Fred Thompson, an actor who becomes a senator and ran for the US Republican presidential nomination in 2008, died today at age 73 due to a relapse of the cancer lymphoma suffered for several years.
"With a heavy heart and a deep sense of pain, share the death of our brother, husband, father and grandfather, who died peacefully in Nashville surrounded by his family," said Thompson Family, senator from Tennessee 1994 and 2002, in a statement.
Thompson, known as the Tax Branch of the famous "Law and Order" series, drew in 2008 for the Republican presidential nomination eventually won by Arizona Senator John McCain, that the then Democratic candidate and now president faced, Barack Obama .
In the entertainment industry, he is known for his role in films like "No Way Out" (1987), "Days of Thunder" (1990), "Cape Fear" (1991) and his role as General Ulysses S. Grant , US President between 1869 and 1877, in the TV movie "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee".
His entry into the world of film happened almost by accident, when director Roger Donaldson asked him to play himself in the movie "Marie" (1985), which recounted the scandal of the Committee of Pardons and Paroles Tennessee.
Also he landed roles in popular films such as "The Hunt of Red October" (1990), "Die Hard 2" (1990) and "In the Line of Fire" (1993).
Before becoming an actor, as a lawyer, Thompson enjoyed great popularity in Washington, especially in the 1970s, thanks to his involvement in the Watergate investigation, which led to the resignation of US President Richard Nixon in 1974.
"Fred said once the experiences I had to grow up in a small town in Tennessee part of the prism through which the world saw and shaped how he approached his life," the family said.
"He enjoyed a laugh, a firm handshake, a good cigar and a good dose of humility. Fred was the man in the Senate, the study of cinema in the town square in Lawrenceburg, home, "the family said in his note, which paid tribute to the political and actor.