Charles Louis Ambroise Thomas (August 5, 1811 - February 12, 1896) was a French opera composer. He is best-known for his operas Mignon (1866) and his Shakespearean Hamlet (1868).
Thomas was born in Metz. His father was a musician and young Ambroise learned to play the piano and violin as a child. He entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1828.
In 1832, He won the Prix de Rome for his cantata, Hermann et Ketty.
His chief successes were at the Opéra Comique.
From 1856 on, Thomas was a professor at the Conservatoire where he taught, among others, Massenet.
