Michelle Doris Thomas (September 23, 1968 – December 23, 1998) on September 23, 1968, to Phynjuar "Penwah" Thomas, a stage actress, and musician father Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas (1951–2021), a saxophonist and founding member of the band Kool & the Gang.
As a child, she would accompany her mother to her theater rehearsals and performances. Her mother was her first acting coach, and coached her throughout the course of her career.
Career
In 1983, Thomas appeared in her first television commercial.
From 1988 to 1990, Thomas portrayed Justine Phillips, the girlfriend of Theo Huxtable, on The Cosby Show. She appeared on various television programs, including A Man Called Hawk in 1989 and Thea in 1994. Thomas had a role in Dream Date in 1989 and had a small role in Hangin' with the Homeboys in 1991.
Thomas appeared in music videos for Mint Condition, Chubb Rock, and Dru Hill. Her publicist was Kahdijah Bell, daughter of Ronald Bell of Kool & the Gang.
From 1993 to 1998, she portrayed the role of Myra Monkhouse, the girlfriend of Steve Urkel, on Family Matters. After the sitcom ended in 1998, Thomas portrayed Callie Rogers, an aspiring singer and love interest of Malcolm Winters, on the daytime soap The Young and the Restless. In October 1998, Thomas took a medical leave from the series due to her ill health. Thomas had been in the studio recording music before her sudden turn in health.
Health and death
<!-- Reliable sources from the 1990s state she was vegetarian. Earliest sources indicating she was vegan date to the 2010s.-->
In August 1997, Thomas was diagnosed with a rare cancer, an intra-abdominal desmoplastic small-round-cell tumor (DSRCT). Thomas never smoked or drank alcohol, and was a vegetarian. Her mother added that "they'd give her a sedation that was supposed to put her out for 20 minutes and she'd be asleep for four days. Her body couldn't take it." Thomas underwent surgery to remove a lemon-sized tumor in early 1998. She underwent surgery again in October 1998 after a second cancerous growth ruptured. After being released from a Los Angeles hospital, Thomas flew to her mother’s home in Weehawken, New Jersey, to spend Thanksgiving with her family. Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Thomas's longtime friend and former boyfriend, was among those at her bedside. On December 26, 1998, a Muslim funeral service was held, per her request. She was buried in New Jersey.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1991
| Hangin' with the Homeboys
| Telemarketing Operator
|
|-
| 1999
| Unbowed
| Anna
| Released posthumously
|-
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1988–1990
| The Cosby Show
| Justine Phillips
| 8 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2"|1989
| A Man Called Hawk
| Ruthie Carver
| Episode: "Choice of Chance"
|-
| Dream Date
| Sally Palmer
| Television film
|-
| 1993–1998
| Family Matters
| Myra Monkhouse
| 55 episodes
|-
| 1994
| Thea
| Keanda
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1996
| Duckman
| (Voice role)
| Episode: "Exile in Guyville"
|-
| 1997
| Malcolm & Eddie
| Brooke Bellamy
| Episode: "Roofless People"
|-
| 1998
| The Young and the Restless
| Callie Rogers
| 38 episodes
|-
|}
Music videos
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Artist
|-
| 1996
| "What Kind of Man Would I Be"
| Mint Condition
|-
| rowspan="2"|1997
| "Beef"
| Chubb Rock
|-
| "Never Make a Promise"
| Dru Hill
|-
|}
Honors
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Title of work
! Result
|-
| 1999
| NAACP Image Awards
| Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
| The Young and the Restless
|
|-
|}