Robert Joseph Thomas(January 26, 1922 – March 14, 2014) was an American film industry biographer and reporter who worked for theAssociated Pressfrom 1944 to 2010.
Bob Thomas | |
|---|---|
 Thomas in 1963 | |
| Born | Robert Joseph Thomas January 26, 1922 San Diego,California,U.S. |
| Died | March 14, 2014(aged 92) Encino,California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Biographer, reporter |
| Spouse |
Patricia (m.1947) |
| Children | 3 |
As of 2014, he was twice listed in theGuinness World Records,for the longest career as a reporter, and for the most consecutive Academy Awards shows covered by an entertainment reporter.[1]
Biography
editThomas was born inSan Diego,California in 1922. He grew up in Los Angeles, where his father worked as apublicistforWarner Bros.,Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,Paramount Pictures,andColumbia Pictures.[2]
Thomas first joined the Associated Press in Los Angeles in 1943, where he aspired to be awar correspondent.However, he was assigned as a correspondent inFresno, California,where he stayed for more than a year before quitting. He returned to the Los Angeles bureau in 1944 and was appointed as their entertainment reporter. He was also told to use the name "Bob Thomas" as his birth name was thought to be too formal.[3]During his career at the AP, Thomas authored at least 30 books, most of them biographies of prominent film industry personalities, includingIrving G. Thalberg,Joan Crawford,Marlon Brando,andWalt Disney.[4]
Personal life
editHe lived inEncinowith his wife, Patricia. They had three daughters.[4]Thomas, aged 92, died on March 14, 2014, at his home.[1]
Awards and honors
editFor contributions to the motion picture industry, Thomas received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame,becoming the first author-reporter to be given this honor,[1]which was paid for by his friends in advance and placed at 6879Hollywood Boulevard.[5]In 2009, in recognition of over 60 years of covering the entertainment business for the Associated Press, the Publicists Guild awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award.[6]
Bibliography
edit
Nonfictionedit
|
Fictionedit
For childrenedit
Anthologyedit
|
References
edit- ^abcRogers, John (March 14, 2014)."Bob Thomas, dean of Hollywood reporters, dies".The Charlotte Observer.Archived fromthe originalon March 14, 2014.RetrievedMarch 14,2014.
- ^Trounson, Rebecca (March 15, 2014)."Bob Thomas dies at 92; AP newsman saw it all on Hollywood beat".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 26,2022.
- ^"Bob Thomas, dean of Hollywood reporters, dies".Associated Press. March 14, 2014.RetrievedSeptember 26,2022.
- ^abProffitt, Steve (March 21, 1999)."Bob Thomas".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 26,2022.
- ^"Bob Thomas; Hollywood Walk of Fame".HWOF.com. 24 February 2023.
- ^Cohen, Sandy (February 19, 2009)."AP's Bob Thomas wins lifetime achievement award".The Times HeraldAssociated Press.Archived fromthe originalon August 14, 2017.RetrievedAugust 13,2017.
- ^Bob Thomas’s The Art of Animation|Cartoon Brew
- ^The Story of Disney’s “The Art of Animation” |Cartoon Research
- ^abThomas, Bob (1978).Joan Crawford: A Biography.New York:Simon & Schuster.ISBN0-671-24033-1.(author notes from end jacket cover)