Latest news with #HeatherThomas
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'The Fall Guy' star Heather Thomas says stalkers forced her out of Hollywood: 'I had tons of restraining orders'
There's a good reason why audiences didn't see much of Heather Thomas, star of The Fall Guy, after the show went off the air in the '80s. The actress, who costarred with Lee Majors on all five seasons of the ABC show that aired from 1981 to 1986, made fewer and fewer appearances in Hollywood before leaving altogether. "I actually did some work after The Fall Guy," Thomas said on a recent episode of Still Here Hollywood hosted by Steve Kmetko. "I did a lot of movies and then I was just getting so many stalkers and really, really bad. Really bad — at least two a week. I had tons of restraining orders." The action-comedy series told the story of a film stuntman who worked as a bounty hunter at night. It was the basis of the 2024 movie that starred Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, with Blunt portraying the character of Jody Moreno. Thomas made a cameo as her character from the series, Jody Banks, alongside Majors as Colt Seavers. "I had two little girls, and a guy's jumping our gate with a giant buck knife," she explained. "In those days — I don't know if this is true now — but people would fixate. You could be in a soap commercial, and they would fixate on you, and there weren't a lot of stalker laws. And I just needed to be home anyway. There was one year where I was home two months, and that's not gonna raise kids." Related: The Fall Guy turns the summer blockbuster into an earnest love letter to the movies As for the laws against stalking, the 1989 death of My Sister Sam actress Rebecca Schaeffer and the 1991 trial of the man who hunted her down and killed her at her apartment in West Hollywood, Calif., spurred anti-stalking laws that wouldn't have been in place yet during the time Thomas described."Mine was scary. Mine was really scary," Thomas said. "I remember someone sent me a box of bullets." She also recalled receiving funeral wreaths. She said she kept a bodyguard at her house because she didn't want to come home to darkness. "I know I had one guy, one night cut my screen in my bedroom and got in," Thomas said. "I shot him with rock salt and birdshot." Related: Jewel says she 'went gray overnight' after harrowing stalker experience, supports Chappell Roan's fan boundaries When asked, Thomas said she didn't know if the man had gone to jail. Now 67, Thomas said she stayed away "for a while." She's made three appearances since 1998, according to IMDb. Listen to the full interview below, with the conversation about stalkers beginning about 6:50. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Express Tribune
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Heather Thomas reveals stalking nightmare that made her quit Hollywood
Heather Thomas, best known for her role in The Fall Guy, has revealed that relentless harassment from stalkers led her to leave Hollywood. Speaking on the Still Here Hollywood podcast with Steve Kmetko, the actress shared details of the terrifying incidents that made her rethink her career. Thomas, who starred in The Fall Guy from 1981 to 1986, said that after the show ended, she was overwhelmed by the number of stalkers. "I was just getting so many stalkers. It got to the point where I was dealing with two stalkers a week," she stated. The situation escalated to dangerous levels, leading her to take drastic security measures. One particularly frightening incident saw an intruder cut through the screen of her bedroom window. "I had one guy one night cut my screen in my bedroom and got in, and I shot him," she recalled. She had loaded her firearm with rock salt, a non-lethal option, but the experience was traumatic. Alongside physical threats, Thomas received disturbing packages, including a box of bullets and funeral wreaths stolen from graves. To protect herself, she kept a bodyguard at home to avoid returning to a dark house alone. By the 1990s, Thomas decided to leave the industry entirely. She also reflected on the challenges women faced in Hollywood, particularly regarding sexualization and safety. While she remains proud of her career, her experience highlights the darker side of fame and the need for stronger protections for public figures.
Fox News
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
'80s star Heather Thomas left Hollywood after stalkers forced her out of the limelight
Heather Thomas experienced the dark side of Hollywood after her time on "The Fall Guy." Thomas revealed on the "Still Here Hollywood" podcast that after her time on the hit show, she was bombarded with scary situations involving stalkers. Thomas was on "The Fall Guy" from 1981 until the series concluded in 1986. She took on a few other roles after the show ended, such as "Red Blooded American Girl" and "Against The Law," but she decided to leave Hollywood behind in the '90s. "I was just getting so many stalkers," she said before explaining that it was "really bad." It got to the point where Thomas was dealing with two stalkers a week, she told podcast host Steve Kmetko. "I had one guy one night cut my screen in my bedroom and got in, and I shot him." "I had tons of restraining orders. I had two little girls, and a guy was jumping our gate with a giant buck knife. In those days, I don't know if this is true now, but people would fixate. You could be in a soap commercial, and they would fixate on you. There weren't a lot of stalker laws, and I just needed to be home anyway," Thomas said. She described her experience as being "scary" and even received some threatening items in the mail. "Someone sent me a box of bullets, and people would send me funeral wreaths they stole from a graveyard," the actress shared. Thomas continued, "I always had a bodyguard in the house because that's where I didn't want to come home to a dark house." She explained that things turned violent when a man attempted to break into her bedroom. "I had one guy one night cut my screen in my bedroom and got in, and I shot him," she said while clarifying that she had rock salt in her firearm. Thomas is still unsure if the intruder ever went to jail. Thomas said that she has not been open about her stalkers in the past because she did not want to be labeled as "the lady that was stalked." During the podcast episode, Thomas also discussed being sexualized in Hollywood. "I think there's a certain amount of disassociation," she said of the industry. "It was really my business. It would be like a woman who sold bathing suits. It was the way I sold things." Thomas said she was "happy" with her body because she "worked hard" for it. When Thomas made her debut in Hollywood, she was a student at UCLA and wanted to focus on writing and directing, but she quickly learned it was "rough" for women. She ultimately chose to be on-camera as opposed to being behind-the-scenes because of the paycheck. Thomas said she was "making so much money" that she chose the path of "least resistance."
BBC News
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Festival celebrates the hidden history of the Kite in Cambridge
Organisers of a three-day festival said they hoped the event would celebrate the hidden history of a city's neighbourhood. The Kite area of Cambridge was developed in the middle of the 19th Century and attracted "industrious" people, said historian Mike Levy. The Kite Festival, which will take place on Fitzroy Street in the city from Friday to Sunday, was founded in 2024 by Together Culture, which has gathered stories from more than 100 people who lived and worked in the area. Heather Thomas, the group's founder, said: "We thought it was the perfect time to explore what makes the Kite feel more down to earth than other parts of our city." Cambridge City Council said the Kite was named after the kite-shaped piece of land which lies between Emmanuel Road, Newmarket Road and East Road. Mr Levy said: "The people who lived [in the Kite] were and had to be very industrious, they were very free spirited, free minded. They weren't living in the [Cambridge University] college areas, they were outside of that."As outsiders they had a sense of do or die. They had to survive somehow... a majority of people who lived here from the mid-19th Century onwards were very entrepreneurial, very creative, very energetic, very dynamic." He added that the area was a bit like the "wild west". The festival is organised by Together Culture, Anglia Ruskin University and The Cambridge Room, and has been funded by the Heritage Cultures said it hoped the event will uncover untold stories by those that lived in the area, and attendees would discover the history of resilience and creativity in the neighbourhood. Organisers said the festival will include immersive experiences, live performances, and conversations which "will bring the past to life". Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
