Betty Thomas
Thomas at the Emmy Awards Governors Ball in 1994
Born
Betty Lucille Nienhauser[1]

(1947-07-27) July 27, 1947
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actress, film and television director
Years active1975–present
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
SpouseDouglas Thomas[2]

Betty Thomas (born Betty Lucille Nienhauser; July 27, 1947) is an American actress, director, and producer.[3][4] She is known for her Emmy Award-winning role as Sergeant Lucy Bates on the television series Hill Street Blues.[5] As of March 2018, Thomas is one of just two directors (and the only solo director) to have multiple films on the list of seventeen highest-US-grossing female-directed films.[6] Additionally, two of her films are in the top twenty-five highest-US-grossing female-directed films.[7]

Early life

Thomas was born Betty Lucille Nienhauser in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1947 to Nancy (née Brown) and William H. Nienhauser, Sr.[8][9] She graduated from Willoughby South High School, Willoughby, Ohio, in 1965. After high school Thomas attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Upon graduating Thomas worked as an artist and taught high school before becoming a part of The Second City, the premiere venue for improvisational theater in Chicago.[10]

Second City

Thomas came to her entertainment career by a circuitous route. While working as an artist and school teacher, she became a waitress at The Second City to earn extra cash for a trip abroad. While waiting on tables, Thomas was encouraged to try out for the troupe, and subsequently joined the company.[11]

She was praised for her brassy and outspoken performances, and became the first woman to direct one of their MainStage theatre productions.[12] Thomas also worked with several up and coming Second City alumni, most notably Bill Murray.[13] When The Second City opened a Los Angeles branch, Thomas moved west. She later reunited with some of the Second City cast members when she appeared as special guest star in a 1983 episode of SCTV.[14][15]

Career

Acting career

Upon her arrival in Los Angeles, Thomas received many bit parts in low-budget films like Chesty Anderson, USN (1976), the Robert Zemeckis film Used Cars (1980) as well as sketch comedy films like Tunnel Vision (1975), and Loose Shoes (1980), the latter of which featured Second City classmate Bill Murray.[11] She also appeared in the 1989 film Troop Beverly Hills, starring Shelley Long.[16]

While Thomas had been building her career in comedy, her breakthrough role as an actress came when she was cast in the role of police officer (later Sergeant) Lucy Bates on the TV series Hill Street Blues (1981–87). Over the course of the series her character goes from inexperienced rookie to confident sergeant. She received seven Emmy nominations for best supporting actress, and took home the award for the 1984–85 season.[17]

Directing career

After having lied to a Variety reporter about planning on directing a Hooperman episode, she was given a real opportunity by the show's executive producer, and from there her directing career began.[18] After making several other acting appearances, Thomas began directing episodes of Hooperman in addition to the premiere episodes of Doogie Howser, M.D. in 1989. She went on to direct episodes of Arresting Behavior and several episodes of the HBO series Dream On, the latter of which earned her an Emmy for best director.[17] Thomas is nicknamed "The Midnight Queen" because of her preference for nighttime shoots.[19]

In 1992 Thomas took the next step in her directing career with her feature debut Only You. A slight, playful romantic comedy, Only You was a departure from Thomas's experience on Hill Street Blues or her subsequent television directing. Wayne Rice, the film's producer and screenwriter, said that Thomas was chosen to direct due in part to the film's plot in which a man is on a hapless quest to find the perfect woman. He felt it would be considered inherently sexist without a female director.[20]

Three years following the release of Only You, Thomas directed The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), a satirical vision of the 1970s television series The Brady Bunch. The Brady Bunch Movie was a box office hit with domestic ticket sales of $46,576,136, nearly quadrupling its $12 million budget and making it at the time one of the highest-grossing films directed by a woman.[5]

She followed The Brady Bunch Movie with other successes, including Private Parts (1997), Dr. Dolittle (1998), 28 Days (2000), and John Tucker Must Die (2006). The 2009 film Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel became the first female-directed picture to gross more than $200 million and made her the most successful woman director up to that time at the box office.[21] In 2012, Thomas directed a low-budget online series called Audrey for the WIGS YouTube channel.[22] In 1998, her Tall Trees productions company was signed to a first look deal with Columbia Pictures.[23]

