Heather Thomas, known for her role alongside Lee Majors in *The Fall Guy*, turned 66 on September 8. She was on track for a very successful Hollywood career.
However, after the show’s finale, her mother appeared on set, and Thomas rushed to the hospital, thinking her father had an emergency. But when she arrived at the Santa Monica hospital, her family and friends told her that her father, Leon, was fine—it was her they were worried about.
This marked the start of a new chapter in the 28-year-old’s life, which would change both her personal life and career.
Read on to find out what happened to the famous 1980s pinup girl!
Heather Thomas had talent and natural beauty that compared to stars like Farrah Fawcett and Heather Locklear. She was born to be in the spotlight.
At just 14, she hosted an NBC show called *Talking with a Giant*, where she and other teens interviewed celebrities.
Wanting more, Thomas studied film and theater at UCLA, aiming to be an actor, director, and writer. Before she graduated, she appeared in a short-lived comedy series called *Co-Ed Fever* in 1979.
In 1980, Thomas, who was born in Connecticut, landed her first major role in *The Fall Guy*. She played Jody Banks, a stuntwoman and bounty hunter, alongside Lee Majors, who was famous for his role in *The Six Million Dollar Man*.
Her role made her popular, especially among male viewers, who saw her as a sex symbol. Thomas had mixed feelings about this label.
“There’s a kind of condescension that comes with it,” she told *People*. “You fit the stereotype of the blonde bimbo. But at the time, I was just having fun.”
Unfortunately, Thomas’s fun also involved drugs, a habit that began before her role as Jody Banks.
She revealed that her drug use started in sixth grade to help keep her grades up. “I was taking acid and getting straight A’s. I thought it was mind-expanding,” Thomas said.
As Heather Thomas grew older, the drugs she used also changed.
While studying at UCLA, Thomas started using cocaine. By 1981, just one year into her role on *The Fall Guy*, her drug problems got worse.
Feeling pressure to live up to her image as a sex symbol, the 5-foot-7 actress became obsessed with her weight. She began taking Lasix, a diuretic that can cause extreme tiredness.
To fight the tiredness, she used more cocaine to stay energized.
“At first, I loved the drug. I felt like I was getting a lot out of it. It kept me awake all night, and I could still work the next day,” she said, but claimed she never used it on set. “Cocaine isn’t accepted on sets. It’s no longer cool. It’s just a personal nightmare.”
However, a source close to Thomas 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 began falling asleep between scenes. She admitted, “Sometimes, I was in a mini coma.”
One day, she passed out in front of her co-star, Lee Majors. He contacted her manager, who then called her mother.
After the final episode of *The Fall Guy* was filmed, Thomas’s mother, Gladdy Ryder, showed up on set and told her that her father was in the hospital.
Thomas rushed to St. John’s Hospital, but when she arrived, she was met by her family and friends. They were there to admit her into a three-week drug rehabilitation program.
“That day was a big relief for me,” Thomas said. When she checked into detox, she had pneumonia, scarred lungs, and inflamed kidneys. “I’d 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 also said, “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. That’s when she met Allan Rosenthal, co-founder of Cocaine Anonymous, and married him when she was 28. They divorced in September 1986.
That same month, Thomas was hit by a car while crossing the street, leaving her with serious injuries to both legs.
After detox, divorce, and surgery to repair major damage in one of her legs, Heather Thomas returned to acting with smaller roles in TV series. She also appeared in movies like *Cyclone* in 1987 and the 1990 Canadian film *Red Blooded American Girl* with Christopher Plummer.
With her struggles behind her, Thomas started fresh in the 1990s. While working to revive her career, she married entertainment lawyer Skip Brittenham in 1992. She became a stepmother to his two daughters, Kristina and Shauna, and gave birth to her only biological child, daughter India Rose, in June 2000.
Talking about her decision to step away from acting, Thomas said, “I had about 45 restraining orders, and I was on everything from a toilet seat cover to an ashtray. Then I fell in love, had two little girls, and decided to give up acting to write for a while.”
In 2017, Thomas made a brief comeback in the movie *Girltrash: All Night Long*, one of her 26 acting credits.
However, Thomas has focused mostly on writing. She said it wasn’t a lack of roles that drove her away from acting but the constant threat of stalkers invading her privacy. “One guy climbed over the fence with a knife. I had two little girls who needed raising, so that was that. Now, I think I’m old enough that people won’t bother me as much.”
Today, Thomas is also involved in activism. She has served on the boards of the Rape Foundation and the Amazon Conservation Team.
