In January 2006, the actor and former senator Fred Thompson visited the offices of THE WEEKLY STANDARD to discuss the state of the Supreme Court, which was in the midst of filling a vacancy—Thompson had been providing advice to then-nominee Samuel Alito. It was an in-depth conversation about the direction of the Court, and Thompson, a lawyer who rose to prominence during the Watergate hearings, discussed both the historical and political implications of the current nomination process. But at some point during our editorial lunch, I couldn’t resist asking if he’d mind talking about Hollywood. “Sure,” he said with a grin, knowing it was inevitable.

Thompson, who died of lymphoma on Sunday at the age of 73, first appeared on screen in the political drama Marie (1985). He played himself. As an attorney, Thompson represented a Tennessee parole board whistleblower, Marie Ragghianti (the movie stars Sissy Spacek in the lead role, alongside Jeff Daniels and Morgan Freeman). Although having lawyers play themselves is not that unusual (assistant U.S. attorney Ed McDonald did the same in Goodfellas), Thompson made quite the impression. Marie‘s director, Roger Donaldson, would subsequently cast him as the CIA director in No Way Out (1987), a terrific thriller featuring Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman—with one of the most surprising endings ever.