Early life

Thomas was born on November 21, 1937 in Detroit, Michigan, the eldest child of comedian Danny Thomas (1912-1991) and his wife, the former Rose Marie Cassaniti (1914-2000). She has a sister, Terre, and her brother, Tony Thomas, is a television and film producer. Her father was Maronite Lebanese American and her mother was Sicilian American.

Marlo Thomas was raised in Beverly Hills, California. Her parents called her Margo as a child, though she soon became known as Marlo, she told The New York Times, because of her childhood mispronunciation of the nickname. She attended Marymount High School in Los Angeles. Thomas graduated from the University of Southern California with a teaching degree: "I wanted a piece of paper that said I was qualified to do something in the world," she said. She also was a member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta.

Career

Early career

Thomas appeared in many early TV shows including Bonanza, McHale's Navy, Ben Casey, Arrest and Trial, The Joey Bishop Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, 77 Sunset Strip, and The Donna Reed Show, among others. Her big break came in 1965 when she was cast by Mike Nichols in the London production of Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park, co-starring Daniel Massey, Kurt Kasner and Mildred Natwick. In 1986 she was once again cast by Nichols on Broadway in Andrew Bergman’s Social Security, co-starring Ron Silver and Olympia Dukakis.

That Girl

Thomas starred in an ABC pilot called Two's Company in 1965. Although it did not sell, it caught the attention of an ABC programming executive. He met with Thomas, and expressed interest in casting her in her own series. With their encouragement, Thomas came up with her own idea for a show about a young woman who leaves home, moves to New York and struggles to become an actress. The network was initially hesitant, fearing audiences would find a series centering on a single female uninteresting or unrealistic. Thomas, however, ensured the show's success and it was put into production.

The concept eventually evolved into the sitcom entitled That Girl, in which Thomas played Ann Marie, a beautiful, up-and-coming actress with a writer boyfriend, played by Ted Bessell. The series told the daily struggles of Ann holding different temporary jobs while pursuing her dream of a career on Broadway. The series was the first television show to focus on a working, single girl who did not live with her parents, and paved the way for many shows to come. Thomas was only the second woman, following Lucille Ball, to produce her own series. That Girl aired from 1966 to 1971, producing 136 episodes, and was a solid performer in the Nielsen ratings.

In 1971 Thomas chose to end the series after five years. Both ABC and the show's sponsor, Clairol, wanted the series finale to be a wedding between the two central characters. But Thomas rebuffed them, saying that she felt it was the wrong message to send to her female audience, because it would give the impression that the only happy ending is a marriage. That Girl has since become popular in syndication.

Later career

After That Girl, eager to expand her horizons, Thomas attended the Actors Studio, where she studied with Lee Strasberg until his death in 1982, and subsequently with Strasberg's disciple Sandra Seacat. When she won her Best Dramatic Actress Emmy in 1986 for the TV-movie Nobody’s Child, she thanked both individuals.

In 1972 she released a children's book, Free to Be... You and Me, which was inspired by her young niece Dionne Gordon. She went on to create multiple recordings and television specials of and related to that title: Free to Be... You and Me (1972, 1974) and Free to Be... A Family (1987), with Christopher Cerf. Also in 1972, she served as a California delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida.

In 1973 Thomas joined Gloria Steinem, Patricia Carbine, and Letty Cottin Pogrebin as the founders of the Ms. Foundation for Women, the first women’s fund in the U.S. The organization was created to deliver funding and other resources to organizations that were presenting liberal women’s voices in communities nationwide.

In 1976 Thomas made a guest appearance on the NBC situation comedy The Practice as a stubborn patient of her father Danny Thomas's character Dr. Jules Bedford, and the chemistry of father and daughter acting together made for touching hospital-room scenes.

Adept at drama as well as comedy, Thomas appeared in films such as Jenny (1970), Thieves (1977), In The Spirit (1990), Falling Down (1993), The Real Blonde (1997), Starstruck (1998), Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999), Playing Mona Lisa (2000), LOL (2012) with Demi Moore and Miley Cyrus, and Cardboard Boxer (2014). She also starred in television movies including It Happened One Christmas (1977) (a remake of It's a Wonderful Life), The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck (1984), Consenting Adult (1985), Nobody's Child (1986), Held Hostage: The Sis and Jerry Levin Story (1991), Reunion (1994), Deceit (2004) and Ultimate Betrayal (1994).

Thomas's Broadway theatre credits include Thieves (1974), Social Security (1986) and The Shadow Box (1994), and in 2011 she starred as Doreen in Elaine May's comedy George Is Dead, in an evening of three one-act plays entitled Relatively Speaking. The other two plays were written by Woody Allen and Ethan Coen.

Off-Broadway, Thomas has appeared in The Guys and The Exonerated (in which she also appeared in Chicago and Boston, co-starring with Brian Dennehy). Regional Theatre productions include: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at the Hartford Stage; Woman In Mind at the Berkshire Theatre Festival; Paper Doll, with F. Murray Abraham at the Pittsburgh Public Theatre; and The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds at the Cleveland Playhouse. In 1993 she toured in the National Company of Six Degrees of Separation. In the spring of 2008 she starred in Arthur Laurents's last play, New Year's Eve with Keith Carradine, at the George Street Playhouse. She appeared opposite Greg Mullavey in the 2015 New York debut of Joe DiPietro's play Clever Little Lies at the Westside Theatre.

