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Jay Thomas was born in Kermit, Texas, to Katherine (Guzzino), a tap-dancing South Louisiana belle of Italian heritage, and T. Harry Terrell, Sr., an oilman. Raised in New Orleans, he was very active in sports and performing arts. He earned his first award as the emcee of the Jesuit High School talent show. He participated in boxing, wrestling, football, and track. At 16, he began performing stand-up comedy on Bourbon Street. He attended Gulf Coast College, University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University, Central Piedmont College, and Jacksonville University, earning an AA, BS, and MA. During college, he worked as a sports announcer and DJ and played three years of small college football as a quarterback. When New York City called, Jay continued his diverse career as a top-rated morning DJ, a comic at the Improv in NYC, and launched an active off-Broadway acting career blending drama and comedy. His first TV role was on "Mork and Mindy." He later moved to LA radio as the #1 DJ at Power 106, joined The Ensemble Theater Group, and had a recurring role on "Cheers" as Carla's ice hockey-playing husband. He won two Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Jerry Gold on "Murphy Brown." He starred in his own TV shows, "Married People" with Beth Armstrong and "Love and War" alongside Susan Dey and later Annie Potts. He guest-starred in numerous sitcoms, cop shows, and made-for-TV movies opposite Judith Light, John Turturro, and Christine Lahti. On the big screen, he appeared in "Mr. Holland's Opus," "A Smile Like Yours," and "Santa Claus" 2 and 3. Returning to theater, he starred in plays written and directed by Wendy Wasserstein and Woody Allen. Recently, he hosted shows at Carolines in NYC and the Bellagio in Las Vegas. He guest-starred in an episode of HBO's "Hung." He won Best Actor and co-wrote the Best Comedy at the LA iTV Fest for "Talker." The Jay Thomas talk show airs daily on SiriusXM.
