Known primarily as a TV actor, he starred as a nightclub singer on the popular The Danny Thomas Show.

He also served TV behind the cameras partnering with Sheldon Leonard and Aaron Spelling to create such shows as 'Dick van Dyke' 's show, "Dick Van Dyke Show, The" (1961)_ , "Andy Griffith Show, The" (1960) and "Mod Squad, The" (1968)_ .

He was also dedicated to building the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, which he founded in 1962.


Father of Tony Thomas, Marlo Thomas, and Terre Thomas. Though he was a spokesman for Sanka brand Decaffeinated Coffee, he later confessed that he never drank it. He claimed he could drink cup after cup of Maxwell House Coffee and still fall asleep mere minutes later. Danny Thomas was a founding minority owner of the NFL team "Miami Dolphins." Danny Williams, Thomas's character on "Make Room for Daddy" (1953), was ranked #5 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue]. Guest speaker at the 1973 National Boy Scout Jamboree in Butler, Pennsylvania. Godmother of his daughter Marlo Thomas was Loretta Young.