Heather Thomas, known for her role opposite Lee Majors in “The Fall Guy,” turned 66 on September 8. Initially poised for a successful Hollywood career, Thomas faced personal challenges that significantly altered her path.
When the final episode of “The Fall Guy” wrapped, Thomas’s mother arrived on set, leading Thomas to believe her father was in the hospital
. Rushing to Santa Monica hospital, she was surprised to find her family and friends waiting, concerned for her well-being. This marked the beginning of a transformative journey for the then 28-year-old actress.
Thomas had always been gifted with natural beauty and talent, comparable to Farrah Fawcett and Heather Locklear. She started young, hosting NBC’s “Talking with a Giant” at 14, where she and other teens interviewed celebrities. Determined to advance her career, Thomas studied film and theater at UCLA, landing a role in the comedy series “Co-Ed Fever” before graduating.
In 1980, Thomas won her first leading role in “The Fall Guy,” playing Jody Banks, a stuntwoman-bounty hunter. Despite her success and popularity, particularly as a sex symbol, Thomas struggled with mixed feelings about this title. “There’s obligatory condescension that goes with that,” she told People. “You fill that archetype, the blonde bimbo. But at that point, I was just having fun.”
However, Thomas’s fun included drug use, which began in sixth grade to maintain top grades. She used acid and other substances, claiming it was mind-expanding. Her drug use escalated at UCLA, particularly with cocaine, and by 1981, it was affecting her role on “The Fall Guy.” Thomas also battled an obsession with weight, leading to the use of Lasix, a diuretic that caused severe lethargy, counteracted by more cocaine for energy.
Her drug use became a private hell, impacting her health and career. She dropped from 125 to 105 pounds and often fell asleep between takes. After passing out in front of Majors, her mother intervened, leading to Thomas’s admission into a three-week drug program at St. John’s Hospital. Thomas admitted, “I’d been on a roller coaster and I wanted to get off. If my family hadn’t intervened, I probably would have gone on my merry way until I lost my job or I died.”
Thomas committed to recovery, surrounding herself with supportive, like-minded individuals. She married Allan Rosenthal, co-founder of Cocaine Anonymous, but they divorced in September 1986, the same month she was struck by a car, causing serious injuries to her legs.
After detox, divorce, and surgery, Thomas returned to acting with smaller roles in TV series and films like “Cyclone” (1987) and “Red Blooded American Girl” (1990). In the 1990s, she married entertainment lawyer Skip Brittenham, becoming a stepmother to his two daughters and later giving birth to her daughter, India Rose, in 2000.
Thomas transitioned to writing, explaining to Reuters that stalkers and the need to raise her daughters drove her from acting. “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.”
Today, Thomas is an activist, formerly serving on the board for the Rape Foundation and Amazon Conservation Team. Identifying as a feminist, she balances this with her past as a sex symbol. “When I was young, I did what people told me to do but when I was older, I didn’t compromise myself. I wanted power and freedom. This gave me a house and the notoriety to get into the door. There is nothing horrible in letting people see your body. I don’t think I betrayed myself. I don’t think being a feminist means you should be ashamed of your body,” she said.
Though unable to revive her acting career fully, Thomas is on a lifelong journey of recovery. Her role as Jody Banks in “The Fall Guy” remains memorable to fans of 1980s television.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on Heather Thomas and her journey of recovery! If you’re feeling nostalgic, check out how iconic model Twiggy looks today at 73.
