Marlo Thomas then and now: See the 'That Girl' star through the years

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

In the early 1970s, everyone had a crush on Marlo Thomas. And who could blame them?

The Detroit native rose to fame in the hit ABC sitcom "That Girl," in which she played Broadway dreamer Ann Marie. At the time, she was only the second woman ever to produce her own series! (The first, of course, was Lucille Ball.)

After five seasons, Marlo decided she wanted to focus more of her time on female empowerment. She joined Gloria Steinem and other revolutionaries to create the Ms. Foundation for Women, the first women's fund in the United States. But she continue to work full-time on TV and on stage, racking up Emmys, a Golden Globe and even a Grammy.

It was in 1980 that Marlo wed the groundbreaking talk show host Phil Donahue, who was in the middle of what would become a 29-year run of his show "Donahue." Although he and Marlo didn't have children together, Marlo became stepmom to Phil's five kids from a previous marriage.

As if this couple wasn't already impressive enough, Marlo has another incredible family tie: Her father, Danny Thomas, is the founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. In recent years, she's continued to build upon her father's incredible legacy with her own involvement in the organization.

Now 81, Marlo and her husband live in New York City.

RELATED: See Sophia Loren through the years