Richard Thomas

Also known as the Kirov Opera and Ballet Theater, the Mariinsky Theater, located in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg, is one of the world's most prestigious venues for music and dance. Built in 1859, the building briefly fell into disuse following the Soviet Revolution in 1917, but was reopened as a cultural center that brought high art to the people, and despite extensive damage during the Siege of Leningrad, the building was restored in 1944. Though it played host to some of Russia's most famous performers for over a century and a quarter, the Mariinsky's future became uncertain following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, but under the guidance of artistic director Valery Gergiev, the theater has re-established its reputation as one of the most vital centers for opera and ballet in the world, and attracts fans from all corners of the globe. Sacred Stage: The Mariinski Theater is a documentary which offers a look at this beautiful home to the performing arts, as well as offering glimpses from its distinguished past and energetic present. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

If one didn't know better, one might suspect that the weekly, 60-minute PAX Network series Just Cause was really the theatrical feature Erin Brockovich with different clothes and characters. Richard Thomas headed the cast as celebrated civil attorney Hamilton Whitney III, who maintained a suite of posh offices in San Francisco. Whitney's sense of serenity and decorum was shattered when he hired feisty single mom Alex DeMonaco (Elizabeth Lackey) as a paralegal. Having been thrown into prison because of her ex-husband's financial shenanigans, Alex managed to get a law degree via the internet, but her trumped-up felony conviction prevented her from practicing law on her own. Thus she latched onto the uptight Whitney, and together these two wildly divergent crusaders set about to right all manner of wrongs and to tilt at the windmills of corporate greed and political corruption. Along the way, Alex endeavored to fully clear her name so that she could reclaim custody of her beloved daughter Mia. Just Cause debuted September 15, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Christian kids show Bloodhounds, Inc focuses around a couple of teenage brother-and-sister sleuths named Sean and Melissa Hunter who, together with their gang of investigators known as the Slobs, employ their skills at detective work to solve mysteries in their hometown of Midvale, always learning an important moral lesson along the way. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

The Miracle of the Cards is the true story of eight-year-old English youngster Craig Shergold (Thomas Sangster), who in 1989 is diagnosed with a brain tumor. Although the prognosis is negative, Craig's mother Marion (Catherine Oxenberg) becomes convinced that somewhere in the world there is a cure for the boy's affliction, and that the means of finding that cure is to break the Guinness record for receiving greeting cards. Broadcasting a plea to everyone on Earth, Marion is successful in bringing a whopping 350 million cards to Craig's door -- and yes, one of those cards provides the key for Craig's ultimate salvation. Filmed in Vancouver, The Miracle of the Cards premiered November 10, 2001, over the PAX Network. Richard Thomas, the star of the PAX anthology It's a Miracle, is herein cast as Dr. Kassell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, a middle-aged man juggles his problems with women, literature, and a career, while a younger man chases the artifact of his dreams. Pittsburgh college professor Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) is currently single following his divorce from his third wife; after publishing an acclaimed first novel, Grady has been working on a follow-up, but he's been sidelined by a severe case of writer's block. Grady has more than his writing career to think about; his affair with one of the (married) chancellors at the University of Pittsburgh (Frances McDormand), has resulted in her pregnancy, while Hannah (Katie Holmes), a student boarding at Grady's house, has developed a crush on him. While Grady is obsessed with his book, one of his students (Tobey Maguire) has an obsession of his own: finding a jacket once owned by Marilyn Monroe. Based on the novel by Michael Chabon, The Wonder Boys also features Robert Downey Jr., Rip Torn, and Richard Thomas. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Based on actual events from the early '90s and first aired on the Family Channel, this exciting drama centers on the attempts of one small town to keep the Mississippi river from destroying it. The leaders in this seemingly impossible quest are widower farmer Herb and the Army Corps of Engineers woman he loves. Despite their efforts to shore up the town's levees, the water keeps rising, and the town is increasingly at risk. When a levee up-river breaks, Herb's kids are caught in the flood and a massive search ensues. Finally, just as the town is about to be inundated, Herb finds himself forced to make a difficult decision between the town's welfare and his own. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide