This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (February 2022) |
Heather Thomas (born September 8, 1957)[1] is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Jody Banks on The Fall Guy TV series opposite Lee Majors. She retired from acting in 1998 to avoid stalkers, to focus on her family, and to pursue writing. Since her retirement from acting, she has had some minor film appearances and has participated in political activism. She returned to acting in 2013.
Heather Thomas | |
|---|---|
 Thomas in May 2008 | |
| Born | September 8, 1957[1] Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Alma mater | UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, author, political activist |
| Years active | 1978–1998, 2013−present |
| Known for | The Fall Guy |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 2 |
Early life
editThomas was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, to Gladdy Lou Ryder, a special education teacher in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. She graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1975 and went on to attend UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, graduating in 1980. While at UCLA, she was a member of the Chi Omega sorority.[citation needed]
Career
editThomas started acting at age 14, when she was one of the hosts of a series on NBC called Talking with a Giant, in which she interviewed celebrities.[2] In 1978, she began acting in small television roles; she appeared in the series Co-Ed Fever, of which she later said, "It was cancelled after the third commercial."[3]
After Co-Ed Fever's cancellation, Thomas was chosen for the role of Jody Banks in The Fall Guy, which starred Lee Majors and was produced by Glen Larson, from its 1981 premiere to its 1986 cancellation. Thomas became addicted to cocaine during her run in the program, and entered rehabilitation for that addiction in the mid-1980s.[2][4] She appeared in several movies, the first of which was Zapped! in 1982, but she gave up acting in 1998. Thomas appeared on numerous pin-up posters during the 1980s.
Following her acting career, Thomas wrote a screenplay called School Slut and sold it to Touchstone Pictures for a figure reported as "mid-six-figure."[5] Touchstone did not make the film, and Thomas acquired the rights to produce it herself.[2]
In April 2008, Thomas's first novel, Trophies, was published by William Morrow.[6]
In 2014, Thomas temporarily came out of retirement to appear in a small role in the musical comedy Girltrash: All Night Long.
Thomas along with The Fall Guy costar Lee Majors made an after-credits cameo in a scene entitled "Previously On The Fall Guy" for the 2024 movie, The Fall Guy.
Personal life
editThomas married Allan Rosenthal in August 1985. Rosenthal is one of the founders of the twelve-step organization Cocaine Anonymous;[7] they divorced in September 1986.[8] In that same month, Thomas was struck by a car while crossing San Vicente Boulevard, and she sustained serious injuries to both of her legs.[9] In October 1992, Thomas married entertainment attorney Harry Marcus "Skip" Brittenham.[10] Their daughter was born on June 19, 2000.
Thomas left acting in part due to being harassed by stalkers, as well as a desire to focus on her family and to explore writing.[11] Thomas was once asked by Reuters in 2009, "Was it really so bad in the 1980s that you had to quit?" Thomas replied, "Yes, I was getting so stalked. I had one guy climb over the fence with a knife one time. I had these two little girls and they desperately needed raising, so that was that. But I think now I have gotten so old that people won't bother me much."[11]
Activism
editThomas and Brittenham became joint hosts of a monthly fund-raising breakfast gathering at their home in Santa Monica, California, which became known in Washington as the "L.A. Cafe".[12][13] Thomas has served on the advisory boards of the Rape Foundation[14] and Amazon Conservation Team.[15]
Filmography
edit| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1982 | Zapped! | Jane Mitchell | |
| 1987 | Cyclone | Teri Marshall | |
| Kiss of the Cobra | Merryl Davis | Alternative titles: Death Stone Der Stein des Todes | |
| 1990 | Red Blooded American Girl | Paula Bukowsky | |
| 1993 | Hidden Obsession | Ellen Carlyle | |
| 1997 | Against the Law | Felicity | |
| 1998 | My Giant | Showgirl | |
| 2014 | Girltrash: All Night Long | Nadine Robson | |
| 2024 | The Fall Guy | Jody Banks | End credits cameo with Lee Majors |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1978 | David Cassidy: Man Undercover | Caryl Manning | 1 episode |
| 1979 | Co-Ed Fever | Sandi | 1 episode |
| California Fever | Joanne | 1 episode | |
| 1980 | B. J. and the Bear | Caroline Capote | 1 episode |
| The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo | Caroline Capote | 1 episode | |
| 1981–1986 | The Fall Guy | Jody Banks | Main cast |
| 1983 | The Love Boat | Sheila | 2 episodes |
| 1984 | T. J. Hooker | Sandy | 1 episode |
| Cover Up | Amber | 1 episode | |
| 1987 | The New Mike Hammer | Andrea | 1 episode |
| Ford: The Man and the Machine | Evangeline Cote | Television movie Nominated: Gemini Award for Best Performance by a Supporting Actress | |
| Hoover vs. The Kennedys: The Second Civil War | Marilyn Monroe | Television movie | |
| 1988 | The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission | Lieutenant Carol Campbell | Television movie |
| 1989 | Rodney Dangerfield: Opening Night at Rodney's Place | Joan Emery | Television movie |
| 1990 | Flair | Tessa Clarke | Miniseries |
| 1991 | P.S. I Luv U | Mary Markham | 1 episode |
| 1992 | Swamp Thing: The Series | Tatania | 1 episode |
| 1995 | Pointman | Lynn Forbes | 1 episode |
References
edit- ^ a b "Today in History – September 8". Bay Ledger News Zone. Associated Press. September 7, 2007. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
- ^ a b c Serena Kappes (January 28, 2003). "Former TV sex symbol Heather Thomas is a screenwriter, activist, mom". CNN. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ Peter Meade (February 26, 1984). "Heather Thomas is a busy body". Sunday Star-News. Wilmington, NC. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ "Heather Thomas Emerges from the 'Private Hell' of Drug Addiction with the Help of Her Therapist Mate".
- ^ Dan Snierson (July 25, 1997). "School's In". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 10, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ "Trophies ~ a novel by HEATHER THOMAS". trophiesnovel.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Roped Together". The Gainesville Sun. August 4, 1985. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ Marilyn Beck (September 19, 1986). "Hoffman Plans Comedy". The Victoria Advocate. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ "Heather Thomas has surgery on leg after being hit by car". The Ledger. Lakeland, Florida. September 18, 1986. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ Daunt, Tina (October 12, 2012). "Hollywood wife has a green touch". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
- ^ a b Goldsmith, Belinda; Tourtellotte, Bob (April 16, 2009). "Just A Minute With: Former pin-up Heather Thomas eyes comeback". Reuters. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
- ^ Tina Daunt (April 18, 2009). "Heather Thomas' salon a top breakfast stop". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ Joel Stein (July 23, 2009). "Activism, Hollywood-Style". Time. Archived from the original on August 27, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ "The Rape Foundation Board". The Rape Foundation. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Our Team | Amazon Conservation Team". www.amazonteam.org. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
