Known for her role opposite Lee Majors in The Fall Guy, Heather Thomas was on the verge of a hugely successful Hollywood career.
However, after filming the show’s finale, the actor’s mother arrived on set, prompting the stunning blonde to rush to the hospital, thinking her father had an emergency.
The family and friends that greeted her at the Santa Monica Hospital assured her that her father, Leon, was OK and that their concerns were with her.
The then-28-year-old woman’s personal life and career completely transformed after her hospital visit, marking the beginning of a new journey.
Continue reading to find out what happened to the former pinup girl from the 1980s!
Heather Thomas was born with the talent and natural beauty of a movie star, rivaling Farrah Fawcett and Heather Locklear.
At the age of 14, the girl hosted an NBC series called Talking With a Giant, in which she and four other teenagers interviewed celebrities.
Thomas, now 66, studied film and theater at UCLA, and the year before graduation, she appeared in the short-lived comedy series Co-Ed Fever (1979).
Heather Locklear & Heather Thomas
Posted by Back To 80s on Saturday, June 5, 2021
In 1980, the Connecticut-born actor won her first leading role in the TV series The Fall Guy, playing the sidekick to Lee Majors, who gained global recognition in the 1970s for his performance as Steven Austin in The Six Million Dollar Man.
The male audience adored Thomas, who played Jody Banks, a stuntwoman-bounty hunter on the popular action show, and saw her as a sex symbol, a title about which she admits she has mixed feelings.
“There’s obligatory condescension that goes with that,” Thomas told the people. “You fit that archetype, blonde bimbo. But at that point, I was just having fun.”
Regrettably, she was overindulging in the inclusion of drugs, a habit she had developed before her role as Jody Banks.
Her substance use began in sixth grade, when she began using drugs to maintain consistently high grades. Thomas stated, “I was taking acid and getting straight A’s.” I thought it was mind-expanding.”
Her mind evolved from child to adult, and so did the drugs she used.
Thomas began using cocaine while at UCLA, and her drug problems worsened one year into her role as The Fall Guy in 1981.
Additionally, she felt compelled to uphold her status as a 5-foot-7 sex symbol. Thomas became obsessed with his weight and began taking Lasix, a diuretic that may cause extreme lethargy.
To counteract the lethargy, she took more cocaine for an energy boost.
“Initially, I was in a honeymoon phase with the drug.” I believed that I was receiving a significant return on my investment. It allowed me to stay up all night and then work all day,” she said, claiming she never used cocaine on set. “Cocaine is not allowed on sets. “It’s no longer clubby to do it.” It’s just a private hell.”
Contrary to her claims, a source close to the actor revealed that her drug use was jeopardizing her career. “Word got out about Heather,” the source said. “People Knew She Had A Problem.”
Douglas Barr, Lee Majors, and Heather Thomas in the 1980 TV series “The Fall Guy”?
Posted By Groovy History. On Tuesday, June 8, 2021.
Thomas dropped from 125 to 105 pounds and fell asleep between takes. Thomas said, “Sometimes I was in a minicoma.”
Then she passed out in front of Majors, who called her manager, who then called her mother.
When the series finale of The Fall Guy aired, her mother, Gladdy Ryder, a former special education teacher, appeared on set and informed her daughter that her father was in the hospital.
Family and friends rushed to St. John’s Hospital, eager to see the author of “Trophies” admitted to the hospital’s three-week drug program.
“It Was A Big Relief To Me,” Thomas said of that day, adding that when she went into detox, she had pneumonia, scarred lungs, and inflamed kidneys. “I had been on a roller coaster and wanted to get off.” If my family hadn’t intervened, I likely would have carried on until I lost my job or passed away.
She continued: “The Doctors Said I Should Have Been Dead Three Years Ago.”
Committed to recovery, Thomas surrounded herself with like-minded people who would help her achieve her drug-free goals.
Thomas, then 28, met and married Allan Rosenthal, a co-founder of Cocaine Anonymous, from whom she divorced in September 1986.
She suffered severe injuries to both legs when a car struck her while she was crossing the street that same month.
The Fall Guy reunion (Heather Thomas and Lee Majors) at Fanboy Expo Orlando… pic.twitter.com/6BHitvP6Nz
— Stacey Adam (@oldandbitterest) September 4, 2022
After detoxing, divorcing, and undergoing surgery to repair major damage to one of her legs, Thomas returned to work in smaller roles in television series. She has also appeared in films such as Cyclone (1987) and Red Blooded American Girl (1990), which co-starred Christopher Plummer.
With her troubles behind her, Thomas began a new life in the 1990s, marrying entertainment lawyer Skip Brittenham in 1992 while attempting to revive her career. Taking on the new role of stepmother to his two daughters, Kristina and Shauna, Thomas also gave birth to her only biological child, India Rose, in June 2000.
“So When I Had About 45 Restraining Orders Out, And I Was On Everything From A Toilet Seat Cover To An Ashtray—And I Was In Love, And [Then] Had Two Little Girls—I Decided To Give It Up And Write For A While,” she told the Reuters reporter.
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Heather had a brief comeback in 2017, appearing in the film Girltrash: All Night Long, one of her 26 acting credits.
The Zapped! is mostly concerned with writing. The actor said that it wasn’t a lack of roles that kept her from acting, but rather stalkers who repeatedly invaded her privacy.
“I was being so stalked. I once witnessed a man climb over the fence with a knife. I had two little girls who really needed to be raised, so that was my priority. However, I believe I’ve matured to the point where people won’t bother me excessively.
Thomas is now an activist and has previously served on the boards of the Rape Foundation and Amazon Conservation Team.
Identifying as a Feminist: A Duplicitous Title For A Former Sex Symbol—Thomas Explained The Power Of Both.
“When I was younger, I did what others told me to do, but as I grew older, I refused to compromise myself. I desired power and freedom. This gave me a place to live and the recognition I needed to gain entry. There’s nothing horrifying about letting others see your body. I do not think I betrayed myself. “I don’t think being a feminist means being ashamed of your body,” she said.
Heather Thomas was unable to revive her acting career, but she received the necessary help and is now on a lifelong recovery journey.
We enjoyed her performance as Jody Banks in The Fall Guy with the Six Million Dollar Man Lee Majors, one of many memorable shows from the 1980s.