give birth to her third child in seven years. Annie looks back via flashbacks at how her own plans for a career got sidetracked and how her marriage suddenly went off the rails on a crazy train. At the same time she's trying to cope with a Christmas season full of inlaws, family and neighbours.. and a husband who's gone awol in order to 'find himself'.

The Marriage Bed

1986

No artwork available
9.0

One of a series of short, open-ended dramas designed to stimulate discussion of values and ethics in relation to modern medical technology. This film considers the chronic patient's right to quality care, and the acutely ill patient's right to a hospital bed. Jean is suffering from multiple sclerosis and is almost completely paralyzed. It seems that the only ones who care about her are the nurses. With the arrival of a patient in need of an operation, it becomes apparent that chronic patients have little priority.

Discussions in Bioethics: A Chronic Problem

1985

Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks poster
7.0

A biographical drama that profiles the life of Hal C. Banks, a controversial American labour union leader, who came to Canada in 1949 to lead a violent fight against the rival communist shipping union. He once ruled the Canadian shipping industry, but his brutal tactics would bring his downfall.

Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks

1985

Happy Memories poster
5.3

A woman attempts to resume her place in the family that she abandoned years earlier.

Happy Memories

1981

No artwork available
9.0

A British Columbia woman struggles to support herself and her daughter after the death of her husband. Nominated for achievements in editing and cinematography at the 11th Genie awards.

The First Season

1989

1970s · 2 titles

Series credits

Murdoch Mysteries poster
7.7

A Victorian-era Toronto detective uses then-cutting edge forensic techniques to solve crimes, with the assistance of a female coroner who is also struggling for recognition in the face of tradition, based on the books by Maureen Jennings.

Murdoch Mysteries

2008

American Playhouse poster
6.6

American Playhouse is an anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service in the United States.

American Playhouse

1982

Moonlighting poster
7.6

After being duped and going bankrupt, model Maddie is convinced by David to become a partner in a detective agency. Together they solve various cases, while getting comfortable with each other.

Moonlighting

1985

The Twilight Zone poster
7.7

This 1980s revival of the classic sci-fi series features a similar style to the original anthology series. Each episode tells a tale (sometimes two or three) rooted in horror or suspense, often with a surprising twist at the end. Episodes usually feature elements of drama and comedy.

The Twilight Zone

1985

Screen Two poster
7.1

Series of single made-for-television dramas.

Screen Two

1985

Murder in a Small Town poster
6.8

Karl Alberg moves to a quiet coastal town to soothe a psyche that has been battered by big-city police work but finds himself needing to call upon all his skills to solve the murders that continue to wash up on his shore.

Murder in a Small Town

2024

Anne with an E poster
8.7

A coming-of-age story about an outsider who, against all odds and numerous challenges, fights for love and acceptance and for her place in the world. The series centers on a young orphaned girl in the late 1890s, who, after an abusive childhood spent in orphanages and the homes of strangers, is mistakenly sent to live with an elderly woman and her aging brother. Over time, 13-year-old Anne will transform their lives and eventually the small town in which they live with her unique spirit, fierce intellect and brilliant imagination.

Anne with an E

2017

Republic of Doyle poster
7.0

Jake Doyle and his ex-cop father, Malachy, run a Newfoundland detective agency. Their rugged seaside town never lacks for intriguing cases, and the Doyles don't always land on the right side of the law.

Republic of Doyle

2010

The Ray Bradbury Theater poster
6.9

A Canadian-produced fantastic anthology series scripted by famed science-fiction author Ray Bradbury. Many of the teleplays were based upon Bradbury's novels and short stories.

The Ray Bradbury Theater

1985

Road to Avonlea poster
8.1

In the fictional small town of Avonlea, Prince Edward Island, in the early 20th century, 10-year-old Montreal heiress Sara Stanley is sent by her wealthy father to live with her two maiden aunts, Hetty and Olivia King, to be near her late mother's side of the family.

Road to Avonlea

1990

For the Record poster
9.0

For the Record, an anthology of 60-to-90-minute dramas, started on the series, Performance, as a subseries called Camera ’76. A collection of docudrama-style short stories on diverse but socially relevant (and very Canadian) topics such as unemployment, euthanasia, spousal abuse, televangelists, aboriginal issues, and anglophone-francophone relations. This series attracted most of the 'big name' Canadian actors and directors of the time.

For the Record

1976

Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story poster
5.8

In 1930s Saskatchewan Tommy Douglas, a small town pastor, sees the poverty and injustice around him which seem beyond his power to address from the pulpit. Douglas enters politics with the socialist Canadian Commonwealth Federation where his idealism runs into powerful opposition from the wealthy and the powerful. Despite the long odds, Douglas' new calling would soon make him a leader who transformed Canada.

Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story

2006

No artwork available
7.0

A dramatization of the actual events surrounding the October Crisis in the province of Quebec, Canada.

October 1970

2006

P.T. Barnum poster
5.7

The story of the great American showman and promoter.

P.T. Barnum

1999

No artwork available
7.5

The Associates is a Canadian television drama series that aired on CTV in 2001 and 2002. The show features five junior associate lawyers at a Toronto law firm, played by Demore Barnes, Shaun Benson, Tamara Hickey, Gabriel Hogan and Jennie Raymond. R.H. Thomson also stars as the firm's senior partner. The show was successful in its first two years of ratings, but due to tax cutbacks from the government, the show could not continue into a third season.

The Associates

2001

The Englishman's Boy poster
3.2

Haunting Film recalls a tragic journey that culminates in one of the most brutal historical events in Canadian history - the Cypress Hills Massacre

The Englishman's Boy

2008

The Land Between poster
NR

The Land Between is a 3-part documentary series that explores our evolving relationship with the biologically and geologically diverse region between the Canadian Shield and the St. Lawrence Lowlands in Ontario, Canada.

The Land Between

2013