American news figure as the third husband of Roseanne. He went into her employ as a bodyguard-chauffeur in April 1993, when she was still married to Tom Arnold. She gradually fell in love with his 6′ 2″ bulk, 240 lbs, blond hair, green eyes and a smile so genuine, she said, “that it hit me like a sledgehammer.”
A basic, simple guy, Thomas is known for being cool and level-headed, apparently survival traits in an environment that tends to be erratic. His mom has worked at a variety of jobs that include tractor driver and bullfighter, and his dad, Buck, was a sort of gangster-biker-hellraiser. Buck owns a string of bars in Los Angeles. On Ben’s B.C. his dad is listed as Al Thomas, but the family refuses to clarify this point.
Burly young Ben grew up hanging out at Buck’s bars and dropped out of school at 16. Crazy about cars, he worked as a mechanic and body welder before being hired in 1990 as chauffeur and bodyguard for a wealthy Los Angeles couple. Their son introduced Ben to Tom Arnold, and he shifted employment.
In mid-1994, Roseanne filed a final divorce decision from Arnold, and romance blossomed with Ben. Instead of servant’s quarters, Ben moved in with Roseanne in her Brentwood mansion along with three of her four kids.
They married in February 1995 and their son Buck was born 8/05/1995.