James Bernard Thomas was a motion picture and television actor whose professional
acting name was Jay Bernard. He was born
on August 27, 1923 in the ancestral home built in 1847 by his great
grandfather, James Thomas, Jr., located on the Donaldson Creek Road in Trigg
County, Kentucky. He was the son of
James Carroll “Pat” and Elizabeth Bessie Satterfield Thomas and the grandson of
Carroll and Frances Wills Vinson Thomas.
He grew
up in Akron, Ohio and served as a private in the U. S. Army in World War
II. He then moved to southern California
where he began to pursue an acting career.
When he joined the Screen Actor’s Guild, he chose the name Jay Bernard
as his professional name. During his
years in Hollywood, he had roles in 70 films and numerous television
shows. In his later years, bad health caught
up with him and he had to limit his acing assignment. He died on October 28, 2006 in Phoenix,
Arizona. His body was cremated and his ashes were scattered over the Arizona
desert near Phoenix. He was survived by
three sons, Terry, Seth and Sean.
Jay’s
theatrical film career included roles in such films as Footloose, The
Philadelphia Experiment, Halloween 5 and Kleptomania. His TV movies included The Executioner’s Song
in 1982, The Adventures of Nellie Bly in 1981 and his final performance in Anya’s
Bell in 1999. His TV series appearances
included Walker, Texas Ranger and The Young Riders.
A
highway historic marker honoring James Thomas, Jr. was erected adjacent to the
site of his homestead on Donaldson Creek in Trigg County, Kentucky. The marker
includes the wording “Great grandson, movie actor, Jay Bernard (James B.
Thomas) born here Aug. 17, 1923.”
THE LINEAGE:
(James Bernard "Jay Bernard" Thomas was the son of James Carroll "Pat" and Bessie Elizabeth Satterfield Thomas and the grandson of Carroll and Frances Wills Vinson Thomas. Carroll was the second child of James, Jr. and Margaret Ethridge Thomas. James, Jr. was the sixth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)
