Henry Thomas is best known for bringing the sweet protagonist Elliott Taylor to life in Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. In his breakout role, Henry played lonely ten-year-old Elliott, whose life is turned upside down when he discovers a kind-hearted alien, nicknamed E.T., and helps find a way to send him back home.
Whether he frightened you or not, E.T. became one of the most recognisable figures in Hollywood, and the film is widely regarded as one of the most memorable in cinema history. After earning nine Oscar nominations, it has endured over the years, enjoying three re-releases and helping launch the careers of several cast members, including Drew Barrymore.
But while viewers may easily recall what Drew went on to do after the classic film, how much do you know about what Henry did after sending E.T. back home? Read on to find out…
What happened to Henry Thomas after E.T.?
Henry, now 54, had appeared in only two on-screen projects before landing his breakout role in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. It’s therefore unsurprising that, after shooting to fame at the age of ten, he needed time to adjust.
“I had no clue that my life would change in any way. I worked on this movie, then I’m back on the farm, I’m back at school – but now people are pointing at me in the street,” he reflected in an interview with The Guardian in 2023.
© Corbis via Getty ImagesFrom a small town near San Antonio in rural Texas, Henry’s family wasn’t fully equipped to deal with his sudden fame. While they took a few precautions, they tried to keep family life largely the same. “Consequently, we got a lot of weird visitors to our residence and things like that, phone calls,” Henry said. “We had to call the authorities a few times. ET was a real sensation, some people were fanatical about it.”
While Henry tried to keep a low profile after the film’s release, he admitted that seclusion came at a cost. “I gave up on it because it is so much work and it seems like you’re creating an aura of intrigue around you, which causes even more problems. Now, I don’t even try. I just hide right out in the open,” he said.
© Getty ImagesCredits after E.T.
Henry continued acting, enjoying roles in Legends of the Fall, Suicide Kings, Gangs of New York, Dear John and The Haunting of Hill House. More recently, he starred as Pastor Mike in Due West and as Frederick Usher in the Netflix horror series The Fall of the House of Usher.
It hasn’t always been plain sailing, however. Henry revealed that he considered stepping away from acting during the Hollywood writers’ strike in 2023, when he had three young children to support.
© Corbis via Getty Images“I’ve never really been very much of a businessman, I’ve stumbled along in terms of fortune. So I was really thinking of getting out of LA to start a farm and raise my kids there. I had to do something,” he said.
Fortunately, he secured more work, and his current projects in production include Three People in the Woods, Normal with a Capital N and The Asylum.
© Corbis via Getty ImagesHenry Thomas’s life off-screen
Henry has been married three times: first to Kelley Hill from 2000 to 2002, then to actress Marie Zielcke from 2004 to 2007, and since 2009 to Annalee Fery.
© WireImageHe shares one daughter, Hazel, with his second wife, Marie, and has two children with his current wife, Annalee.
When asked whether he would encourage his children to follow in his footsteps, Henry told The Guardian: “Pursue it when you’re older. I still don’t think it’s a great way to grow up. It was exciting for me, I went to some strange locales and met some interesting people.”
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