Henry Thomas

Henry Jackson Thomas Jr. (born September 9, 1971) is an American actor and musician. His breakout role is in Steven Spielberg's film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Personal life
Thomas was born in San Antonio, Texas. His mother, Carolyn L. (née Davis), is a homemaker and his father, Henry Jackson Thomas Sr., is a hydraulic machinist. He attended East Central High School and Blinn College. Thomas married Marie Zielcke on May 10, 2004. They had a daughter, Hazel. The couple were divorced in 2007.

Acting
Thomas began acting at age eight. While filming E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, he suffered with mental trauma after his pet dog was killed by a neighbor's. He was troubled by the public reaction.

Music
Thomas wrote songs and played guitar for the San Antonio band, The Blue Heelers (named for the breed of dog), in the 1990s. Although the band was not signed to a record label, its self-produced album Twister was warmly received and enjoyed statewide radio play. Thomas continued to write and record songs. In 1998, his song "Truckstop Coffee" (recorded with the Blue Heelers) appeared on V2's soundtrack for Niagara, Niagara. In 2003, Thomas and Nikki Sudden collaborated on the music for Mika Kaurismäki's film Honey Baby, which featured four original songs written and performed by Thomas as the fictional musician Tom Brackett. An album was in the works, but Sudden died in 2006.

Other honors

 * VH1's "100 Greatest Kid Stars"
 * 2005, ranked #4, E!'s "50 Cutest Child Stars All Grown-up"
 * 2013, inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame.