Georgiana Bischoff has appeared in over 50 Getty Images photo archives, attended Tony Awards ceremonies, and stood beside one of American television’s most decorated actors for over three decades. She has not given a single solo press interview on record. What she has built in that time — a career rooted in Native American art, a blended family of seven, and a 32-year marriage to The Waltons star Richard Thomas — is the actual story.
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Quick Facts: Georgiana Bischoff
| Full Name | Georgiana Bischoff Thomas |
| Born | 1958, Gallup, New Mexico |
| Age | 67 (as of 2026) |
| Heritage | Pueblo Indian |
| Profession | Native American and Southwestern art dealer |
| Married | Richard Thomas, November 20, 1994 |
| Children | 7 (blended family) |
| Residence | New York City |
| Social Media | None |
A Family Legacy Rooted in Native American Art
Georgiana was born in 1958 in Gallup, New Mexico, to Harold and Alice Bischoff. She is one of nine siblings. Gallup sits at the edge of Navajo Nation territory and has historically been one of the most important trading hubs for Indigenous art in the American Southwest.
That environment shaped the entire Bischoff family. Her brother, Anselm Edward Bischoff, founded Bischoff’s Gallery in 1999 in historic Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona. According to the gallery’s own website, Anselm’s passion for Native American art traces directly to his grandfather, Camillo Garcia, who collected and traded with Indigenous communities at a trading post in Canyon de Chelly. That is a three-generation thread running from a remote canyon trading post to a formal Scottsdale gallery.
Georgiana’s Pueblo Indian ancestry connects to this history on a personal level, not just a professional one. The Pueblo peoples of the American Southwest have a centuries-long tradition in pottery, jewelry, and textile arts. Her career did not happen adjacent to that heritage. It grew out of it.
What Does Georgiana Bischoff Do?
She is a Native American and Southwestern art dealer, professionally connected to Bischoff’s Gallery at 3925 N Brown Avenue in Old Town Scottsdale. The gallery, formally operated by her brother Anselm, carries:
- Native American Classic Era original paintings by artists including Harrison Begay, Andy Tsinajinnie, and DeGrazia
- Hopi Kachina dolls, carved from cottonwood root and central to Hopi spiritual tradition
- Navajo rugs and textiles
- Handcrafted silver and turquoise jewelry through the gallery’s signature Anselm Collection
- Pottery, baskets, and Southwest folk art
The gallery is also associated with Shades of the West, a related operation founded in 1971. Georgiana’s name does not appear on the gallery’s official website, which credits Anselm as founder and proprietor. Her role as a dealer runs through the family connection and her broader work in the Santa Fe and Scottsdale art markets, where she was professionally established before her marriage to Richard Thomas.
Before Richard Thomas
Before November 1994, Georgiana had been married twice. The identities of her former husbands have never been made public. From those two marriages, she has two daughters:
- Brooke Murphy, born around 1980
- Kendra Kneisel, born around 1985
Both were present at her wedding to Richard Thomas. Both were later adopted by him.
How Georgiana Bischoff Met Richard Thomas
Richard Thomas finalized his divorce from first wife Alma Gonzales on June 22, 1993, after 18 years of marriage. Less than a year later, he crossed paths with Georgiana while performing a play in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Neither was expecting to remarry. Both had come out of marriages that had ended badly and both were already raising children on their own.
They exchanged numbers. The relationship developed through the rest of 1993 and into 1994. Georgiana has given one public comment about it: “When the passion came, it was great.”
By November of that year, they were married.
The Wedding — and the One That Followed on Television
The ceremony took place on November 20, 1994, in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, with the San Gabriel Mountains as the backdrop. People magazine covered it in its December 5, 1994 issue under the headline “Mountains of Love.”
