Heather Thomas, known for her role in "The Fall Guy," says she faced a terrifying Hollywood ordeal after the show ended. The star opened up about her experiences with stalkers on the "Still Here Hollywood" podcast, hosted by Steve Kmetko, via the New York Post.
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Thomas starred on "The Fall Guy" from 1981 to 1986. After the series wrapped, she took roles in films like "Red Blooded American Girl" and "Against The Law." However, she left acting in the 1990s. "I was just getting so many stalkers," she told Kmetko. The situation escalated to "really bad" levels, with two stalkers confronting her weekly.
"I had tons of restraining orders," Thomas said. She recounted a chilling incident involving her two young daughters. "A guy was jumping our gate with a giant buck knife," she revealed. Stalker laws were scarce then, she noted. "People would fixate. You could be in a soap commercial, and they'd latch onto you." The threats grew bizarre and menacing. "Someone sent me a box of bullets," she said. "People would send funeral wreaths stolen from graveyards."
The constant danger forced Thomas to take drastic measures. "I always had a bodyguard in the house," she explained. "I didn't want to come home to a dark house." Violence struck one night when an intruder cut her bedroom screen. "I shot him," she admitted, clarifying she used rock salt in her firearm. She remains unsure if the man faced jail time.
Star in the Making
Thomas kept quiet about these incidents for years. "I didn't want to be labeled as 'the lady that was stalked,'" she said. The actress also touched on Hollywood's sexualization. "There's a certain amount of disassociation," she remarked. "It was my business—like a woman selling bathing suits." She embraced her body, saying, "I worked hard for it."
Entering Hollywood as a UCLA student, Thomas aimed to write and direct. She quickly found it "rough" for women behind the scenes. On-camera work paid better. "I was making so much money," she said, choosing the "path of least resistance."
Her stalker nightmare peaked with life-threatening encounters. "It was scary," she stressed, recalling the mailed threats and break-ins. Thomas's exit from Hollywood marked the end of a harrowing chapter. She prioritized safety and family over fame, leaving behind a career shadowed by obsession and danger. Her story sheds light on the dark side of stardom in an era with few protections.
