WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hollywood actor Fred Thompson has tentatively decided to run for president, according to a long-time friend and political adviser, and has quit his role on the TV crime series "Law & Order."
"His (Thompson's) mind is made up to run if interest continues to be as intense as it is," Tom Ingram said in a telephone interview on Wednesday.
Thompson, who won election twice as a Republican senator from Tennessee, will now begin raising money to gauge support, added Ingram, who now serves as chief of staff to Sen. Lamar Alexander, also a Tennessee Republican.
Thompson, a 64-year-old social conservative, was not immediately available for comment.
Late Wednesday, "Law & Order" creator Dick Wolf said Thompson had asked to leave the show where he has played New York District Attorney Arthur Branch for five seasons.
"I've spoken to Fred today, and although he told me he has not made a firm decision about his political future, he felt that given the creative and scheduling constraints of the upcoming season, he asked to be released from his responsibilities to the show," Wolf said in a statement.
If he decides to seek the U.S. presidency, Thompson would join a crowded Republican field with no dominant choice. President George W. Bush, prohibited from running for a third term in November 2008, is set to leave office in January 2009.
The current front-runners include former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
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