What the ceremony looked like:
| Detail | Facts |
|---|---|
| Location | Los Feliz, Los Angeles |
| Guests | Approximately 50 |
| Waltons cast attending | None |
| Georgiana’s dress | Velvet |
| Who walked her down the aisle | Her brother, Anselm Bischoff |
| Best man | Son Richard Francisco Thomas, then 18 |
| Bridesmaids | Richard’s triplets (age 13), Brooke (14), Kendra (9) |
Three weeks after the real wedding, Richard Thomas walked down the aisle again — this time on CBS. His character, John-Boy Walton, married Janet Gilchrist in the network special A Walton Wedding, which aired in December 1994. Georgiana watched from the wings.
In May 1995, the couple held a separate Pueblo Indian ceremony honoring Georgiana’s Indigenous heritage.
Who Are Georgiana Bischoff’s Children?
Between them, Richard and Georgiana brought six children into the marriage and had one son together. Richard legally adopted Georgiana’s daughters after the wedding.
| Child | Parents | Career |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Francisco Thomas (b. 1976) | Richard + Alma Gonzales | Private |
| Barbara Ayalla Thomas (b. ~1981) | Richard + Alma Gonzales | Private |
| Gwyneth Gonzales Thomas (b. ~1981) | Richard + Alma Gonzales | Private |
| Pilar Alma Thomas (b. ~1981) | Richard + Alma Gonzales | Aspiring actress |
| Brooke Murphy Pope (b. ~1980) | Georgiana | Post-production producer |
| Kendra Kneisel Thomas (b. ~1985) | Georgiana | Vinyasa yoga instructor, New York City |
| Montana James Thomas (b. July 28, 1996) | Richard + Georgiana | Poet and author |
As of Richard’s 2020 interview with Closer Weekly, the seven children were living across California, Bend, Oregon, and New York. Richard Thomas is also a grandfather of five.
Montana James Thomas: The Poet
Montana James Thomas is the only biological child Richard and Georgiana share together. Born on July 28, 1996, he lives in Manhattan and has built a genuine presence in New York’s literary scene.
His published work:
- POMERANIAN (Dirt Child Press, 2023) — debut poetry chapbook
- Concerning the Dinner (Everybody Press, 2024) — debut full-length poetry collection, blurbed by actress Isabella Rossellini
- “The Stink” — a column on smell and culture, published in Byline magazine
- Work published in Hanging Loose Magazine, Forever Magazine, Maudlin House, and Blush Lit
- Co-hosts the reading series Straight Girls at KGB Bar Red Room in Manhattan
In a 2024 interview with PAPER magazine, Montana described Concerning the Dinner as “more personal and also more New York and way more freeform and kind of angrier” than his first book. He studied fine arts and has credited poets Russell Edson and James Tate as major influences on his work.
What Richard Thomas Has Said About the Marriage
The most detailed public account of their relationship comes from a December 2020 interview Richard gave to Closer Weekly. His words:
“I’m married to the most honest, straightforward person, so you always know where you stand. There’s a lot of trust between us and we have a lot of fun together.”
On blending two families:
“It wasn’t always easy, blending a family of six kids and then having our own son. That’s a big job. It causes tension and challenges, but we’ve been able to weather every storm and those complicated parts of life.”
A few domestic details have come up across various interviews: Richard cooks on Thanksgiving, Georgiana takes the kitchen at Christmas. They have spoken about regular walks through Central Park as a routine they kept through the years, including during the pandemic.
Georgiana Bischoff in 2026
As of March 2026, Georgiana and Richard have been married for 32 years.
Richard is currently in New York preparing for the world premiere Broadway production of The Balusters, written by Tony Award winner David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon. The play opens at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on April 21, 2026, where Richard plays the role of Elliott Emerson. Before that, he spent the 2025-26 season touring more than 45 cities in Mark Twain Tonight!, the one-man show originally created and performed by the late Hal Holbrook. Thomas is the only actor authorized to perform it.
In 2025, he was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.
Georgiana has no known social media presence. There is no record of a solo public interview. Her professional involvement in Native American and Southwestern art continues through her family’s Scottsdale gallery and her wider connections in the Santa Fe art world.
Thirty-two years in, the most complete public statement she has ever made about the relationship is still the one from the early days: “When the passion came, it was great.”
For a woman who has spent three decades standing adjacent to real celebrity, that kind of economy says more than most interviews would.
