In The News

Waltons actor Ralph Waite passes away

Waltons actor Ralph Waite passes away

THE actor Ralph Waite, best known was his role in the hit TV series The Waltons has passed away. He was 85.

His role as John Walton, the head of a homesteading family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression, not only made him a star but earned him a place in the hearts of millions of fans.

He starred in the show (see below) for its entire run between 1972 and 1981 and even directed a number of episodes. He was nominated for an Emmy in 1978 for his performance. 

Acting was not his first choice of career. After leaving university, he had drifted between a number of jobs. Following a spell as a social worker and then as an editor in a publishing company, he ended up as a Presbyterian minister after studying at the Yale School of Divinity. It wasn’t until the age of 30 that he turned to acting.

His early career was spent playing small roles on stage and in films, including bit parts in Cool Hand Luke (1967), Last Summer (1969) and Five Easy Pieces (1970). He had also earned an Emmy nomination for his performance in the TV mini series Roots. But landing the part in The Waltons was to prove his being break.

Even during his time with the hit series, Mr. Waite would find time to take on roles on stage and in films, including an appearance in a production on Broadway of Waiting For Godot in 1977.

After The Waltons his work on television included the series The Missisippi and a number of TV movies. During the 1990s he continued to appear in a range of television shows, including the series Murder One, and in films including The Bodyguard (1992) and Cliffhanger (1993). 

His former time as a Presbyterian minister must have helped when he played the character of the Reverend Norman Balthus in the TV series Carnivále, which ran between 2003 and 2005.

In recent years, he had landed roles on hit TV shows including Bones and Days of Our Lives. He had also appeared in NICS as the elderly father of Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (played by Mark Harmon).

To see the opening credits of The Waltons, click here.

To view an excerpt from an interview in which Mr. Waite talked about The Waltons, click here.

View previous In the News items: Tributes are paid to veteran comedian Sid Caesar, Former actress Shirley Temple passes away, Funeral takes place of Belfast actress Leila Webster, Songwriter Anna Gordy Gaye passes away, Tributes are paid to actor Maximilian Schell, Actor Eric Lawson passes away, Tributes are paid to Pete Seeger, Slight rise in number of deaths in Northern Ireland, Stargazer John Dobson passes away, Actress Sarah Marshall passes away, Tributes are paid to Sir Christopher Chataway, Tributes are paid to Lord McAlpine, Tributes are paid to Roger Lloyd Pack, Thieves target urn containing ashes of Sigmund Freud, Actress Alexandra Bastedo passes away, Poet Amiri Baraka passes away, Tributes are paid to Paul Goggins, Entertainment mogul Run Run Shaw passes away, Tributes are paid to film producer Saul Zaentz, Local charities hold Christmas appeals, Actress Joan Fontaine passes away, Tributes are paid to screen legend Peter OToole, Tributes are paid to novelist Colin Wilson, Final preparations are made for funeral of Nelson Mandela, Actress Eleanor Parker passes away, Tributes are paid to actor Barry Jackson, Pianist and composer Stan Tracey passes away, National Memorial Service held for Nelson Mandela, Actress Mary Riggans passes away, Tributes are paid to actor Paul Walker, Actress Jean Kent passes away, Tributes are paid to actor Lewis Collins, Leading crossword setter Araucaria passes away, Funeral takes place of Fr Alec Reid, Former Manchester United footballer passes away, Belfast writer is honoured at Westminster Abbey, Tributes are paid to Nobel winning scientist Frederick Sanger, Broadcaster Ray Gosling passes away, Immunologist William Pollack passes away, Oldest person in UK passes away, Tributes are paid to former rugby star Steve Prescott, Hundreds attend the funeral of Eddie McGrady, Hundreds attend funeral of former RAF man, Former broadcaster John Cole passes away, Tributes are paid to pianist Bernard Roberts, Scottish singer Jack Alexander passes away, Jazz musician Frank Wess passes away, Actor Graham Stark passes away, Memorial is unveiled to hero priest, Actress Marcia Wallace passes away, Tributes are paid to Augusto Odone, Tributes are paid to jazzman Tommy Whittle, Singer Noel Harrison passes away, Former US politician Tom Foley passes away, Tributes are paid to actor Kumar Pallana, Character actor Ed Lauter passes away or Chemist Malcolm Renfrew passes away

If you have a relative or a friend who has passed away and feel they should be mentioned in our In the News section, then please email us.