Heather Thomas, known for starring alongside Lee Majors in *The Fall Guy*, turned 66 on September 8. She was once set for a very successful Hollywood career.
After the show’s final episode was filmed, Heather’s mother came to the set. The blonde actress rushed to the hospital, thinking her father had an emergency.
When she arrived at the Santa Monica hospital, her family and friends were there. They told her that her dad, Leon, was fine, but it was her health they were worried about.
This moment marked the beginning of a new chapter for 28-year-old Heather, as both her personal life and career would change after this hospital visit.
Curious to know what happened to this 1980s pinup star? Keep reading!
Heather Thomas had both talent and natural beauty that rivaled stars like Farrah Fawcett and Heather Locklear. She was meant for the spotlight.
At just 14, she hosted an NBC show called *Talking with a Giant*, where she and four other teens interviewed celebrities.
Wanting to expand her career as an actor, director, and writer, Heather studied film and theater at UCLA. Before she graduated, she appeared in the short-lived comedy *Co-Ed Fever* in 1979.
In 1980, Heather Thomas, born in Connecticut, got her first big role in the TV show *The Fall Guy*. She played Jody Banks, the sidekick to Lee Majors, who was already famous for his role in *The Six Million Dollar Man* during the 1970s.
As Jody, a stuntwoman and bounty hunter on the popular action series, Thomas became a favorite among male viewers and was seen as a sex symbol. However, she had mixed feelings about that title.
“There’s a certain amount of condescension that comes with it,” Thomas told *People*. “You get labeled as the blonde bimbo. But at the time, I was just enjoying myself.”
Sadly, part of that fun included using drugs, a habit that started even before her role as Jody Banks.
Thomas’s drug use began in the sixth grade when she used drugs to keep her grades high. She said, “I was taking acid and getting straight A’s. I thought it was mind-expanding.”
As Heather Thomas grew older, her drug use changed too.
While at UCLA, Thomas started using cocaine. By 1981, just a year into her role on *The Fall Guy*, her drug problems got worse.
She also felt pressure to keep up with her “sex symbol” image. Standing 5-foot-7, Thomas became obsessed with her weight and began taking Lasix, a diuretic that made her very tired.
To fight the tiredness, she took more cocaine to boost her energy.
“At first, it felt great. I thought I was getting a lot out of it. I could stay up all night and still work the next day,” she said, though she insisted she never used cocaine on set. “Cocaine isn’t accepted on sets. It’s not social anymore—it’s a personal hell.”
Despite her claims, a source told *People* that her drug use was hurting her career. “People knew Heather had a problem,” the source said.
Thomas’s weight dropped from 125 to 105 pounds, and she was falling asleep between takes. “Sometimes, I was in a mini-coma,” she admitted.
Things got worse when she passed out in front of Lee Majors, who called her manager, who then called her mother.
After *The Fall Guy* ended, her mom, Gladdy Ryder—a former special education teacher—came to the set, telling Heather that her father was in the hospital.
But when she rushed to St. John’s Hospital, she was met by family and friends who were there to help her start a three-week drug treatment program.
“That day was a huge relief for me,” Heather Thomas said, reflecting on when she checked into detox. At the time, she had pneumonia, scarred lungs, and inflamed kidneys. “I had been on a roller coaster, and I wanted to get off. If my family hadn’t stepped in, I probably would have kept going until I lost my job or died.”
She added, “The doctors told me I should have been dead three years ago.”
Determined to recover, Thomas surrounded herself with people who supported her goal of staying drug-free. It was during this time, at age 28, that she met and married Allan Rosenthal, the co-founder of Cocaine Anonymous. However, they divorced in September 1986.
That same month, Thomas was seriously injured in both legs when she was hit by a car while crossing the street.
After detox, divorce, and surgery to fix major damage in one of her legs, Heather Thomas returned to acting with smaller roles in TV series. She also appeared in films like *Cyclone* in 1987 and the 1990 Canadian film *Red Blooded American Girl* with Christopher Plummer.
With her struggles behind her, Thomas began a fresh chapter in the 1990s. While trying to rebuild her career, she married entertainment lawyer Skip Brittenham in 1992. She became a stepmother to his two daughters, Kristina and Shauna, and in June 2000, she gave birth to her only biological child, daughter India Rose.
“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 had two little girls, I decided to step back and write for a while,” she told *Reuters*.
In 2017, Heather Thomas made a brief comeback in the movie *Girltrash: All Night Long*, one of her 26 acting credits throughout her career.
Thomas, who is now more focused on writing, said it wasn’t a lack of acting roles that made her step away, but the stalkers who kept invading her privacy.
“I was being stalked a lot. One time, a guy climbed over my fence with a knife. I had two little girls who needed me, so I decided to stop acting. But now that I’m older, I think people won’t bother me as much,” she said.
Today, Thomas is also active as an activist. She has served on the board for the Rape Foundation and the Amazon Conservation Team.
She identifies as a feminist, which may seem surprising for someone once seen as a sex symbol, but she sees both as powerful.
“When I was younger, I followed what others told me to do, but as I got older, I didn’t compromise. I wanted power and freedom. Acting gave me the chance to own a home and the fame to open doors. There’s nothing wrong with letting people see your body. I don’t think I betrayed myself. Being a feminist doesn’t mean you should be ashamed of your body,” she explained.
It’s unfortunate that Heather Thomas wasn’t able to fully restart her acting career, but we’re glad she got the help she needed and is now on a lifelong path of recovery.
There were so many great shows in the 1980s, and we loved watching her as Jody Banks in *The Fall Guy* alongside Lee Majors, the *Six Million Dollar Man*!
We’d love to hear your thoughts on Heather Thomas and her journey to recovery!
