Ralph Waite facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ralph Waite
|
|
|---|---|
Waite at the 40th anniversary of The Waltons on September 29, 2012
|
|
| Born | June 22, 1928 White Plains, New York, U.S.
|
| Died | February 13, 2014 (aged 85) Palm Desert, California, U.S.
|
| Resting place | White Plains Rural Cemetery |
| Alma mater | Bucknell University and Yale Divinity School |
| Occupation | Actor, political activist |
| Years active | 1954–2014 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) |
Beverly Waite
(m. 1951; div. 1966)Kerry Shear Waite
(m. 1977; div. 1981)Linda East
(m. 1982) |
| Children | 3 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/ |
 United States Marine Corps |
Ralph Waite (June 22, 1928 – February 13, 2014) was an American actor. He was best known for his main role as John Walton Sr. on the TV show The Waltons (1972–1981). He sometimes directed episodes of the show too.
Ralph Waite also had important roles in other TV series. He played Jackson Gibbs, the father of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, in NCIS. He was also Seeley Booth's grandfather in Bones. Waite appeared in movies like Cool Hand Luke (1967), Five Easy Pieces (1970), The Bodyguard (1992), and Cliffhanger (1993).
Contents
Ralph Waite's Early Life
Ralph Waite was born in White Plains, New York, on June 22, 1928. He was the oldest of five children. His father, Ralph H. Waite, was a construction engineer. His mother was Esther Waite.
He finished White Plains Senior High School in 1946. Ralph Waite served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1946 to 1948. After his military service, he went to Bucknell University in Pennsylvania.
He worked for a short time as a social worker. Later, he earned a master's degree from Yale University's Divinity School. Ralph Waite was an ordained Presbyterian minister. He also worked as a religious editor before he decided to become an actor. In 1963, he started acting on Broadway.
Ralph Waite's Film Roles
Ralph Waite acted in many films. Some of his early movies included Cool Hand Luke, Five Easy Pieces, and The Grissom Gang. He also appeared in Chato's Land and The Stone Killer.
Later in his career, he was in The Bodyguard. He played Frank, a helicopter pilot, in the 1993 movie Cliffhanger. He also voiced the character Shadow in the animated film Homeward Bound II.
Ralph Waite's Stage Career
Ralph Waite had a big success on stage in 1995. He played the role of Will Kidder in the play The Young Man from Atlanta. This play was written by Horton Foote and won a Pulitzer Prize.
Ralph Waite's Personal Life
Ralph Waite was married three times. Two of his marriages ended in divorce. He had three daughters from his first marriage. His oldest daughter, Sharon Waite, sadly died from leukemia in 1964 when she was 9 years old.
One of Ralph Waite's stepsons, Liam Waite, is also an actor. After many years away from organized religion, Ralph Waite returned in 2010. He became an active member of a church in Palm Desert, California.
Ralph Waite's Political Activities
Ralph Waite was also involved in politics. He ran for Congress in California three times. He ran as a Democrat.
In 1990, he ran against Al McCandless but lost. In 1998, he ran in a special election. This election was to fill a seat left empty by the death of Sonny Bono. Ralph Waite was defeated by Sonny's widow, Mary Bono. He ran against her again later that year and lost.
In 1991, Ralph Waite introduced former California Governor Jerry Brown. This was when Jerry Brown announced he would run for president.
Ralph Waite's Death
Ralph Waite passed away on February 13, 2014. He was 85 years old. He died of natural causes in Palm Desert, California. He is buried in White Plains Rural Cemetery in New York.
Ralph Waite: Filmography
Movies
- 1967 Cool Hand Luke as "Alibi"
- 1968 A Lovely Way to Die as Sean Magruder
- 1970 Five Easy Pieces as Carl Fidelio Dupea
- 1971 The Pursuit of Happiness as Detective Cromie
- 1971 Lawman as Jack Dekker
- 1971 The Grissom Gang as Mace
- 1972 Chato's Land as Elias Hooker
- 1972 Hot Summer Week as John
- 1972 The Magnificent Seven Ride! as Jim MacKay
- 1973 Trouble Man as Pete Cockrell
- 1973 Kid Blue as Drummer
- 1973 The Stone Killer as Mathews
- 1977 Red Alert (TV movie) as Henry Stone
- 1980 OHMS (TV movie) as Floyd Wing
- 1980 On the Nickel as C.G.
- 1981 The Gentleman Bandit (TV movie) as Father Bernard Pagano
- 1992 The Bodyguard as Herb Farmer
- 1993 Cliffhanger as Ranger Frank
- 1994 Sioux City as Drew McDermott
- 1996 Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco as Shadow (voice)
- 2000 Timequest as The Time Traveler
- 2002 Sunshine State as Furman Temple
- 2003 Blessings (TV movie) as Sheriff
- 2004 Silver City as Casey Lyle
- 2010 Letters to God as Cornelius Perryfield
- 2011 25 Hill as Ed
- 2012 Gabe the Cupid Dog as R.L. Dutton
Television Shows
- 1966 Look Up and Live as Host
- 1967 The Borgia Stick (TV movie) as The Man From Toledo
- 1972-1981 The Waltons as John Walton Sr.
- 1977 Roots as Slater, Third Mate
- 1977 Waiting for Godot (TV movie) as Pozzo
- 1982 A Wedding on Walton's Mountain (TV movie) as John Walton Sr.
- 1982 Mother's Day on Waltons Mountain (TV movie) as John Walton Sr.
- 1982 A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain (TV movie) as John Walton Sr.
- 1983 The Mississippi as Ben Walker Sr.
- 1989 Murder, She Wrote as District Attorney Paul Robbins
- 1993 A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion (TV movie) as John Walton Sr.
- 1995 A Walton Wedding (TV movie) as John Walton Sr.
- 1997 A Walton Easter (TV movie) as John Walton Sr.
- 1999 The Outer Limits as Gene Morton
- 2003-2005 Carnivàle as Reverend Norman Balthus
- 2007 Cold Case as Felton Metz
- 2008-2013 NCIS as Jackson Gibbs (8 episodes)
- 2009-2014 Days of Our Lives as Father Matt (recurring) (final appearance)
- 2009-2013 Bones as Hank Booth (3 episodes)
- 2011 Kickin' It as Principal Keener (7 episodes)
As a Director
- 1973-1980 The Waltons (TV series)
- 1980 On the Nickel
As a Writer
- 1980 On the Nickel
Ralph Waite: Theatre Roles
- Marathon '33 (1963)
- Blues for Mister Charlie (1964)
- Hogan's Goat (play) (1965)
- The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald (1967)
- The Young Man From Atlanta (1995)
See also
In Spanish: Ralph Waite para niños
