Henry Thomas

Henry Jackson Thomas, Jr. (born September 9, 1971) is an American actor and musician. He made his breakout role for Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. 2Personal life Thomas was born an only child in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Carolyn L. (née Davis), a homemaker, and Henry Jackson Thomas, a hydraulic machinist. He attended East Central High School in San Antonio and Blinn College in Brenham. 2Career 3Acting career Thomas said that he decided he wanted to become an actor at age 8, after watching a PBS special on acting and realizing he had found his calling. After landing a part at an open audition in a San Antonio, Texas hotel, Thomas made his film debut in Raggedy Man (1981). At age nine, Thomas auditioned for the lead role in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). He won the part by giving a genuinely tearful performance, during which he drew upon his real-life trauma of having seen his pet dog being killed by a neighbor’s dog. The film’s success exceeded expectations, and Thomas was troubled by the sometimes extreme reaction of the publi