If you were channel surfing last night, chances are you saw Fred Thompson. It might have been on a Law and Order rerun, or maybe it was when he announced on The Tonight Show that he's running for president!

After much speculation that Thompson would declare his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination via his website or in New Hampshire, the former Tennessee senator and noted character actor dropped the candidacy bomb on Jay Leno's show -- and the audience burst into applause. Although some political pundits questioned his choice of venue -- a few feel that The Tonight Show is not a serious political setting -- it worked pretty well for Arnold Schwarzenegger, seeing how he ended up being the governor of California and all.

Thompson joins the ranks of the Governator, Clint Eastwood, and, oh yeah ... former President Ronald Reagan (looking Fresh at a career-spanning 70 percent on the Tomatometer, baby!) as familiar Hollywood faces trying their hand at the world of politics. And although Thompson's profile in the acting game may not be as high as the others in the bunch, he's a recognizable character actor who often plays gruff authority figures; Thompson's fans can easily imagine him in a presidential role.

Thompson's Hollywood résumé is full of well-known films, such as In The Line of Fire (currently at 97 percent on the Tomatometer), Cape Fear (77 percent), and Die Hard 2: Die Harder (64 percent), and some not-terribly-beloved movies like Baby's Day Out (23 percent) and Iron Eagle 3: Aces (at a robust zero percent). Senator Thompson has most recently been in the spotlight as the district attorney on Law and Order, and is one of only four actors to play the same character in all of the Law and Order series.

Only time will tell if Thompson's campaign will catch fire like the plane in Die Hard 2, but RT will keep you posted along the way.