16 Facts About Frankie Thomas

Frankie Thomas was best known for his starring role in Tom Corbett, Space Cadet.

Frankie Thomas appeared in six other Broadway plays between 1932 and 1936, including Little Ol' Boy, Thunder on the Left, Wednesday's Child, The First Legion, Remember the Day, and Seen But Not Heard.

Frankie Thomas developed a lifelong fascination with the character of Sherlock Holmes during this period, when he saw William Gillette perform the part during his farewell tour.

Frankie Thomas's parents found character parts in films, while Thomas played the role of Bobby Phillips for the cameras.

Frankie Thomas often said that the serial was his equivalent of attending college, since he met so many notable silent-film stars who were in the cast.

Frankie Thomas then appeared in a string of "B" films such as Little Tough Guys in Society and Nancy Drew.

Frankie Thomas was commissioned and assigned to the United States Coast Guard.

Frankie Thomas served as third officer on patrols in the Atlantic, and was discharged in Philadelphia in 1944.

In 1949 Frankie Thomas was a regular on two pioneering TV soap operas, A Woman to Remember and One Man's Family.

Frankie Thomas became a regular on the soap opera First Love, but in December 1954, Tom Corbett began on NBC, running until June 1955.

Frankie Thomas turned his hobby of bridge into a career, becoming the editor of several bridge-related periodicals and president of the American Bridge Teachers' Association.

Frankie Thomas traveled the country to compete in bridge tournaments and to instruct in the game's strategies.

In 1957, Frankie Thomas was connected with Nancy Drew when he starred as Carson Drew in a pilot for CBS.

Frankie Thomas often appeared wearing his original Tom Corbett uniform, which he still fit into.

Frankie Thomas died in 2006 at age 85 at a Sherman Oaks, California, hospital of respiratory failure, following a stroke.

Frankie Thomas rests beside his parents at Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills.