Jay Thomas

He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 1990 and 1991 for portraying Gold. He was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for radio in 1989. In 1997, he starred in the television film Killing Mr. Griffin, based on the eponymous novel. In films, he co-starred in Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) as a high-school coach with a flair for theatrics, and portrayed the Easter Bunny in The Santa Clause 2 (2002) and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006). He was also an annual guest on the Late Show with David Letterman during the Christmas season, where he told a story about how he met Clayton Moore, who portrayed the title character on The Lone Ranger. Beginning in 2005, he hosted The Jay Thomas Show on SiriusXM Satellite Radio channel 94 comedy greats Monday through Thursday afternoons and Friday mornings on Howard 101.

• Name — Jay Thomas • Birth Name — Jon Thomas Terrell • Born — 12 July 1948 • Birthplace — Kermit, Texas, U.S. • Died — 24 August 2017 • Place of death — Santa Barbara, California, U.S. • Occupation — * Actor • comedian • radio talk show host • Children — 3, including J. T. Harding • Years Active — 1972–2017

Thomas was born in Kermit, Texas, to Katharine (née Guzzino) and Timothy Harry Terrell. He was raised in his Italian-American mother's Catholic religion; his father was Protestant. Thomas was raised in New Orleans, where he attended and graduated from Jesuit High School. He went on to attend and graduate from Jacksonville University. Thomas was the quarterback on his high-school football team and also quarterbacked in college, a skill he later used on The Late Show with David Letterman.

Thomas made annual Christmas appearances on David Letterman's CBS late night show, beginning in December 1998. Letterman and one of his other guests that evening, then-New York Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde, took turns throwing footballs trying to knock a large meatball off the top of a Christmas tree at the other end of the stage. As the two took turns futilely attempting to knock off the meatball, Thomas came back out to join in the festivities, and promptly knocked the meatball from the tree. On a later visit to the show, Thomas related a story from his early radio days. He was working at WAYS (AM), a Top 40 station in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1972 and did a significant amount of promotional work. Thomas was scheduled to make an appearance at a local Dodge dealership alongside actor Clayton Moore, who would be appearing in character as The Lone Ranger as he would do regularly for Dodge's then-parent, Chrysler Corporation. Thomas and his colleague, Mike Martin, repeatedly stepped away from the festivities to smoke marijuana. After they had wrapped up their broadcast and appearances for the afternoon, both men noticed that Moore was still at the dealership with them as his ride back to his hotel never arrived. According to Thomas, who described himself and Martin as being dressed like hippies with tie dyed shirts and long hair (Thomas claimed his was styled in a "white man's Afro"), the two offered Moore a ride back to the hotel in Thomas's dilapidated, early 1960s vintage Volvo, which Moore accepted. While stuck in traffic, with Moore sitting quietly in the back seat, an impatient, middle-aged man backed his full-sized Buick into the front end of Thomas's Volvo, broke one of its headlights and switched lanes to exit the freeway. Thomas and Martin then also exited the freeway and began chasing the driver of the Buick and eventually caught up to the man outside a restaurant, blocked his Buick with the Volvo, and confronted him about the broken headlight. The indignant driver denied all; when Thomas threatened to call police, the man exclaimed, "Who do you think they'll believe? Me, or you two hippie freaks?" Moore then emerged from the car in full Lone Ranger regalia and said, in character: "They'll believe me, citizen!" The stunned driver apologized and drove off. For every year thereafter except 2013, Thomas appeared to repeat the Lone Ranger story, which Letterman called, "The best talk show story, ever", and once again attempt what Letterman would refer to as the "Late Show Quarterback Challenge". For his final appearance in December 2014, Thomas was again successful in knocking the meatball off the top of the tree. Thomas missed the 2013 Late Show Christmas episode due to throat surgery; John McEnroe took his place and told the Lone Ranger story, then tried, unsuccessfully, to knock the meatball off the tree by hitting tennis balls at it.

Thomas fathered J. T. Harding in an out-of-wedlock relationship, and the child was adopted by another family in Michigan. Thomas and his son spoke about their reunion on the Dr. Phil Show. Harding was the lead singer of the band JTX and is a country-music songwriter. Thomas married Sally Michelson in 1987. They had two sons, Samuel and Jacob.

