# Gabriel Thomson
**Gabriel Thomson** (born 1986) is an English former actor, best known for playing Michael Harper, the youngest child of the Harper family, in the [BBC One](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-one) sitcom *My Family* from 2000 to 2011.[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/gabriel_thomson/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/es/name/nm0861003/) His film work includes the role of Sacha Filipov, a Soviet spy boy, in Jean-Jacques Annaud's war film *Enemy at the Gates* (2001).[2](https://www.imdb.com/es/name/nm0861003/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1986, Hammersmith, London, England, UK; birth name Gabriel Francis M. Thomson[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0861003/bio/) |
| Signature role | Michael Harper in *My Family* (BBC One, 2000–2011), credited with 115 episodes by IMDb[2](https://www.imdb.com/es/name/nm0861003/) |
| Notable film role | Sacha Filipov in *Enemy at the Gates* (2001), credited as Gabriel Marshall-Thomson[2](https://www.imdb.com/es/name/nm0861003/) |
| Early work | Ephraim in *Joseph* (1995), Young Sebastian in *Painted Lady* (1997), Young Pip in *Great Expectations* (1999), title role in *The New Adventures of Pinocchio* (1999)[2](https://www.imdb.com/es/name/nm0861003/) |
| Later work | Charlie Moore in *13Hrs* (2010); actor, producer, and music contributor on the short film *Hungry Like the Wolf* (2024)[2](https://www.imdb.com/es/name/nm0861003/) |
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0861003/bio/) |
## Early life and family
Thomson was born in [Hammersmith](https://www.edgepedia.org/hammersmith), London, and his full birth name is Gabriel Francis M. Thomson.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0861003/bio/) He attended the Elliot School in Putney.[4](https://www.cinemagia.ro/actori/gabriel-thomson-1561/) He comes from a performing family: his father was an actor who became a drama teacher, his mother is a choreographer, and he has an older brother named Alex.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0861003/bio/)
**Childhood career.** He began acting at the age of four, performing in plays with a company called the Goliards, and at five appeared in his first television role, an advertisement for the cereal Frosties.[4](https://www.cinemagia.ro/actori/gabriel-thomson-1561/) • [5](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/gabriel-thomson.html) His screen career began with the 1995 television miniseries *Joseph*, in which he played Ephraim, followed by a small role as Young Sebastian in *Painted Lady* (1997).[4](https://www.cinemagia.ro/actori/gabriel-thomson-1561/) In 1999 he played Young Pip in a television adaptation of *Great Expectations* and voiced the title character in *The New Adventures of Pinocchio*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/es/name/nm0861003/)
## My Family
From 2000 to 2011 Thomson played Michael Harper, the youngest of the three Harper children, in *My Family*, a BBC One sitcom about a middle-class west London family led by parents Ben ([Robert Lindsay](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-lindsay)) and Susan ([Zoë Wanamaker](https://www.edgepedia.org/zoe-wanamaker)).[6](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/my_family/cast_crew/)
Thomson was the only member of the Harper family to appear in every series of the show.[7](https://tdpelmedia.com/my-familys-michael-harper-star-unrecognisable-23-years-after-bbc-show/) IMDb credits him with 115 episodes as Michael Harper,[2](https://www.imdb.com/es/name/nm0861003/) while The Movie Database lists 110 episodes;[8](https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/643-my-family/cast?language=en-US) the series itself ran for 11 series.[6](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/my_family/cast_crew/) The show was axed by the BBC after 11 years to make room for new comedy, with BBC controller [Danny Cohen](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-cohen) saying that with all the Harper children having fled the nest it was time to make room for new comedies.[7](https://tdpelmedia.com/my-familys-michael-harper-star-unrecognisable-23-years-after-bbc-show/)
## Harry Potter casting rumor
According to his IMDb biography, Thomson was at one point the British favorite to play [Harry Potter](https://www.edgepedia.org/harry-potter), with the American actor [Liam Aiken](https://www.edgepedia.org/liam-aiken) the corresponding favorite in the United States, and was favored before [Daniel Radcliffe](https://www.edgepedia.org/daniel-radcliffe), who was eventually cast. At nearly fourteen, however, he was considered too old for the part.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0861003/bio/) Famous Birthdays describes this more cautiously, saying he was rumored to have been a contender for the role.[5](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/gabriel-thomson.html)
## Film work and life after acting
In 2001, while starring in *My Family*, Thomson played Sacha Filipov in *Enemy at the Gates*, a war film set at the [Battle of Stalingrad](https://www.edgepedia.org/battle-of-stalingrad); he was credited as Gabriel Marshall-Thomson.[2](https://www.imdb.com/es/name/nm0861003/) His later screen credits include [Charlie Moore](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-moore) in the British horror film *13Hrs* (2010), Adam Grainger in *The Lost Choices* (2014), and Leon Decker in *A Little More Flesh* (2020).[2](https://www.imdb.com/es/name/nm0861003/) • [9](https://www.whatsafterthemovie.com/person/gabriel-thomson) In 2024 he appeared as Adam in the short film *Hungry Like the Wolf*, on which he also worked as a producer and contributed music.[2](https://www.imdb.com/es/name/nm0861003/)
Between film roles he continued to act on stage: with the British Shakespeare Company's 2009 tour he played Lysander in *A Midsummer Night's Dream* and Claudio in *Much Ado About Nothing*, and in 2010 he joined the GB Theatre Company, playing Orlando in *As You Like It* and Dr. Caius in *The Merry Wives of Windsor* on tours that included Ireland, Norway, and the Czech Republic.[4](https://www.cinemagia.ro/actori/gabriel-thomson-1561/)
**Studies.** From 2015 to 2017 Thomson studied philosophy at [King's College London](https://www.edgepedia.org/kings-college-london) with the aim of becoming a human rights lawyer.[4](https://www.cinemagia.ro/actori/gabriel-thomson-1561/) British Comedy Guide now describes him as an English former actor.[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/gabriel_thomson/)
## References
1. [Gabriel Thomson, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/gabriel_thomson/)
2. [Gabriel Thomson, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/es/name/nm0861003/)
3. [Gabriel Thomson – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0861003/bio/)
4. [Gabriel Thomson, CineMagia.ro](https://www.cinemagia.ro/actori/gabriel-thomson-1561/)
5. [Gabriel Thomson – Age, Bio, Family, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/gabriel-thomson.html)
6. [My Family cast & crew, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/my_family/cast_crew/)
7. [My Family: Looking Back at the Beloved BBC Comedy and Its Cast, TDPel Media](https://tdpelmedia.com/my-familys-michael-harper-star-unrecognisable-23-years-after-bbc-show/)
8. [My Family (TV Series 2000–2011) Cast, The Movie Database](https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/643-my-family/cast?language=en-US)
9. [Gabriel Thomson: Movies & Filmography, What's After the Movie](https://www.whatsafterthemovie.com/person/gabriel-thomson)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames T to We*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license