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IMDbPro

Linda Thorson

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
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Linda Thorson in The Avengers (1961)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:04
The Second Time Around (2016)
21 Videos
25 Photos
Tall (5' 9"), svelte, adventurous young actress Linda Thorson, invariably known as the brunette dish who replaced Diana Rigg on the highly popular action series The Avengers (1961), was born Linda Robinson on June 18, 1947 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The second of four children of a math and physics teacher, she made a move to England in 1965 and initially studied dance and voice.

A teen apprentice at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, her professional career took off abruptly in another direction, away from the theatre lights, when the 20-year-old was chosen over 200 hopefuls to succeed Ms. Rigg's character Emma Peel as John Steed's (played by Patrick Macnee) new partner, female secret agent Tara King. Despite her equally luscious looks and a set of beautiful, crystal blue orbs, Linda had major boots to fill and the stay was not long or heralded. Fans and critics alike were rather unkind to Linda and the series was canceled after one season (1968-69).

Out of the limelight for much of the 1970s, with occasional film and television roles coming her way, including Valentino (1977) and The Greek Tycoon (1978), and as Vera in a television version of the Turgenev play A Month in the Country (1977) starring Susannah York. Linda eventually made the trek to America, Broadway to be exact, and went on to win a Theatre World Award for her superb performance in "Steaming" (1982). Immediately following came rave reviews for the Drama Desk Award-winning comedy farce "Noises Off". Linda was now back on her own terms. Later Broadway work would include a sexy femme fatale role in the noirish musical "City of Angels" (1989), the title role in "Zoya's Apartment" (1990) and the Circle in the Square production of "Getting Married" (1991).

As a transatlantic player working in the United States, her native Canada and in England, she went on to perform with the prestigious Royal Shakespeare and Old Vic theatre companies. By the late 1980s, she was appearing with more frequency on the big screen in such lesser-known films as Walls of Glass (1985), Sweet Liberty (1986) and The Other Sister (1999). A number of television credits also came her way, including guest work on Law & Order (1990) and St. Elsewhere (1982) and, as a regular cast member, on the daytime soap opera One Life to Live (1968) and the sitcom Marblehead Manor (1987). Although she has yet to gain the same kind of attention (and controversy) she did as a 20-year-old, her career has been consistently rewarding over the last three decades. Outstanding stage work in "Shirley Valentine" (1993), "The Sisters Rosenzweig" (1995) and "Amy's View" (2000) have added to her value as an artist.

Linda remained a vivid presence in millennium film work including Steven Seagal's crime thriller Half Past Dead (2002); the Canadian/British romance dramedy Touch of Pink (2004); the American action horror film Straight Into Darkness (2004); the American co-production action film Max Havoc: Ring of Fire (2006); and the touching Canadian romance drama The Second Time Around (2016) in which she co-starred with Stuart Margolin. On television, she was a regular in a couple of drama series (Emily of New Moon (1998) and The Hoop Life (1999)), a single season (2006-07) of the British soap opera Emmerdale Farm (1972) and, more recently, a Canadian series based on the famous teenage detective books The Hardy Boys (2020). She was also seen in a few guest roles on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (1993), F/X: The Series (1996), Law & Order (1990) and Schitt's Creek (2015).

Married four times, Linda has one son, Trevor, from her third marriage to husband actor/producer/newsman Bill Boggs). She married Canadian filmmaker Gavin Mitchell on November 20, 2005.
BornJune 18, 1947
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BornJune 18, 1947
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  • Won 1 BAFTA Award

Photos25

Patrick Macnee and Linda Thorson in The Avengers (1961)
Linda Thorson in The Avengers (1961)
"Avengers, The" Patrick MacNee, Linda Thorson 1968 ABC
"Avengers, The" Patrick MacNee, Linda Thorson 1968 ABC
Honor Blackman, Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, and Linda Thorson in The Avengers (1961)
Patrick Macnee and Linda Thorson in The Avengers (1961)
Patrick Macnee and Linda Thorson in The Avengers (1961)
Patrick Macnee and Linda Thorson in The Avengers (1961)
Patrick Macnee and Linda Thorson in The Avengers (1961)
Patrick Macnee and Linda Thorson in The Avengers (1961)
Patrick Macnee and Linda Thorson in The Avengers (1961)
Patrick Macnee and Linda Thorson in The Avengers (1961)

