Actress marlo thomas biography

Margaret Julia "Marlo" Thomas born November 21, [ 1 ] is an American actress, producer, author, and social activist. She is best known for starring on the sitcom That Girl — and her children's franchise Free to Be You and Me. In , she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

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Thomas serves as National Outreach Director for St. Thomas attended Marymount High School and graduated from the University of Southern California with a teaching degree: "I wanted a piece of paper that said I was qualified to do something in the world". She was a member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta. Although it did not sell, it caught the attention of a network programming executive.

He met with Thomas, and expressed interest in casting her in her own series. With their encouragement, Thomas came up with her own idea for a show about a young woman who leaves home, moves to New York City, and struggles to become an actress. The network was initially hesitant, fearing audiences would find a series centering on a single female uninteresting or unrealistic.

The concept eventually evolved into the sitcom entitled That Girl , in which Thomas played Ann Marie, a beautiful, up-and-coming actress with a writer boyfriend, played by Ted Bessell. The series told the daily struggles of Ann holding different temporary jobs while pursuing her dream of a career on Broadway. That Girl was one of the first television shows to focus on a working, single woman who did not live with her parents, and it paved the way for many shows to come.

That Girl aired from to , producing episodes, and was a solid performer in the Nielsen ratings. In , Thomas chose to end the series after five years. Both ABC and the show's sponsor, Clairol , wanted the series finale to be a wedding between the two central characters, but Thomas rebuffed them, saying that she felt it was the wrong message to send to her female audience, because it would give the impression that the only happy ending is marriage.