Michelle Thomas

Michelle Thomas
Michelle Thomas
Born	Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	December 22 or 23, 1998, aged either 29 years old[1], or 30 years old[2] New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1988-1998

Michelle Thomas (died December 22^[3][4][5] or 23, ^[6][7] 1998) was an American actress. She was best known for her roles as Justine Phillips (girlfriend of Theo Huxtable) on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, and as Myra Monkhouse (girlfriend of Steve Urkel) on the ABC/CBS sitcom Family Matters.

Early life and career

Born in Boston, Massachusetts,^[8] Michelle Thomas grew up in Montclair, New Jersey and was an alumna of West Essex High School. She was the daughter of Phynjuar Thomas, a stage actress, and Dennis Thomas, a member of music group Kool & the Gang.^[6] In 1984, Thomas was crowned Miss Talented Teen New Jersey in Hal Jackson's Talented Teen Competition.^[9] The following year, she competed in the international pageant and won the title of International Queen.^[10]

In 1988, Thomas played Justine Phillips, the girlfriend of Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show. She later appeared on various television programs during the late 1980s and 1990s including A Man Called Hawk and Thea. She had a role on a TV movie, Dream Date, in 1989. In 1991, she had a small role in Hangin' with the Homeboys. She also appeared in music videos for Mint Condition, Dru Hill and Chubb Rock. In 1993, she won the role of Myra Monkhouse on the long-running sitcom Family Matters. After the series ended in 1998, Thomas portrayed Callie Rogers Stark, an aspiring singer on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. She left the series in October 1998.

Death

In August 1997,^[7] Thomas was diagnosed with a rare form of stomach cancer, intra-abdominal desmoplastic small round cell tumor.^[10] She underwent surgery to remove a lemon-sized tumor shortly before landing her Young and the Restless role in the spring of 1998. In October 1998, she underwent surgery after a second cancerous growth ruptured. After being released from the hospital, Thomas flew home to New Jersey to spend Thanksgiving with her family.

On December 22 or 23, Thomas died surrounded by her family and friends in New York City at Manhattan's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center,^[11] aged 29^[8][12][13] or 30.^{[4][7][10][11]} On December 26, 1998, a Muslim funeral service was held, as Thomas had requested. She was buried in Montclair, New Jersey, near her home.^[7]

Filmography

Award nominations

Notes

External links

• Michelle Thomas at the Internet Movie Database
• Michelle Thomas at Find a Grave