Heather Thomas, who turned sixty-six on September eighth, was once expected to have a flourishing career in Hollywood. Best known for her role alongside Lee Majors in The Fall Guy, she captivated audiences with her talent and beauty. However, her life took an unexpected turn that would reshape both her career and personal journey.
During the filming of the show’s finale, Thomas was suddenly called away under the impression that her father had a medical emergency. Rushing to the hospital, she was met by family and friends who revealed that her father was fine—it was her well-being they were concerned about. That moment marked the beginning of a difficult but transformative chapter in her life.
With natural beauty and charisma comparable to stars like Farrah Fawcett and Heather Locklear, Thomas had pursued a career in entertainment from a young age. At just fourteen, she hosted Talking with a Giant on NBC, where she and a group of teens interviewed celebrities. Later, she studied theater and film at UCLA, determined to build a career in acting, directing, and writing. Before graduating, she landed a role in Co-Ed Fever and soon after secured her breakout role as Jody Banks in The Fall Guy.
While she enjoyed success, fame came with its own challenges. She became widely recognized as a sex symbol, a label she had mixed feelings about. While many admired her for it, she found it limiting and often condescending. Unfortunately, as her career took off, so did her struggles with substance abuse.
Her issues with drugs began as early as sixth grade, using substances to maintain high academic performance. By the time she attended UCLA, her habits escalated to cocaine use. The pressure of maintaining a certain image in Hollywood only worsened her dependency. To keep up with the industry’s demands, she used Lasix, a diuretic that left her exhausted, prompting her to take more cocaine for energy. Though she claimed never to use on set, those around her noticed the toll it was taking. She lost weight drastically, at times falling into near comatose states between takes.
Lee Majors, concerned for her health, took action after she fainted in front of him. Her mother, Gladdy Ryder, arrived on set under the guise of a family emergency, leading Thomas to rush to the hospital. Instead of a crisis with her father, she found herself surrounded by loved ones prepared to check her into a rehab program.
Thomas later described her admission to detox as a relief. When doctors examined her, they found pneumonia, lung scarring, and swollen kidneys—she was in far worse condition than she had realized. She admitted that had her family not stepped in, she might have lost her job or even her life. Determined to recover, she surrounded herself with people who supported her sobriety, including Allan Rosenthal, co-founder of Cocaine Anonymous, whom she later married. Their marriage, however, ended in divorce in 1986.
That same year, another setback struck. While crossing a street, she was hit by a car, leaving both of her legs severely injured. Recovery was a long and painful process, but she eventually returned to acting, though primarily in smaller roles. She appeared in films such as Cyclone and Red Blooded American Girl, but her career never fully returned to its previous heights.
In the 1990s, Thomas chose a different path. She married entertainment attorney Skip Brittenham and focused on family life. In 2000, she gave birth to her daughter, India Rose, and also became a stepmother to his two daughters. She eventually stepped away from acting altogether, citing persistent privacy invasions by stalkers as a major reason.
Over the years, she turned her focus to writing and activism, serving on the boards of organizations such as the Amazon Conservation Team and the Rape Foundation. She has also been vocal about her views on feminism, rejecting the idea that being a feminist means rejecting femininity or beauty. She believes that empowerment comes from choice, and while she once played into Hollywood’s expectations, she has since forged her own path on her own terms.
Though she never returned to the entertainment industry in the same capacity, her journey has been one of resilience and transformation. From her days as Jody Banks in The Fall Guy to her new role as a writer and activist, she has navigated life’s challenges with determination. Her story is a testament to the power of support, self-reflection, and the ability to redefine one’s purpose beyond the glitz of Hollywood.