Thomas was born in
San Diego, California in 1922. He grew up in Los Angeles, where his father worked as a
publicist for
Warner Bros.,
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
Paramount Pictures, and
Columbia Pictures. Thomas first joined the Associated Press in Los Angeles in 1943, where he aspired to be a
war correspondent. However, he was assigned as a correspondent in
Fresno, California, where he stayed for more than a year before quitting. He returned to the Los Angeles bureau in 1944 and was appointed as their entertainment reporter. He was also told to use the name "Bob Thomas" as his birth name was thought to be too formal. During his career at the AP, Thomas authored at least 30 books, most of them biographies of prominent film industry personalities, including
Irving G. Thalberg,
Joan Crawford,
Marlon Brando, and
Walt Disney.
Personal life He lived in
Encino with his wife, Patricia. They had three daughters. ==Awards and honors==