At 68: You Won’t Recognize 'The Fall Guy' Star Heather Thomas Today

At just 14 years old, Heather Thomas made her first television appearance in 1971 on the NBC show 'Talking with a Giant,' where she interviewed celebrities. The daughter of a special education teacher from Santa Monica had no idea at the time that she would later become the idol of an entire generation of television viewers. That early appearance marked the beginning of a career that would span decades, marked by both highs and crises.

In 1979, she appeared in the sitcom 'Co-Ed Fever,' which was originally intended to run for six episodes. The series was canceled after the first episode aired. The setback did not deter her; during that same period, she continued to gain experience in smaller television roles.

A year later, she made a guest appearance on the adventure series 'B.J. and the Bear,' which brought her further attention in Hollywood. Such supporting roles served as a springboard for the big breakthrough that was soon to follow. At that point, Thomas was still one of many young actresses searching for that one defining role.

From 1981 to 1986, she starred alongside Lee Majors as stuntwoman Jody Banks in the hit series 'The A-Team,' which ran for 112 episodes. The role made her the ultimate dream woman of the early 1980s and brought her worldwide fame. However, that fame also came with its downsides, which she soon had to contend with.

At the urging of her mother, Gladdy Lou Ryder, and her co-star Lee Majors, Thomas began drug treatment for her cocaine addiction in 1984. She joined the self-help group Cocaine Anonymous, which operates on the model of Alcoholics Anonymous. This step marked a turning point; in the midst of the show’s success, she had to get her life back on track.

But the next setback came soon after: In 1986, while crossing San Vicente Boulevard in Los Angeles, Heather Thomas was struck by a car and suffered fractures in both legs. Several surgeries and a lengthy hospital stay followed before she was able to return to the camera. That same year also marked the end of her brief marriage to Alan Rosenthal, whom she had married just one year earlier.

Despite her health setbacks, she enjoyed several successes in 1987: She received a nomination for a Canadian Gemini Award for her role in the TV movie 'Ford: The Man and the Machine.' That same year, she took on the role of Marilyn Monroe in the TV movie 'Hoover vs. the Kennedys: The Second Civil War.' This dual role demonstrated just how versatile she had become after 'The Fall Guy' ended.

In October 1992, Heather Thomas married media attorney Harry M. Brittenham, with whom she had a daughter in June 2000. From then on, the couple worked together to support liberal political candidates and, starting in 2003, hosted a monthly fundraising breakfast known as “The L.A. Cafe” at their home in Santa Monica.

After nearly three decades in front of the camera, Heather Thomas ended her acting career in 1998 and turned to writing. She wrote nearly 40 screenplays in the years that followed, before Touchstone Pictures acquired her script 'School Slut' for a six-figure sum. In 2008, her first novel, 'Trophies,' was published by HarperCollins.

After her return to the screen in 2014 in 'Girltrash: All Night Long,' Thomas made a double comeback in 2024, with a leading role in the film “The Ghost Trap” and a cameo appearance in 'The Fall Guy,¡ the remake of her former hit series. Today, in 2026, the once-celebrated “dream girl” of the 1980s is 68 years old and barely recognizable. From a young TV star to a seasoned author and activist, Heather Thomas has reinvented herself time and again over the decades.