Heather Thomas Biography

Heather Anne Thomas (born September 8, 1957) is an American actress, screenwriter, author and political activist, who co-starred as Jody Banks on the TV series The Fall Guy.

Early life

Thomas 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 Film School, graduating in 1980. While at UCLA, she was a member of the Chi Omega sorority.

Career

Thomas started acting at age 14, when she was one of the hosts of a series on NBC called Talking with a Giant, where she interviewed celebrities. In 1978 she began acting in small television roles; she appeared in the series Co-Ed Fever, of which she later said "It was canceled after the third commercial." She played the part of "Jody Banks" in Lee Majors' The Fall Guy television series from 1981 to 1986, when the show was canceled. She entered rehabilitation for cocaine addiction in 1984. She appeared in several movies but quit 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". Touchstone did not make the film, however, and Thomas acquired the rights to produce it herself.

In April 2008, Thomas' first novel, Trophies, was published by William Morrow.

Personal life

She married Allen Rosenthal, one of the founders of Cocaine Anonymous, in August 1985; they divorced around September 1986. Thomas then married entertainment attorney Skip Brittenham in October 1992. Their daughter India Rose was born on June 19, 2000. Thomas and her husband host a monthly fund-raising breakfast gathering at their home in Santa Monica for progressive causes, which has become known in Washington as the "L.A. Cafe". According to newsmeat.com, Thomas contributed over US$280,000 to political candidates since 1992, mostly to Democratic and special-interest groups, with $2,400 towards supporting Republican Mary Bono.

In 1986 she was hit by a car while crossing San Vincente Boulevard and suffered fractures to both legs.

Filmography

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
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1978	David Cassidy: Man Under Cover	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	111 episodes
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	Lt. 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	Tatania	1 episode
1995	Pointman	Lynn Forbes	1 episode