Heather Thomas, who played Jody Banks in the 1980s action series The Fall Guy starring Lee Majors and Douglas Barr, captivated audiences with her beauty and talent. Heather’s life, however, took a drastic change in 1986 owing to a horrific tragedy.
Heather Thomas suffered a horrific accident in September 1986. She was hit by a car, and the event left her with major leg injuries. This event prompted her to make big changes in her life. Instead of continuing her acting career, she chose to focus on screenwriting and raising her two stepdaughters, which was followed by the birth of her own daughter in 2000. Heather has now become a prominent political activist, pushing for women’s rights and environmental reasons.
Heather Thomas was born on September 8, 1957, in Greenwich, Connecticut. Her journey to fame began when she hosted NBC’s celebrity show, Talking with a Giant, as a teenager. She studied theater at UCLA and took on various TV roles before landing her breakthrough opportunity in the 1981 series The Fall Guy.
Her portrayal of Jody Banks, a stunt performer turned bounty hunter, catapulted Heather to stardom. She went on to appear in films like the sex comedy Zapped! and the sci-fi thriller Cyclone.
Heather tackled her addiction by enrolling in a drug rehabilitation program in 1984. She later told the press, “The doctors said I should have been dead three years ago.” During her rehabilitation, she met psychotherapist Allan Rosenthal and married him from August 1985 to September 1986.
Heather was injured in another automobile accident while crossing San Vicente Boulevard in September 1986. Despite the fact that the automobile was moving at a slow speed, the impact left her with shattered legs, head and chest problems, as well as scratches and bruises. Heather had a six-hour surgery that included plastic and orthopedic procedures as well as a skin transplant. Fortunately, her doctor, Dr. Steve Hoefflin, was optimistic about her chances of recovery.
During her hospitalization, Heather’s close friend Ted Deerhurst, a British-American viscount and surfer, stood by her side. Little did she know that Deerhurst harbored deep feelings for her, a secret he carried until his passing in 1997.
The car’s driver faced no fault, and Heather avoided charges for jaywalking, which was once strictly penalized in California. Notably, the state has since decriminalized jaywalking, reducing the potential fine from $250.
Following the accident, Heather Thomas chose to leave the entertainment profession. Her “rapidly rising career… was abruptly halted by the debilitating and disfiguring injuries she suffered,” according to a subsequent negligence complaint filed against the driver. These injuries had an emotional and physical impact on her, preventing her from engaging in most sports and physical activities.
However, it wasn’t simply her injuries that caused her to leave Hollywood in the 1980s. Heather suffered unwanted attention from a number of stalkers, causing her to file 45 restraining orders to protect herself and her family. In a 2009 interview, she blamed stalkers as the primary reason she left the industry, rather than her injuries, saying, “I was getting so stalked… One time, I had a person climb over the fence with a knife. “I had these two little girls who desperately needed to be raised, so that was that.”
Another frightening event occurred in 1992, when a man broke into her Los Angeles house after sending her a disturbing screenplay containing references to sadomasochism and perverted behavior.
Heather has been happily married to entertainment lawyer Harry Marcus ‘Skip’ Brittenham since 1992. They raised his two kids from a previous relationship together and had their own daughter, India Rose, in 2000. Heather also brought a pet parrot into the home.
Heather devoted her attention to writing throughout the 1990s, penning over 40 screenplays, but finding film deals proved difficult. Her writings frequently dealt with horror themes and had a strong societal message. In 2008, she published her first novel, “Trophies.”
Heather Thomas expanded her impact outside the entertainment industry by becoming involved in politics. She sponsored the L.A. Cafe, a monthly gathering at her home in the late 2000s where speakers discussed various liberal subjects. Her involvement has included women’s rights and environmental issues.
While she appeared in the 2014 web series Girltrash and its prequel, as well as a Fall Guy reunion in 2020 during the global pandemic, Heather Thomas has largely abandoned acting. “When I was young, I did what people told me to do, but when I was older, I didn’t compromise myself,” she says of her time as a sex symbol.
I desired power and liberty. This provided me with a home and the necessary notoriety to get entry. There is nothing wrong with allowing others to see your body. I do not believe I betrayed myself. “I don’t believe that being a feminist requires you to be ashamed of your body.”