In 2001, Thomas won the Dorothy Arzner Directors Award of the Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards, presented by the Los Angeles chapter of the Women in Film Organization.[16]

In 2021, Thomas received the Directors Guild of America Robert B. Aldrich Award.[24]


Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1992Only YouDirector[25]
1995The Brady Bunch MovieDirector[26][27]
1997Private PartsDirector[26][28][29]
1998Dr. DolittleDirector[30][31]
Can't Hardly WaitProducer
200028 DaysDirector[32][33][34][35]
Charlie's AngelsExecutive Producer[36][37][38]
2001Silicon FolliesExecutive ProducerTV movie
2002I SpyProducer, Director[39][40][41]
2004Surviving ChristmasProducer
2005Guess WhoExecutive Producer
2006John Tucker Must DieDirector[42][43]
2009Alvin and the Chipmunks: The SqueakquelDirector[44][45]

Television

TV series

YearTitleNotes
1989HoopermanEpisodes: "Goodnight, Sweet Hooperman", "Dog Day Afternoon", "Morning and Night", "In the Still of My Pants"
1989Doogie Howser, M.D.Episodes: "Doogie The Red-Nosed Reindeer", "The Ice Queen Cometh"
1990Mancuso, FBIEpisodes: "Night of the Living Shred", "Shiva Me Timbers", "Murder of Pearl"
1990ParenthoodEpisodes: "Thanksgiving with a T that Rhymes with B that Stands for Basketball", "I Never Invested for My Father"
1990–1996Dream On18 episodes
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (1993)
1991Sons and DaughtersEpisode: "The Thing"
1991Midnight CallerEpisode: "Her Dirty Little Secret"
1991Shannon's DealEpisode: "Matrimony"
1992On the AirEpisode #1.6
2006The LoopPilot episode
2015Grace and FrankieEpisode: "The Fall"

TV movies

Year Title Notes
2007 Dash 4 Cash
2006 That Guy
2003 Senor White
2001 Silicon Follies
1996 The Late Shift Directors Guild of America

Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials

1994 Couples
1994 My Breast

Acting roles

YearTitleRoleNotes
1976Tunnel VisionBridgit Bert Richards
1976Jackson County JailWaitress
1976The Last Affair
1976Chesty Anderson U.S. NavyParty Guest #1
1977Dog and CatWaitress
1978C.P.O. SharkeySeaman Daley
1978Outside ChanceKatherine
1980Used CarsBunny
1980Loose ShoesBiker Chic #1
1981The Nashville GrabMaxine Pearce
1982Twilight Theater
1982HomeworkReddogs Secretary
1983When Your Lover LeavesMaude
1985ABC Afterschool SpecialsDr. Mary Lewis
1987Prison for ChildrenAngela Brannon
1981–1987Hill Street BluesSgt. Lucy Bates[46]
1989The Tracey Ullman ShowMiss Belts, Gym TeacherSegment titled "Francesca: A Physical Education"
1989Troop Beverly HillsVelda Plendor
2018KiddingHerselfEpisode: "Green Means Go"