Known for

The Avengers (1961)
The Avengers
8.3
TV Series
  • Tara King
Emmerdale Farm (1972)
Emmerdale Farm
4.8
TV Series
  • Rosemary King
  • Rosemary Sinclair
Steven Seagal, Nia Peeples, Morris Chestnut, and Ja Rule in Half Past Dead (2002)
Half Past Dead
4.6
  • Judge Jane McPherson
  • 2002
Olympus Force: The Key (1988)
Olympus Force: The Key
5.5
  • Athene
  • 1988

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress

  • Lion Versus the Little People (2022)
    Lion Versus the Little People
  • Alexander Elliot and Rohan Campbell in The Hardy Boys (2020)
    The Hardy Boys
  • Fiona Gubelmann and Antonio Cayonne in The Vows We Keep (2021)
    The Vows We Keep
  • Juno Temple and Yumna Marwan in Little Birds (2020)
    Little Birds
  • Good Witch (2015)
    Good Witch
  • Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Annie Murphy, and Dan Levy in Schitt's Creek (2015)
    Schitt's Creek
  • New Amsterdam (2018)
    New Amsterdam
  • Jaylen Barron in Free Rein (2017)
    Free Rein
  • Stuart Margolin and Linda Thorson in The Second Time Around (2016)
    The Second Time Around
  • Two Wrongs (2015)
    Two Wrongs
  • Torrey DeVitto and Steve Lund in Best Christmas Party Ever (2014)
    Best Christmas Party Ever
  • The Transporter (2012)
    The Transporter
  • Enuka Okuma, Gregory Smith, Charlotte Sullivan, Missy Peregrym, and Travis Milne in Rookie Blue (2010)
    Rookie Blue
  • Sylvia Plath: Girl Detective
  • Daniel Gillies, Michael Shanks, and Erica Durance in Saving Hope (2012)
    Saving Hope

Soundtrack

  • Rudi Carrell in Die Rudi Carrell Show (1965)
    Die Rudi Carrell Show
    • (uncredited)

Videos21

Official Trailer
Trailer 1:18
Official Trailer
The Second Time Around
Trailer 2:04
The Second Time Around
Best Christmas Party Ever
Trailer 0:32
Best Christmas Party Ever
Half Past Dead
Trailer 2:24
Half Past Dead
Straight Into Darkness
Trailer 2:27
Straight Into Darkness
Monsters: A New Woman
Trailer 1:53
Monsters: A New Woman
The Avengers: Dead On Course
Trailer 1:16
The Avengers: Dead On Course
The Avengers: Death Dispatch
Trailer 1:03
The Avengers: Death Dispatch
The Avengers: Traitor In Zebra
Trailer 1:06
The Avengers: Traitor In Zebra
The Avengers: The Removal Men
Trailer 1:03
The Avengers: The Removal Men
The Avengers: The Mauritius Penny
Trailer 1:05
The Avengers: The Mauritius Penny
The Avengers: Season 5
Trailer 2:06
The Avengers: Season 5

Personal details

Edit
    • Facebook Fan Page
    • Official Site
    • June 18, 1947
    • Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    • Gavin MitchellNovember 20, 2005 - 2011 (divorced)
  • Other works
    She appeared on One Life to Live soap opera on ABC.
  • Publicity listings
    • 4 Interviews
    • 2 Articles
    • 2 Pictorials
    • 2 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Dated Frank Sinatra who was godfather to her son, Trevor. Met Sinatra through her then-boyfriend, Harry Guardino.
  • Quotes
    [on replacing Diana Rigg in The Avengers (1961)] I win battles on the fact that I am a woman. The clothes are all feminine - silk and chiffon. And we are bringing back the bosom. The dresses will have plunge neck lines.

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