Thomas has published six best-selling books: Free To Be ..You and Me, Free To Be A Family, The Right Words at the Right Time, The Right Words at the Right Time, Volume 2: Your Turn, Thanks & Giving All Year Long, and in 2009 her memoir, Growing Up Laughing.

Thomas also is active with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where she serves as the national outreach director. She donated all royalties from her 2004 book and CD, Thanks & Giving: All Year Long (also produced with Cerf), to the hospital, which was started by her late father, Danny Thomas.

In recent years Thomas has made guest appearances on Ally McBeal, Friends (as Rachel's mother, Sandra Green), as well as on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (she played Judge Mary Conway Clark, a mentor of ADA Casey Novak).

She currently narrates the series Happily Never After on Investigation Discovery.

In 2010 Thomas created MarloThomas.com, a website for women aged 35+ on AOL and the Huffington Post.

Honors

Thomas is the recipient of four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, a Jefferson Award and the George Foster Peabody Award.

In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Thomas's name and picture.

In 1996, she was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award in recognition of her excellence and innovation in her creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television. President Barack Obama awarded her the 2014 Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In 2014, the Marlo Thomas Center for Global Education and Collaboration was opened as part of St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

Personal life

Thomas's godmother was actress Loretta Young. After her relationship with playwright Herb Gardner and a relationship with David Geffen, Thomas married talk show host Phil Donahue on May 21, 1980. She has five stepchildren as a result of that marriage.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1970	Jenny	Jenny	Nominated - Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actress
1977	Thieves	Sally Cramer
1990	In the Spirit	Reva Prosky
1993	Falling Down	KTLA Reporter
1997	Real Blonde, TheThe Real Blonde	Blair
1998	Starstruck	Linda Phaeffle
1999	Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo	Margaret	uncredited
2000	Playing Mona Lisa	Shelia Goldstein
2012	LOL	Gran

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1960	Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, TheThe Many Loves of Dobie Gillis	Frank's Girlfriend	Episode: "The Hunger Strike"
1960	77 Sunset Strip	Amina	Episode: "The Fanatics"
1961	Zane Grey Theater	Laurie Dubro	Episode: "Honor Bright"
1961	Thriller	Susan Baker	Episode: "The Ordeal of Dr. Cordell"
1961-1962	Joey Bishop Show, TheThe Joey Bishop Show	Stella	10 episodes
1962	Insight	Jeanne Brown	Episode: "The Sophomore"
1964	Arrest and Trial	Angela Tucci	Episode: "Tigers Are for Jungles"
1964	Bonanza	Tai Lee	Episode: "A Pink Cloud Comes from Old Cathay"
1964	My Favorite Martian	Paula Clayfield	Episode: "Miss Jekyll and Hyde"
1964	Wendy and Me	Carol	Episode: "Wendy's Anniversary for --?"
1964	McHale's Navy	Cynthia Prentice	Episode: "The Missing Link"
1965	What's My Line?	Herself	Panelist
1965	Donna Reed Show, TheThe Donna Reed Show	Louise Bissell	Episode: "Guests, Guests, Who Needs Guests?"
1965	Two's Company	Caroline Sommers	Unsold pilot
1965	Ben Casey	Claire Schaeffer	Episode: "Three Li'l Lambs"
1966-1971	That Girl	Ann Marie	137 episodes Golden Globe Award for Best Actress on Television (1967) TV Land Award for Favorite Fashion Plate - Female (2004) Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (1967-1971) Nominated - TV Land Award for Hippest Fashion Plate - Female (2003)
1967	Cricket on the Hearth	Bertha (voice)	TV movie
1973	ABC Saturday Superstar Movie, TheThe ABC Saturday Superstar Movie	Anne Marie (voice)	Episode: "That Girl in Wonderland"
1973	Acts of Love and Other Comedies	Various	TV movie
1976	Practice, TheThe Practice	Judy Sinclair	Episode: "Judy Sinclair"
1977	It Happened One Christmas	Mary Bailey Hatch	TV movie
1984	Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck, TheThe Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck	Kathryn Beck	TV movie
1985	Consenting Adult	Tess Lynd	TV movie Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film
1986	Nobody's Child	Marie Balter	TV movie Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film
1991	Held Hostage: The Sis and Jerry Levin Story	Lucille 'Sis' Levin	TV movie
1994	Ultimate Betrayal	Adult Sharon Rodgers	TV movie
1994	Reunion	Jessie Yates	TV movie
1996	Roseanne	Tina Beige	Episode: "Satan, Darling"
1996, 2002	Friends	Sandra Green	Episode: "The One with the Lesbian Wedding" Episode: "The One with the Two Parties" Episode: "The One with the Baby Shower" Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (1996)
1999	Frasier	Sophie (voice)	3 episodes
2000	Ally McBeal	Lynnie Bishop	Episode: "Tis the Season" Episode: "Love on Holiday"
2002	Two Against Time	Julie Portman	TV movie
2004	Deceit	Ellen McCarthy	TV movie
2004	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Judge Mary Clark	4 episodes
2007	Ugly Betty	Sandra Winthrop	Episode: "Something Wicked This Way Comes"
2012	The New Normal	Nancy Niles	Episode: "Baby Proofing"
2015	Ballers		Episode: "Ends"

[ Source: Wikipedia ]