Marlo Thomas has been in the spotlight since the 1960s as a TV star, producer, philanthropist, stage actress, and author. She is known for her work in TV on hit shows like That Girl and Free To Be… You and Me, and for her charitable work with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Thomas was born on November 21, 1937, in Deerfield, Michigan. She grew up in Beverly Hills, California where her father, Danny, worked in the entertainment industry. In 1959, she graduated from the University of Southern California, and started acting soon after that.

Early in her career, she appeared on the shows 77 Sunset Strip, Bonanza, and The Donna Reed Show, and she had a recurring role on The Joey Bishop Show. In 1966 she landed the lead role in That Girl, playing an independent, aspiring actress and model. Thomas became a household name, won a Golden Globe for her work on the show, and she was a trailblazing  executive producer on the series.

After the show ended, she created, executive produced, and starred in the children’s TV special, Free to Be… You and Me. She won an Emmy for playing Marie Balter in Nobody’s Child and won an Emmy for Free to Be… A Family, a follow-up to the early TV special. In the ‘90s and 2000s, Thomas did guest appearances in Roseanne, Frasier, Law & Order: SVU, Ugly Betty, and she had a recurring role on Friends as Rachel’s mother. She was also in Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later and Ocean’s 8.

Thomas is well known for being the national outreach director for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which was founded by her father. In 2010, she created Mondays with Marlo, an online talk show aimed at women over 35.

She acted on stage, starring in the 1965 London production of Barefoot in the Park, and she made her Broadway debut in 1974’s Thieves. Her work on Broadway also included Social Security in ’86 and the one act play George is Dead in 2011.

Thomas has also written several best selling books, including Free to Be… A Family: A Book About All Kinds of Belonging, The Right Words at the Right Time, and Growing Up Laughing.

In 2020, she and her husband, talk show host Phil Donahue, wrote What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life.

In addition to her Emmy and Golden Globe wins, Thomas is a Grammy winner, she was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame, and in 2014 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She definitely is That Girl!