Betty Thomas was born on July 27, 1947, in St. Louis, Missouri, and went on to graduate from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in fine arts.
Initially, Betty Thomas taught school in Chicago but found herself restricted and in need of a more open forum for self-expression than a traditional classroom. She was drawn to comedy and began to make a name for herself as part of the Second City improvisational troupe, utilizing her towering 6' 1" stature in aggressive routines and sketches.
Thomas made her film debut in the 1976 sketch satire Tunnel Vision, which parodied TV programming and featured a talented cast of up-and-coming comedy artists, including Chevy Chase, Laraine Newman, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Gerrit Graham, Howard Hesseman, and the team of Al Franken and Tom Davis.
She went on to appear in several innocuous comedies and spoofs, including Chesty Anderson U.S. Navy, Used Cars, and Coming Attractions, which helped to bulk up her comedy resume. Thomas also appeared as a regular on the 1976 TV show The Fun Factory, which was a combination of quiz show, silly sketches, and audience participation.
Despite her comedic background, Betty Thomas achieved stardom with her tough-talking portrayal of Officer Lucille Bates on the hit police series Hill Street Blues. She was nominated for six Emmys and won the "Best Supporting Actress" trophy in 1985.
Thomas continued to appear in compelling mini-movie roles and made an abrupt move into TV and film directing in the late 1980s. One of her last acting roles was as the butch, underhanded scoutmaster in the comedy film Troop Beverly Hills.
Betty Thomas received her second Emmy award for directing the cable sitcom Dream On in 1990. She continued to work in the lighter vein, guiding the one-man promotion machine Howard Stern to a critical hit with Private Parts, based on his memoirs, as well as films such as Can't Hardly Wait, I Spy, and Surviving Christmas.
In recent years, Thomas has directed TV movies and episodes of series such as "Audrey" and "Grace and Frankie."
