Henry Thomas's Real Name: Henry Jackson Thomas Jr.

Quick answer: Henry Thomas is his real name in short form. Biography.com and TV Insider both give his full birth name as Henry Jackson Thomas Jr. and say he was born on September 9, 1971, in San Antonio, Texas. A Library of Congress record gives the same date and city, though a second note in that record lists September 8. He is best known as Elliott in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).

Real name and early life

Thomas grew up in San Antonio. TV Insider says he was 11 when E.T. made him an overnight star in "one of the biggest films of all time." Biography.com describes Elliott as a lonely 10-year-old and says that after the film's success Thomas went home to San Antonio and focused on school. During that period he took film and television roles only occasionally.

Neither source records a stage name. He has always worked under the short form of his legal name, dropping the middle name and the suffix.

Career highlights

TV Insider says that as a young man he held his own opposite Colin Firth in Milos Forman's Valmont (1989). He also brought depth to the young Norman Bates in the Showtime film Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990).

Biography.com says he was cast in Legends of the Fall (1994) as Samuel Ludlow, younger brother of the characters played by Brad Pitt and Aidan Quinn. The film was a critical success and won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. TV Insider adds that he played Ishmael, the sole survivor, in the USA Network miniseries Moby Dick (1998).

Both sources list Suicide Kings (1997), All the Pretty Horses (2000), and Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York (2002). TV Insider says the Scorsese film helped move him past being "forever" Elliott. Later work included guest roles on Without a Trace and a supporting part in the romantic drama Dear John (2010), which TV Insider says kept him visible. Biography.com says he starred as Hank Williams in The Last Ride (2011).

Thomas is also a musician. Biography.com says he sang and performed with the Texas band The Blue Heelers in the 1980s and 1990s, and later with the Los Angeles band Farspeaker. The Library of Congress record describes him as an actor, producer, and composer. TV Insider's credits include the anthology series Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King.

Name notes for searchers

Henry Thomas is a common name, so searches often add "E.T." or "actor." His full legal form, Henry Jackson Thomas Jr., distinguishes him from other people named Henry Thomas. Library records list him as Thomas, Henry, 1971-.