Jay Thomas died of throat cancer on August 24, 2017, surrounded by his family in Santa Barbara, California, at the age of 69.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1979–1981 — Mork & Mindy — Remo DaVinci — 20 episodes • 1981 — The Love Boat — Paul Harris — Episode: "First Voyage, Last Voyage" • 1984 — Master of the Game — Levy — Television miniseries • 1984 — C.H.U.D. — Cop in diner • 1985 — Spenser: For Hire — Tony Broz — Episode: "Discord in a Minor" • 1985 — The Gig — Rick Valentine • 1986 — Legal Eagles — Waiter • 1986 — The Park Is Mine — TV Reporter • 1987 — Family Ties — Jerry DiNello — Episode: "Super Mom" • 1987 — A Year in the Life — Scott Spenser — Episode: "What Do People Do All Day?" • 1987–1989 — Cheers — Eddie LeBec — 9 episodes • 1988 — Monkey Business — Tedesco • 1988 — The Adventures of Ragtime — Lester Waylin • 1988 — Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color — Delivery Man — Episode: "Justin Case" • 1989 — Almost Grown — Unknown — Episode: "Take It Slow" • 1989 — The Golden Girls — Sy Ferber — Episode: "High Anxiety" • 1989 — Freddy's Nightmares — Stan Brooks — Episode: "Dream Come True" • 1989–1998 — Murphy Brown — Jerry Gold — 9 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (1990–91) Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series(1989) • 1990 — Miracle Landing — Ed Meyer — Television movie • 1990 — Open House — Evan Gimbel — 2 episodes • 1990 — Where's Rodney? — Lou Barnes — Television movie • 1990 — Little Vegas — Bobby • 1990–1991 — Married People — Russell Meyers — 18 episodes • 1992 — Straight Talk — Zim Zimmerman • 1992 — Batman: The Animated Series — Guard 1 — Episode: "The Forgotten" • 1992–1995 — Love & War — Jack Stein — 67 episodes • 1995 — Cybill — Jay — Episode: "Zing!" • 1995 — Bless This House — Ted — Episode: "If It Ain't Broken, Break It" • 1995 — Mr. Holland's Opus — Coach Bill Meister • 1996 — A Strange Affair — Eric McKeever • 1996 — Dirty Laundry — Joey Greene • 1996–1997 — Ink — Jack Stein — 3 episodes • 1997 — Killing Mr. Griffin — John Griffin — Television movie • 1997 — A Smile Like Yours — Steve Harris • 1997 — Aaahh!!! Real Monsters — Disembodied Voice — Episode: "Spy vs. Monster" • 1997 — Working — Mr. Peyser — Episode: "Lost Weekend" • 1998 — My Date with the President's Daughter — Charles Fletcher — Television movie • 1998 — The Simple Life — Joel Campbell — Episode: "Sara's Ex" • 1998 — The Adventures of Ragtime — Lester Waylin • 1998 — Monkey Business — Tedesco • 1998 — Last Chance — Artie • 1998–1999 — Hercules — Ares — Voice, 6 episodes • 1999 — Stranger in My House — Ray Young • 1999 — Katie Joplin — Glen Shotz • 1999 — Fantasy Island — Carl Harbin — Episode: "The Real Thing" • 1999 — Dead Man's Gun — Emil Kosar — Episode: "The Good Chef" • 1999 — The Wild Thornberrys — Bull Seal — Voice; episode: "Tamper Proof Seal" • 1999 — The Big Tease — Tony Bolero — Uncredited • 2000 — Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire? — Himself — Host, TV special • 2000 — An American Daughter — Timber Tucker — Television movie • 2001 — Surfacing: AKA A Letter from My Father — Tom • 2001–2002 — The Education of Max Bickford — Jerry Zibowski — 2 episodes • 2002 — Ed — Gary Siringo — Episode: "Small Town Guys" • 2002 — Monday Night Mayhem — Pete Rozelle — Television movie • 2002 — Dragonfly — Hal • 2002 — Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Joe Sherman — Episode: "Vulnerable" • 2002 — The Santa Clause 2 — Easter Bunny — Cameo • 2003 — Run of the House — Bob Melman — Episode: "Twas the Night Before Homecoming" • 2004 — Teacher's Pet — Barry Anger — Voice • 2004 — Joan of Arcadia — Obnoxious Investor at Spa — Episode: "Recreation" • 2006 — The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause — Easter Bunny • 2007, 2010 — American Dad! — Brett Morris — Voice, 2 episodes • 2008 — Boston Legal — Ian Hoberman — Episode: "Happy Trails" • 2009 — The Pool Boys — Marty • 2009 — Labor Pains — Garth • 2010 — Cold Case — Lance Katrola — Episode: "One Fall" • 2010 — Sex Tax: Based on a True Story — Charles Taylor • 2010 — Mysteries at the Museum — Narrator — 12 episodes • 2011 — Snatched — Roger Byamm • 2011 — Horrorween — Two Headed Monster • 2011 — Retired at 35 — Mr. Jenkins — Episode: "Workin' Man" • 2011 — Hung — Sandee's father — Episode: "The Whole Beefalo" • 2012 — Shake It Up — Dan Gold — Episode: "Copy Kat It Up" • 2013 — The Haunting of… — Himself — Episode: "Jay Thomas" • 2013 — Life Tracker — Attorney General • 2013 — Underdogs — Mike Mayhew • 2013 — The Trials of Cate McCall — Loncraine • 2013–2017 — Ray Donovan — Marty Grossman — 5 episodes (his final role) • 2015 — NCIS: New Orleans — Marc Maslow — Episode: "Confluence" • 2015 — Bones — Lenny Jay — Episode: "The Promise in the Palace"

The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count. Institutional cataloguing adds that poisoning: toxicology - symptoms - treatments / by Jay M. Occupational activities training manual for severely retarded adults / by Jay L. Institutional cataloguing adds that the alpha syllabus: a handbook of human EEG alpha activity / edited by Barbara B. Brown and Jay W. Institutional cataloguing adds that a token of respect to the memory of the Rev. Preached at Hope-Chapel, Hotwells.