Created by Earl Hamner Jr., The Waltons was one of the greatest TV shows of the ‘70s. The iconic period drama had nine seasons and several reunion movies overall. Viewers found themselves fascinated by the world of the eponymous Walton family, which they viewed from the eyes of John-Boy, the eldest son. It has been a long time since then, so what could the cast have been up to all these years? Let us go find out.
Then: Ralph Waite
The family’s patriarch John Walton Sr. on The Waltons, was played by Ralph Waite. He did not only run the family sawmill, but also kept the entire family together despite the challenges presented by the Great Depression and the Second World War. Although John Walton Sr. was generally a wise and good-natured character on the show, he had a tendency to act brashly when under stress and work himself too hard. Apparently, the part originally went to Andrew Duggan who played John Walton Sr. in the pilot TV special titled The Homecoming: A Christmas Story. Needless to say, it is difficult to think of anyone but Ralph Waite in this role.
Then: Ralph Waite
Now: Ralph Waite
When The Waltons ended, Ralph Waite continued to act and starred in different films and TV shows. For example, he played a recurring character called Jackson Gibbs on the popular police procedural, NCIS. He is also credited as the creator of Will Kidder in the 1995 Pulitzer Prize-winning play titled The Young Man From Atlanta. Did you know the actor is a political activist as well? As a Democrat, he ran for Congress in California but lost in the election. He first ran in 1990 when he was up against Al McCandless, though he lost by five points. In 1998, he ran again for a district Sonny Bono left vacant. This time, he suffered defeat at the hand of Mary Bono, Sonny’s widow. The actor died of natural causes at the age of 85 on February 13, 2014.
Now: Ralph Waite
