Thompson's performance in her high school's production of My Fair Lady when a talent scout was present led to her first film contract.
[1] In 1966, Thompson made her television debut in a Kodak commercial aired during the Academy Awards.
On television, Thompson portrayed Lynn on Chico and the Man[2] Lizabeth Barrett on The Manhunter,[2]: 653 Lieutenant Betty Wheeler on Operation Petticoat,[2]: 757 Sharon St. Clair on Number 96,[2]: 774-775 Elizabeth Coates on The Young Rebels,[2]: 1208 and Ginger on Washingtoon.
[3] She also appeared on programs such as I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Gunsmoke, The Flying Nun, Room 222, The Odd Couple, The Brady Bunch, Barnaby Jones, Harry O, Starsky and Hutch, Fantasy Island, Charlie’s Angels, ALF, and a number of movies, ranging from comedy to drama and suspense-thrillers.
In 1988, at the age of 39, Thompson married actor, writer, director, and make-up effects artist, Alan Ormsby.