Henry Thomas
Encyclopedia
Henry Jackson Thomas, Jr. (born September 9, 1971) is an American
actor
and musician
. He has appeared in more than 40 films and is best known for his role as Elliott in the 1982 Steven Spielberg
film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
.
, the son of Carolyn L. (née
Davis), a homemaker, and Henry Jackson Thomas, a hydraulic machinist. In San Antonio he attended East Central High School, in the ECISD
district, and Blinn College
in Bryan, Texas
.
console by Mattel
, alongside George Plimpton
, whom he always referred to as "Mr. Intellivision". In all these commercials, Plimpton always asked what Thomas's name is, but is never mentioned. According to Intellivision Products, Inc., Atari
threatened to sue Mattel if Thomas was identified in the commercials, since Atari was securing the rights for the Atari 2600
E.T. video game at the time.
After E.T., Thomas returned to Texas, occasionally acting in film and on TV while attending school.
Thomas returned to film in the late 1980s and early 1990s and began to prove himself in adult roles, most notably as the younger version of Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates character in Psycho IV: The Beginning
. His most prominent adult role to date was as Samuel Ludlow in 1994's Legends of the Fall
. He is currently both an actor and musician. He will be featured in the film The Last Ride, where he has the lead role of Hank Williams Sr. The film is currently in production.
band The Blue Heelers from the mid to late '90s. Although the band was never signed to a record label, their self-produced album Twister was warmly received and enjoyed statewide radio play. Moving to Los Angeles
in 1998, the band dissolved, but Thomas continued to write and record songs. In 1998, his song "Truckstop Coffee" (recorded with the Blue Heelers) appeared on V2's soundtrack to the film Niagara, Niagara
in which Henry Thomas also acted. In 2003, Thomas worked with Nikki Sudden
on the music for Mika Kaurismaki
's film Honey Baby which featured four original songs written and performed by Thomas as the fictitious musician Tom Brackett. An album was in the works, but their collaboration was ended by Sudden's death in 2006. Thomas continues to live and play in the LA area with the band Farspeaker.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. He has appeared in more than 40 films and is best known for his role as Elliott in the 1982 Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
.
Early life
Thomas was born an only child in San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, the son of Carolyn L. (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Davis), a homemaker, and Henry Jackson Thomas, a hydraulic machinist. In San Antonio he attended East Central High School, in the ECISD
East Central Independent School District
East Central Independent School District is a public school district located in the eastern central portion of Bexar County, Texas . The district includes parts of San Antonio and China Grove....
district, and Blinn College
Blinn College
Blinn College is a two-year academic institution based in Brenham, Texas with campuses in Brenham, Bryan, Schulenburg, and Sealy. While the Brenham campus is Blinn's main campus, more than 70% of students attend the Bryan campus....
in Bryan, Texas
Bryan, Texas
Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...
.
Acting career
Shortly after his appearance in E.T., Thomas also made some appearances in commercials for the IntellivisionIntellivision
The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television"...
console by Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
, alongside George Plimpton
George Plimpton
George Ames Plimpton was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found The Paris Review.-Early life:...
, whom he always referred to as "Mr. Intellivision". In all these commercials, Plimpton always asked what Thomas's name is, but is never mentioned. According to Intellivision Products, Inc., Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
threatened to sue Mattel if Thomas was identified in the commercials, since Atari was securing the rights for the Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
E.T. video game at the time.
After E.T., Thomas returned to Texas, occasionally acting in film and on TV while attending school.
Thomas returned to film in the late 1980s and early 1990s and began to prove himself in adult roles, most notably as the younger version of Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates character in Psycho IV: The Beginning
Psycho IV: The Beginning
Psycho IV: The Beginning is a 1990 made-for-cable-television horror film that serves as both the third sequel and a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho, as it includes both events after Psycho III while focusing on flashbacks of events that took place prior to the original film...
. His most prominent adult role to date was as Samuel Ludlow in 1994's Legends of the Fall
Legends of the Fall
Legends of the Fall is a 1994 epic drama film based on the 1979 novella of the same title by Jim Harrison. It was directed by Edward Zwick and stars Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins and Aidan Quinn. The film was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction , and Best...
. He is currently both an actor and musician. He will be featured in the film The Last Ride, where he has the lead role of Hank Williams Sr. The film is currently in production.
Music
Thomas wrote songs, sang, and played guitar for the San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
band The Blue Heelers from the mid to late '90s. Although the band was never signed to a record label, their self-produced album Twister was warmly received and enjoyed statewide radio play. Moving to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1998, the band dissolved, but Thomas continued to write and record songs. In 1998, his song "Truckstop Coffee" (recorded with the Blue Heelers) appeared on V2's soundtrack to the film Niagara, Niagara
Niagara, Niagara
Niagara, Niagara is a 1997 film directed by Bob Gosse, and starring Henry Thomas , Robin Tunney as well as Michael Parks , John Ventimiglia and Stephen Lang ....
in which Henry Thomas also acted. In 2003, Thomas worked with Nikki Sudden
Nikki Sudden
Nikki Sudden was a prolific English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He co-founded the post-punk band Swell Maps with his brother Epic Soundtracks while attending Solihull School in Solihull.-Career:...
on the music for Mika Kaurismaki
Mika Kaurismäki
Mika Juhani Kaurismäki is a Finnish film director.He is the elder brother of Aki Kaurismäki, and the father of Maria Kaurismäki who graduated from Tampere School of Art and Media in 2008 with her movie Sideline.Mika Kaurismäki has lived in Brazil since approximately 1992 and has made several...
