Ralph Waite Best known as John Walton Played a great dad !

[ladybritney]

hello . About 3 weeks ago at the MOST a month. End of May or so sent out a request to Ralph Waite . I just LOVED him as John Walton. I THOUGHT HE PLAYED A GREAT DAD !! As of June 23 th got it in the mail ( USED THIS ADDRESS ) Primary Address:

Ralph Waite
P.O. Box 810
Palm Desert, CA 92261-0810
USA. GOOD LUCK TO ALL THAT USE IT !! . Ralph Waite made his professional debut in the off-Broadway production The Balcony at New York’s Circle in the Square in 1960 and was also seen on Broadway in Blues for Mister Charlie. His debut in The Balcony proved to be disastrous and for this reason, he regards 1965’s Hogan’s Goat as the true beginning to his professional career. In this production, he played opposite Faye Dunaway and earned fine reviews. After achieving some success on Broadway, Waite was encouraged to move west, at which time he began to collect small parts in such prestigious movies as Cool Hand Luke (1967), starring Paul Newman, and Five Easy Pieces (1970), starring Jack Nicholson, a movie which launched his film and television career. Another film, the coming-of-age Last Summer (1969), starred a young talent named Richard Thomas, who would figure prominently in Waite’s successful career in years to come.

In 1972, Waite was cast in The Waltons, a new drama series on CBS based on Earl Hamner Jr.’s 1961 novel Spencer’s Mountain. The show centered on a close-knit family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. Waite was cast as the family’s patriarch, John Walton Sr., along with Michael Learned, who portrayed his wife Olivia. The role would make him a household name, as well as Learned and Thomas, who played his eldest son, John-Boy. The Waltons, of which he directed 15 episodes, earned Waite an Emmy nomination and ended in 1981. He would later reprise the role of John Walton in a number of Waltons television movies throughout the 1980s and ‘90s. Waite would go on to pursue other TV character roles over the next two decades but none of them were as visible as that of John Walton.

After The Waltons ended, Waite decided to do his second TV series in 1983 with The Mississippi, which was produced by his own company, Ralph Waite Productions. In this series he cast himself as a criminal attorney who abandons his practice and leaves the city to pursue a longtime dream of a leisurely life captaining a riverboat. Unfortunately the series did not fare well and was cancelled after one season.

Aside from his work on The Waltons, Waite also landed prominent roles in numerous TV movies during the 1970s and ‘80s, including the role of the slave ship first mate Slater in the blockbuster mini-series Roots (1977), for which he received an Emmy nomination. He also starred in The Secret Life of John Chapman (1976), in which he played the title role, OHMS (1980), Angel City (1980), and The Gentleman Bandit (1981). He also appeared in a few films, most notably in his first feature film, On the Nickel (1980). Waite wrote, produced, directed and distributed the film and also financed it by drawing a year’s advance on his salary on The Waltons.

[RYAN-J]

Congrats! do you have a scan of the photo?? I'm going to the Waltons Reunion this year in October and David Harper (Jim-bob), Mary McDonough (Erin), Jon Walmsley (Jason) and Eric Scott (Ben) are all planning on attending this year as the special VIP guests!! Going to be so much fun!

RYAN-J

[ladybritney]

No sorry no scan yet. how kool where will this be .I would like to be there. I see you are from Michigan . I have family there in Ann Arbor.

[admin]

Hi ladybritney

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[RYAN-J]

No sorry no scan yet. how kool where will this be .I would like to be there. I see you are from Michigan . I have family there in Ann Arbor.

The reunion will be held in Lynchburg, VA on October 22nd and 23rd. at the Kirkley Hotel.

RYAN-J