FACTBOX: Fred Thompson drops U.S. presidential bid

(Reuters) - Republican Fred Thompson said on Tuesday he has dropped out as a presidential candidate, following a dismal showing so far in the campaign.

Following are some facts about the actor and politician.

* Thompson, 65, who served as a federal prosecutor and Senate Watergate counsel in 1973 and 1974, won a special election to a two-year Senate term in 1994 and was re-elected to a full six-year term in 1996.

* Before being elected to the Senate, Thompson had roles in 18 feature films, including "The Hunt for Red October" and "In the Line of Fire."

* He returned to acting after leaving Congress and starred in the long-running NBC television show "Law & Order," in which he played a prosecutor for five seasons.

* Thompson, who once said life in Washington made him "long for the sincerity and realism of Hollywood," announced he would not seek re-election to the Senate in 2002 because he "simply did not have the heart for another six-year term."

* He disclosed in April 2007 that he had a slow-growing form of cancer, in remission.

(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)

(Writing by David Cutler and Paul Grant; editing by David Wiessler)