Betty Thomas

Betty Thomas (born Betty Lucille Nienhauser; July 27, 1947) is an American director and actress. She is known for her role as Sergeant Lucy Bates on the television series Hill Street Blues, a role for which she was nominated for an Emmy award seven times, winning once. Her latest film (released in 2009), Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, was at the time the highest-grossing film ever directed by a solo woman director (although it has since been surpassed.)

Early life Thomas was born Betty Lucille Nienhauser in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1947 to Nancy (née Brown) and William H. Nienhauser Sr. She graduated from Willoughby South High School, Willoughby, Ohio, in 1965. After high school Thomas attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Upon graduating Thomas worked as an artist and taught high school before becoming a part of The Second City, the premiere venue for improvisational theater in Chicago.

Second City Thomas came to her entertainment career by a circuitous route. While working as an artist and school teacher, she became a waitress at The Second City to earn extra cash for a trip abroad. While waiting on tables, Thomas was encouraged to try out for the troupe, and subsequently joined the company.

She was praised for her brassy and outspoken performances, and became the first woman to direct one of their MainStage theatre productions. Thomas also worked with several up and coming Second City alumni, most notably Bill Murray. When The Second City opened a Los Angeles branch, Thomas moved west. She later reunited with some of the Second City cast members when she appeared as special guest star in a 1983 episode of SCTV.

Career

Acting career

Upon her arrival in Los Angeles, Thomas received many bit parts in low-budget films like Chesty Anderson, USN (1976), the Robert Zemeckis film Used Cars (1980) as well as sketch comedy films like Tunnel Vision (1975), and Loose Shoes (1980), the latter of which featured Second City classmate Bill Murray.

Directing career After having lied to a Variety reporter about planning on directing a Hooperman episode, she was given a real opportunity by the show's executive producer, and from there her directing career began. After making several other acting appearances, Thomas began directing episodes of Hooperman in addition to the premiere episodes of Doogie Howser, M.D. in 1989. She went on to direct episodes of Arresting Behavior and several episodes of the HBO series Dream On, the latter of which earned her an Emmy for best director.

In 1992, Thomas took the next step in her directing career with her feature debut Only You. A slight, playful romantic comedy, Only You was a departure from Thomas's experience on Hill Street Blues or her subsequent television directing. Wayne Rice, the film's producer and screenwriter, said that Thomas was chosen to direct due in part to the film's plot in which a man is on a hapless quest to find the perfect woman. He felt it would be considered inherently sexist without a female director.

Three years following the release of Only You, Thomas reunited with her Troop Beverly Hills costar Shelley Long when she directed The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), a postmodern satirical vision of the 1970s television series The Brady Bunch. The Brady Bunch Movie was a box office hit with domestic ticket sales of $46,576,136, nearly quadrupling its $12 million budget and making it at the time one of the highest-grossing films directed by a woman. In 2012, Thomas directed a low-budget online series called Audrey for the WIGS YouTube channel. In 1998, her Tall Trees productions company was signed to a first look deal with Columbia Pictures.

In 2001, Thomas won the Dorothy Arzner Directors Award of the Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards, presented by the Los Angeles chapter of the Women in Film Organization..

In 2021, Thomas received the Directors Guild of America Robert B. Aldrich Award.

Filmography Film +YearTitleRoleNotes 1992 Only You Director 1995 The Brady Bunch Movie Director 1997 Private Parts Director 1998 Dr. Dolittle Director Can't Hardly Wait Producer 2000 28 Days Director Charlie's Angels Executive Producer 2001 Silicon Follies Executive Producer TV movie 2002 I Spy Producer, Director 2004 Surviving Christmas Producer 2005 Guess Who Executive Producer 2006 John Tucker Must Die Director 2009 Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Director

Television TV series Year Title Notes 1989 Hooperman Episodes: "Goodnight, Sweet Hooperman", "Dog Day Afternoon", "Morning and Night", "In the Still of My Pants" 1989 Doogie Howser, M.D. Episodes: "Doogie The Red-Nosed Reindeer", "The Ice Queen Cometh" 1990 Mancuso, FBI Episodes: "Night of the Living Shred", "Shiva Me Timbers", "Murder of Pearl" 1990 Parenthood Episodes: "Thanksgiving with a T that Rhymes with B that Stands for Basketball", "I Never Invested for My Father" 1990–1996 Dream On 18 episodesPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series 1991 Sons and Daughters Episode: "The Thing" 1991 Midnight Caller Episode: "Her Dirty Little Secret" 1991 Shannon's Deal Episode: "Matrimony" 1992 On the Air Episode #1.6 2006 The Loop Pilot episode 2015 Grace and Frankie Episode: "The Fall"

TV movies Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement

Acting roles Year Title Role Notes 1976 Tunnel Vision Bridgit Bert Richards 1976 Jackson County Jail Waitress 1976 The Last Affair 1976 Chesty Anderson U.S. Navy Party Guest #1 1977 Dog and Cat Waitress 1978 C.P.O. Sharkey Seaman Daley 1978 Outside Chance Katherine 1980 Used Cars Bunny 1980 Loose Shoes Biker Chic #1 1981 The Nashville Grab Maxine Pearce 1982 Twilight Theater 1982 Homework Reddogs Secretary 1983 When Your Lover Leaves Maude 1985 ABC Afterschool Specials Dr. Mary Lewis 1987 Prison for Children Angela Brannon 1981–1987 Hill Street Blues Sgt. Lucy Bates 1989 The Tracey Ullman Show Miss Belts, Gym Teacher Segment titled "Francesca: A Physical Education" 1989 Troop Beverly Hills Velda Plendor 2018 Kidding Herself Episode: "Green Means Go"