Thomas was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, to Gladdy Lou Ryder, a special education teacher in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. She graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1975 and went on to attend UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, graduating in 1980. While at UCLA, she was a member of the Chi Omega sorority.
Thomas started acting at age 14, when she was one of the hosts of a series on NBC called Talking with a Giant, in which she interviewed celebrities. In 1978, she began acting in small television roles; she appeared in the series Co-Ed Fever, of which she later said, "It was cancelled after the third commercial."
After Co-Ed Fever's cancellation, Thomas was chosen for the role of Jody Banks in The Fall Guy, which starred Lee Majors and was produced by Glen Larson, from its 1981 premiere to its 1986 cancellation. Thomas became addicted to cocaine during her run in the program, and entered rehabilitation for that addiction in the mid-1980s. She appeared in several movies, the first of which was Zapped! in 1982, but she gave up acting in 1998. Thomas appeared on numerous pin-up posters during the 1980s.

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