's film Honey Baby which featured four original songs written and performed by Thomas as the fictitious musician Tom Brackett. An album was in the works, but their collaboration was ended by Sudden's death in 2006. Thomas continues to live and play in the LA area with the band Farspeaker.
Awards and honors
- VH1VH1VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's "100 Greatest Kid Stars" - 2005, ranked #4, E!E!E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
's "50 Cutest Child Stars All Grown-up"
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Film | |||
| 1981 | Raggedy Man Raggedy Man Raggedy Man is a 1981 film starring Sam Shepard and Sissy Spacek. Itwas filmed in Lockhart, Texas. The story is about people in the small Texas town of Gregory during World War II.... |
Harry, Jr. | |
| 1982 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote... |
Elliott | |
| 1984 | Misunderstood Misunderstood (1984 film) Misunderstood is a 1984 film directed by Jerry Schatzberg, based on the 19th-century novel by Florence Montgomery.... |
Andrew | |
| 1984 | Cloak & Dagger | Davey Osborne | |
| 1986 | Frog Dreaming Frog Dreaming Frog Dreaming is a 1986 Australian film starring Henry Thomas.In the United States the film was named 'The Quest'. In the United Kingdom it was named 'The Go-Kids'.... (aka The Quest) |
Cody | |
| 1988 | Murder One | Billy Isaacs | |
| 1989 | Valmont Valmont (film) Valmont is a 1989 drama film directed by Miloš Forman, based on the French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos. It was adapted for the screen with a screenplay by Jean-Claude Carrière... |
Raphael Danceny | |
| 1990 | Psycho IV: The Beginning Psycho IV: The Beginning Psycho IV: The Beginning is a 1990 made-for-cable-television horror film that serves as both the third sequel and a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho, as it includes both events after Psycho III while focusing on flashbacks of events that took place prior to the original film... |
Young Norman Bates | |
| 1993 | Fire in the Sky Fire in the Sky Fire in the Sky is a 1993 film based on an alleged extraterrestrial encounter, directed by Robert Lieberman, and written by Tracy Tormé based on Travis Walton's book The Walton Experience. The film stars Robert Patrick in the leading role as Walton's best friend and future brother-in-law, Mike... |
Greg Hayes | |
| 1994 | Curse of the Starving Class Curse of the Starving Class Curse of the Starving Class is a play by Sam Shepard which, along with Buried Child, A Lie of the Mind and True West, comprises the playwright's family tragedies.-Production history:... |
Wesley Tate | |
| 1994 | Legends of the Fall Legends of the Fall Legends of the Fall is a 1994 epic drama film based on the 1979 novella of the same title by Jim Harrison. It was directed by Edward Zwick and stars Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins and Aidan Quinn. The film was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction , and Best... |
Samuel Ludlow | |
| 1996 | Bombshell | Buck Hogan | |
| 1997 | Hijacking Hollywood | Kevin | |
| 1997 | Niagara, Niagara Niagara, Niagara Niagara, Niagara is a 1997 film directed by Bob Gosse, and starring Henry Thomas , Robin Tunney as well as Michael Parks , John Ventimiglia and Stephen Lang .... |
Seth | |
| 1997 | Suicide Kings Suicide Kings Suicide Kings is a 1997 American neo-noir/comedy-drama film, starring Christopher Walken, Denis Leary, Sean Patrick Flanery, Johnny Galecki, Jay Mohr, Jeremy Sisto, and Henry Thomas... |
Avery Chasten | |
| 1999 | Fever | Nick Parker | |
| 2000 | A Good Baby A Good Baby A Good Baby is a 2000 drama film directed by Katherine Dieckmann. The film was produced by Lianne Halfon, Tom Carouso, Aileen Argentini and Derrick Tseng. The script was written by Dieckmann and Leon Rooke. The film stars Henry Thomas played Raymond Toker, a young loner... |
Raymond Toker | |
| 2000 | All the Pretty Horses All the Pretty Horses (film) All the Pretty Horses is a 2000 American romance western film, directed by Billy Bob Thornton and based on the novel of the same title by author Cormac McCarthy. It stars Matt Damon and Penélope Cruz... |
Lacey Rawlins | |
| 2001 | The Quickie | Alex | |
| 2002 | Dead in the Water | Jeff | |
| 2002 | I'm with Lucy I'm With Lucy I'm With Lucy is a 2002 romantic comedy starring Monica Potter in the title role, with Henry Thomas, David Boreanaz, Anthony LaPaglia, Harold Ramis, Julie Christie and John Hannah.- Plot :... |
Barry | |