References

  1. ↑ Taylor, Gemma. "Trying To Change The Colour!".
  2. ↑ "Nancy Nienhauser Obituary - MO | St. Louis Post-Dispatch". www.legacy.com.
  3. ↑ "Betty Thomas". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  4. ↑ "Betty Thomas". Variety. 2013-12-16. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  5. 1 2 "Betty Thomas". Hill Street Blues. Paley Center for Media. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  6. ↑ "10 Highest-Grossing Movies Directed by Women, From 'What Women Want' to 'Captain Marvel' (Photos)". TheWrap. 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
  7. ↑ Bean, Travis. "Box Office: The 25 Highest-Grossing Movies Ever Directed By Women". Forbes.
  8. ↑ "STLtoday.com". Nl.newsbank.com. 1995-02-16. Retrieved 2013-05-06.
  9. ↑ "Nancy Brown Nienhauser obituary at". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2013-05-06.
  10. ↑ "Betty Thomas biodata at". Tribute.ca. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  11. 1 2 "Betty Thomas biography at". Yahoo Movies. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Betty Thomas". Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  13. ↑ "The Thaumaturgy Department". Tumblr. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Corpus Christi Caller-Times from Corpus Christi, Texas on March 6, 1983 · 116". Newspapers.com. 6 March 1983. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  15. ↑ "The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky on March 6, 1983 · Page 397". Newspapers.com. 6 March 1983. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  16. 1 2 "Betty Thomas Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  17. 1 2 "Betty Thomas". CelebrityNooz. 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Betty Thomas". Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  19. ↑ Rausch, Andrew (2008). Dequina, Michael (ed.). Fifty Filmmakers: Conversations with Directors from Roger Avary to Steven Zaillian. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 239.
  20. ↑ Weinstein, Steve (January 2, 1992). "A Long Way From 'Hill Street's' Beat: Betty Thomas Struts Her Comic Side in Directing First Feature, 'Only You'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  21. ↑ Young, John (March 12, 2010). "Betty Thomas: Highest-grossing female director". Entertainment Weekly.
  22. ↑ "Director Thomas finds passion project online". May 17, 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-05-17.
  23. ↑ Lorber, Danny (1998-09-23). "Tall Trees grow at Col". Variety. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  24. ↑ "Betty Thomas, Brian Frankish and Joyce Thomas to be Honored for Guild Service and Career Achievement at the 73rd Annual DGA Awards -". dga.org. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  25. ↑ Weinstein, Steve (1992-01-02). "A Long Way From 'Hill Street's' Beat : Betty Thomas Struts Her Comic Side in Directing First Feature, 'Only You'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  26. 1 2 Abramovitch, Seth (2020-01-04). "'Private Parts' Director Betty Thomas Recalls Crush on Howard Stern: "We Would Have Been a Hot Couple"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  27. ↑ June 30, EW Staff Updated; EDT, 2005 at 04:00 AM. "The Brady Bunch Movie is one of the best movies based on TV shows". EW.com. Retrieved 2022-12-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. ↑ McCarthy, Todd (1997-03-09). "Film Review: Howard Stern's Private Parts". Variety. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  29. ↑ Maslin, Janet (1997-03-07). "When a Scourge Turns On the Charm". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  30. ↑ "Dr Dolittle | Film | The Guardian". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  31. ↑ Klady, Leonard (1998-06-24). "Dr. Dolittle". Variety. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  32. ↑ "There's something about Betty". the Guardian. 2000-06-16. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  33. ↑ "28 Days | Film | The Guardian". www.theguardian.com. 2008-07-21. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  34. ↑ Petrikin, Dan Cox,Chris; Cox, Dan; Petrikin, Chris (1998-12-02). "Thomas rehabs with Col's 'Days'". Variety. Retrieved 2022-12-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  35. ↑ Travers, Peter (2000-04-14). "28 Days". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  36. ↑ Lyons, Charles (1999-11-23). "McG tries wings as helmer in 'Angels'". Variety. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  37. ↑ Robb, David (2021-02-25). "Betty Thomas To Receive DGA's Robert Aldrich Award; Special Service Awards To Brian Frankish & Joyce Thomas". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  38. ↑ McCarthy, Todd (2000-10-30). "Charlie's Angels". Variety. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  39. ↑ "BBC - Films - interview - Betty Thomas". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  40. ↑ Mitchell, Elvis (2002-11-01). "FILM REVIEW; A Buddy Movie Of Arch Rivals". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  41. ↑ "I Spy | Film | The Guardian". www.theguardian.com. 2008-07-21. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  42. ↑ McNary, Claude Brodesser,Dave; Brodesser, Claude; McNary, Dave (2005-04-15). "Fox puckers up for funny 'Tucker'". Variety. Retrieved 2022-12-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  43. ↑ Catsoulis, Jeannette (2006-07-28). "'John Tucker Must Die' Declares a Trio of Teenage Girlfriends". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  44. ↑ December 14, EW Staff Updated; EST, 2009 at 05:00 AM. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel". EW.com. Retrieved 2022-12-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  45. ↑ "Alvin And The Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel | Film | The Guardian". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  46. ↑ Carver, Benedict (1999-04-16). "'Affair' for Thomas". Variety. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
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