Heather Anne Thomas (born September 8, 1957) is an American actress, author, and political activist, who co-starred as Jody Banks on the TV series The Fall Guy.
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 cancelled after the third commercial."
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. She appeared in several movies, the first of which was Zapped! in 1982, but she gave up acting in 1998.
Partial Filmography[]
- Co-Ed Fever (1979) 1 episode
- B. J. and the Bear (1980) 1 episode
- The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (1980) 1 episode
- The Fall Guy (1981-1986) 111 episodes
- Zapped! (1982) movie
- The Love Boat (1983) 2 episodes
- T.J. Hooker (1984) 1 episode
- The New Mike Hammer (1987) 1 episode
- Cyclone (1987) movie
- The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission (1988) TV movie
- P.S. I Luv U (1991) 1 episode
- Swamp Thing: The Series (1992) 1 episode
- Pointman (1995) 1 episode
- Against the Law (1997) movie
- My Giant (1998) movie
Posters[]
Heather Thomas appeared on numerous pin-up retail posters during the 1980s. Along with Farrah Fawcett (Charlie's Angels), Suzanne Somers (Three's Company), Loni Anderson (WKRP in Cincinnati), Heather Locklear (T.J. Hooker), Heather Thomas was one of the most popular poster models in the early 1980s.
Writing[]
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's first novel, Trophies, was published by William Morrow.
Stalking[]
Thomas left acting in part due to stalkers, as well as a desire to focus on her family and to explore writing. When asked by Reuters, "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."