| 2002 | Gangs of New York Gangs of New York Gangs of New York is a 2002 historical film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. It was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan. The film was inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 nonfiction book, The Gangs of New... |
Johnny Sirocco | |
| 2003 | I Capture the Castle I Capture the Castle (film) I Capture The Castle is a 2003 film directed by Tim Fywell. It is based on the 1948 novel of the same title by Dodie Smith and was adapted to screenplay by Heidi Thomas... |
Simon Cotton | |
| 2003 | Briar Patch (aka Plain Dirty) | Edgar MacBeth | |
| 2003 | 11:14 11:14 11:14 is a 2003 film about a series of interconnected events which lead up to the same time, 11:14 p.m.-Plot:The film involves several interconnected stories that converge at 11:14 p.m... |
Jack | |
| 2003 | Honey Baby | Tom | |
| 2004 | Dead Birds Dead Birds (2004 film) Dead Birds is a 2004 American horror film directed by Alex Turner.-Synopsis:A handful of thieves discover that they have more to worry about than the law in this independent horror story, set during the American Civil War.-Plot:... |
William | |
| 2005 | The Hard Easy | Paul Weston | |
| 2006 | Desperation | Peter Jackson | TV movie |
| 2007 | The Last Sin Eater The Last Sin Eater (film) The Last Sin Eater is an American movie released on February 9, 2007, directed by Michael Landon Jr. and distributed by Fox Faith. It is based on the 1998 novel of the same name by Francine Rivers. It was produced by Believe Pictures.-Plot:... |
Man of God | |
| 2007 | Suffering Man's Charity Suffering Man's Charity Suffering Man's Charity, also released as Ghost Writer, is a 2007 comedy/horror film directed by Alan Cumming and written by Thomas Gallagher.-Plot:... |
Eric Rykell | |
| 2009 | Red Velvet Red Velvet Red Velvet is a 2009 American independent horror film directed by Bruce Dickson and written by Anthony Burns and Joe Moe. The film stars Henry Thomas and Kelli Garner and is the final film of Forrest J Ackerman.-Synopsis:... |
Aaron | |
| 2009 | Don't Look Up | ||
| 2009 | Sweet Flame | Bill | |
| 2010 | Dear John | Tim | |
| 2012 | Big Sur Big Sur (film) Big Sur is an upcoming film, based on the autobiographical novel Big Sur by Beat Generation poet and novelist Jack Kerouac. The director is independent filmmaker Michael Polish... |
Philip Whalen Philip Whalen Philip Glenn Whalen was an American poet, Zen Buddhist, and a key figure in the San Francisco Renaissance and close to the Beat generation.-Biography:... |
|
| Television | |||
| 1981 | The Steeler and the Pittsburgh Kid | The Kid | |
| 1990 | Psycho IV: The Beginning Psycho IV: The Beginning Psycho IV: The Beginning is a 1990 made-for-cable-television horror film that serves as both the third sequel and a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho, as it includes both events after Psycho III while focusing on flashbacks of events that took place prior to the original film... |
Young Norman Bates | |
| 1992 | A Taste for Killing | Cary Sloan | |
| 1994 | Beyond Obsession | John Thompson | |
| 1995 | Indictment: The McMartin Trial Indictment: The McMartin Trial Indictment: The McMartin Trial is a made for TV movie that originally aired on HBO on May 20, 1995. Indictment is based on the true story of the McMartin preschool trial.-Summary:... |
Ray Buckey | |
| 1996 | Riders of the Purple Sage Riders of the Purple Sage Riders of the Purple Sage is Zane Grey's best-known novel, originally published in 1912. Most critics agree that it played a significant role in shaping the formula of the popular Western genre.- Plot in a paragraph :... |
Bern Venters | |
| 1998 | Moby Dick Moby Dick (1998 miniseries) Moby Dick is a television miniseries based on Herman Melville's 1851 novel of the same name, filmed in Australia in 1997 and first released in the United States in 1998.-Cast and crew:... |
Ishmael | |
| 1999 | Happy Face Murders | Dylan McCarthy | |
| 2005 | Masters of Horror Masters of Horror Masters of Horror is an informal social group of international film writers and directors specializing in horror movies and an American television series created by director Mick Garris for the Showtime cable network.- Origin :... |
Jamie | One episode |
| 2007–2008 | Without a Trace Without a Trace Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:... |
Franklin Romar | Two episodes |
| 2009 | CSI CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer... |
Jeremy Kent | Episode 214 |
| 2011 | The Mentalist The Mentalist The Mentalist is an American police procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008, on CBS. The show was created by Bruno Heller, who is also the show's executive producer... |
Thomas Lisbon | Season 4, Episode 6 |