Identifying as a feminist, which some find surprising for a former sex symbol, Thomas explained how she embraced both roles.
“When I was younger, I did what people told me. But as I got older, I didn’t compromise myself. I wanted power and freedom, and my career gave me that. I don’t think being a feminist means you should be ashamed of your body,” she said.
It’s unfortunate that Heather Thomas wasn’t able to fully revive her acting career, but we’re glad she got the help she needed and is now on a lifelong journey of recovery.
The 1980s had so many great shows, 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 about Heather Thomas and her journey to recovery!
Archaeologists Believe They Have Found Noah’s Ark
One of the longest-standing questions in biblical archaeology is the whereabouts of Noah’s Ark’s remnants. A massive wooden vessel known as Noah’s Ark, according to the Bible, protected Noah, his family, and pairs of every animal species from a devastating deluge that inundated the Earth approximately 5,000 years ago. Even while this myth has long been central to many theological ideologies, it has been difficult to use scientific evidence to support its historicity. Archaeologists believe they are now one step closer to confirming the resting place of Noah’s Ark, but recent discoveries have given new life to this ancient search.
This archaeological study has its core in Turkey, more precisely in the Doğubayazıt area of Ağrı, where a mysterious geological structure that resembles a boat-shaped mound has been studied since 1956. This location is consistent with the biblical story that the Ark landed on the “mountains of Ararat” in Turkey after a 150-day flood wiped out all life on Earth. With its impressive 16,500 feet of elevation, the mountain itself is shaped like an ark.
A group of specialists from Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ), Andrew University, and Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University (AİÇÜ) headed the expedition, which started in 2021 and is still going strong. The main objective of the research is to examine soil and rock samples taken from the location in an effort to find solid proof that could support the presence of Noah’s Ark.
The team took thirty samples of rock and soil fragments from the location in December 2022, and the samples were examined at the ITU laboratory. Researchers are really excited by the preliminary findings. The samples included residues of seafood along with clayey and marine elements. The findings, researchers say, clearly point to human activity at the boat-shaped mound between 3000 and 5500 BC.
Because it closely corresponds with the biblical timeline of the Great Flood, which occurred approximately 5,000 years ago, dating human activity to this era is extremely significant. To be sure that Noah’s Ark is present at this location, further thorough investigation and study are nevertheless required, according to the researchers, who are nevertheless wary.
In response to the results, AİÇÜ Vice Rector Professor Faruk Kaya said, “The initial results of the investigations indicate that human activity has been in the area since the Chalcolithic era, which occurred between 5500 and 3000 BC. We know that Prophet Noah’s flood occurred 5,000 years ago. It is also said that there was life in this area when it comes to dating. The outcomes of the lab tests demonstrated this. With the dating, it is impossible to claim that the ship is here. To make this clear, we must work for a very long time.
Although these results are fascinating, it’s important to remember that they don’t offer solid proof of Noah’s Ark’s presence. Recognizing that there is skepticism surrounding this quest, the experts on the expedition are dedicated to carrying out rigorous and exhaustive scientific examinations in order to completely validate their findings.
The geological past of Mount Ararat is one area of disagreement in the discussion of the Ark’s location. Young Earth creationist Dr. Andrew Snelling, who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Sydney, has contended that Mount Ararat cannot be the location of the Ark because the mountain formed after the floodwaters subsided. The complexity of the Noah’s Ark story and the variety of viewpoints that surround it are shown by this divergence in interpretation.
Finding Noah’s Ark is still a difficult and controversial task in the field of biblical archaeology. Some view the story skeptically, focusing on the symbolic and metaphorical elements found in religious scriptures, while others continue to ponder the alluring prospect of finding one of history’s most famous boats.
The search to verify the presence of Noah’s Ark is evidence of humanity’s never-ending curiosity with solving the secrets of our history, regardless of the conclusion of this continuous archaeological inquiry. It serves as a reminder that, despite obstacles posed by science, the quest for knowledge and comprehension is nonetheless fundamental to the human experience.
In conclusion, we are getting closer to maybe verifying the presence of Noah’s Ark thanks to the archeological dig in Turkey. By analyzing soil and rock samples, scientists have found evidence of human habitation from a time closely linked to the biblical story of the Great Flood. To be clear, more research is required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Noah’s Ark was present at this location. Nevertheless, it is imperative to embrace these discoveries with cautious hope. No matter what happens, this search is a prime example of how humans have always been fascinated by solving old mysteries and examining the nexus between faith, history, and science.
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