Many of us know her best from That Girl and as Rachel's mom on Friends, but the truth is Marlo Thomas carries many other identities as well. She is the daughter of Danny Thomas, wife of talk show host Phil Donahue, producer, and philanthropist.

Born as Margaret Julia Thomas on November 21, 1935, in Detroit, Michigan, to comedian Danny Thomas and his wife Rose Marie Mantell, she was called Margie. She has a brother, Tony Thomas, a producer of television shows such as The Golden Girls and Blossom, and the movie Dead Poets Society. Her sister, Terre Thomas, had roles on both her father's and brother's television shows.

Danny Thomas did not want his daughter to pursue acting, at least not right away, and he encouraged her to finish college before beginning an acting career. She did so after finishing Beverly Hills High School, earning a teaching degree from the University of Southern California. As she entered the world of acting, appearing in a few episodes of established television series such as The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and 77 Sunset Strip, she then played Joey's sister on The Joey Bishop Show. When her turn on this show ended, she returned to guest star spots on shows, appearing on Bonanza, McHale's Navy, and The Donna Reed Show.