Brian Thompson is an actor born and raised in Washington state, best known for his work on Star Trek from 1989 to 2005 as a variety of different characters, the X-Files as an Alien Bounty Hunter and in the Sylvester Stallone action film Cobra as archvillain, Night Slasher. Through all of his characters Brian emits a certain strength and enigmatic presence on screen, partly due to his large athletic build and unique facial structure, but also as a result of his intensity and dedication to each and every role.

Brian began acting in school productions whilst attending Central Washington University. After graduating he made the move to California to get his Masters of Fine Arts from the University of California, Irvine. At the beginning of his career Brian focused on musical theater, appearing in productions of The King and I, and Bittersweet, among multiple others. In 1984, whilst still in school, he landed the role of a punk thug on The Terminator alongside Bill Paxton.

His performance as the Night Slasher in Cobra a few years later earned him a rave review from the New York Times that mentioned; “the archvillain, a character that is a cross between a James Bond fantasy villain such as Jaws and a raging psychopath, delivers a scorching monologue.” From 1987 to 1988 Brian played his first named role in the FOX horror series, Werewolf. He got to play the favorite role of his career thus far in 1993 as a new-age sheriff in the comedy series, Key West. In 2014 Brian produced, wrote and starred in a B movie parody of The Expendables, entitled The Extendables.