Betty Thomas: Biography

Blonde, statuesque (6'1") comic actress Betty Thomas graduated from Ohio University with a fine arts degree. Betty taught in the Chicago public school system, where she ran afoul of the Establishment over her frankly articulated opinions on social and sexual issues. She found a more agreeable outlet for her outspokenness as an improvisational comedienne with the Second City troupe. She went to appear in such blackout-oriented films as Tunnel Vision (1975) and Chesty Anderson USN (1976), and as a regular on the 1976 TV series Fun Factory, a combination quiz show/audience participation/sketch-comedy outing. Thomas achieved stardom in the role of no-nonsense police officer Lucille Bates on TV's Hill Street Blues (1981-87), winning a 1985 Emmy for her work on the series. Never one to shy away from any personal or professional risk, she plunged into TV directing in the late 1980s, helming such films as Only You (1991) and such made-for-TV flicks as My Breast (1994). In 1993, Thomas won her second Emmy, this time for her direction on the cable sitcom Dream On. As of this writing, Betty Thomas' biggest directorial success has been the 1995 box office bonanza The Brady Bunch Movie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide