Jeffrey Vincent Thompson was born on May 27, 1961, in Watertown, CT, the third of 6 children, to Ed Thompson, a chemist, and Joline Petruzzi, a school teacher. His mother was of Italian descent and his father had Irish and German ancestry. He grew up in a physically abusive household, helping form a tough demeanor that would shape the rest of his life.

He graduated from prestigious Amherst College in 1984 with an English degree and immediately embarked on a music career. In his earlier years, Jeff played drums for legendary singers Petula Clark, Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis Jr., and Jimmy Webb. He also appeared on stage as the drummer for comics Joan Rivers, Don Rickles, Bob Newhart, Rich Little and Joe Piscopo, and was often asked to participate in their skits.

After music he made an unusual switch and worked on Wall Street, where he was a four time All-star stock analyst and appeared regularly on CNBC and Bloomberg TV. After Wall Street, he made another big pivot to community service, working as a math teacher at an inner city high school in Hartford CT.

He came to acting in his late 40's on a dare, but immediately realized it was his calling. Initially working in theater in the Boston area, he studied in NYC at Terry Schreiber studio, Upright Citizens Brigade and with acting coaches Tony Greco and Cay Patten. Best known for his roles in the feature films Spencer Confidential and Patriots Day, he has also booked national commercials for Dannon Yogurt, Crown Royal Whiskey and Titleist Golf. He continues to act full time and is a member of practice groups at the Gene Frankel Theater and Caymichael Patten studios in NYC.