Betty Thomas
Biography
Betty Thomas is an American director and actress who came to performing through Chicago's Second City, where she was praised for brassy, outspoken work and became the first woman to direct a MainStage production for the company. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, she studied fine arts at Ohio University and worked as an artist and a high school teacher before joining the troupe. Her breakthrough came as Sergeant Lucy Bates on Hill Street Blues, which ran from 1981 to 1987, a role that brought seven Emmy nominations and one win. She moved into directing on Hooperman, Doogie Howser, M.D. and Dream On, earning an Emmy for the latter, and made her feature debut with Only You (1992). Later films include The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), Private Parts (1997), Dr. Dolittle (1998) and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009). In 2001 she received the Dorothy Arzner Directors Award.
78years old
Turns 79 on July 27in 285 days
- Born St. Louis
- Star sign: LeoThe sign runs July 23 to August 22
Movie Career
- Films
- 3
- Career span
- 13 years1976 to 1989
Every film, newest first
- 1989Troop Beverly HillsIMDb rating 6.0
- 1982HomeworkIMDb rating 3.6
- 1976Jackson County JailIMDb rating 6.1
Genres
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A first
Thomas became the first woman to direct a Second City MainStage production after joining the troupe as a waitress and being encouraged to try out.
Big break
Thomas lied to a Variety reporter about planning to direct a Hooperman episode, and the show's executive producer then gave her a real directing opportunity.
A first
In 2009, Thomas directed Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. It was the first movie directed by a woman to take in over $200 million, making her the most successful woman director at the box office up to that time.
Betty Thomas movies on Netflix
Worked with
Betty Thomas made one film with each of them. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Tommy Lee Jones's page
Carla Gugino's page
Robert Carradine's page
Joan Collins's page
Howard Hesseman's page
Mary Woronov's page
Jeff KanewDirector, 1 film, 1989
All films by Jeff Kanew
All films by Michael Miller
James BeshearsDirector, 1 film, 1982
All films by James Beshears
Awards
Three awards and honors from 1985 to 2001, two of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmy Awards | |||
| 1993 | Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series | Dream On | Won |
| 1985 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Hill Street Blues | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| 2001 | Dorothy Arzner Directors Award | Won | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.