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Heather Thomas (born September 8, 1957)[1] is an American actress, author, and political activist, who co-starred as Jody Banks on the TV series The Fall Guy.
Thomas 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, however, and Thomas acquired the rights to produce it herself.[2]
In April 2008, Thomas's first novel, Trophies, was published by William Morrow.[6]
Personal life
Thomas married Allan Rosenthal in August 1985. Rosenthal is one of the founders of 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] When 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
Thomas 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]
