Ralph Waite

Ralph Waite was born in White Plains, New York on June 22, 1928. Educated at Bucknell University where he graduated with a BA degree, Waite existed rather aimlessly as a young adult while trying to find his way in the world. Occupations came and went, including social worker, religious editor for Harper & Row, and even Presbyterian minister after spending three years at the Yale School of Divinity. At age 30, however, he began to study acting and found his true life's passion.

Waite made his professional NY debut in a 1960 production of "The Balcony" at the Circle in the Square and was seen on Broadway in "Blues for Mister Charlie" before earning fine reviews in 1965 alongside Faye Dunaway in "Hogan's Goat".

His eldest daughter, Sharon Waite, died of leukemia when she was 9 years old in 1964.

After his divorce, at age 38, he moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1966, to pursue a career in acting. His two daughters stayed with his ex-wife in New York.

This was enough to encourage him to move West where he began collecting bit parts in prestigious movies, including Cool Hand Luke (1967) and Five Easy Pieces (1970).

One of those films, the coming-of-age Last Summer (1969) starred an up-and-coming talent named Richard Thomas, who, of course, would figure prominently in Waite's success story in years to come. Waite continued to thrive as well on the stage appearing in both contemporary plays ("The Trial of Lee Harvey Osward") as well as Shakespearean classics (Claudius in "Hamlet" and Orsino in "Twelfth Night").

Is almost 3 months younger than James Garner. He guest-starred with him on an episode of Nichols (1971), and died 5 months before him.

Stardom came for him in the form of the gentle, homespun Depression-era series The Waltons (1972). In the TV-movie pilot, the roles of John and Olivia Walton were played by Andrew Duggan and Patricia Neal. The Earl Hamner Jr.. series, however, would welcome Waite along with Michael Learned, and make both, as well as Richard Thomas playing their son John-Boy, household names. Waite also directed several episodes of the series during the nine seasons. Throughout the seventies, he strove to expand outside his Walton patriarchal casting with other TV mini-movie endeavors.

The Waltons (1972), which earned him an Emmy nomination, ended in 1981 and Waite ventured on to other TV character roles during the 80s and 90s but less visibly.

Waite also founded the Los Angeles Actors Theatre in 1975 and served as its artistic director.

Those included Roots (1977), for which he received an Emmy nomination, the title role in The Secret Life of John Chapman (1976), OHMS (1980), Angel City (1980) and The Gentleman Bandit (1981).

Notable was his role as Pozzo in Waiting for Godot (1977), which was televised by PBS, and a return to Broadway with "The Father" in 1981.

He also appeared in a few films including On the Nickel (1980) which he wrote and directed. Throughout the run of the series, Waite continued to revert back to his theater roots from time to time.

In his second TV series The Mississippi (1982), which was produced by his company Ralph Waite Productions, he played a criminal lawyer who abandoned his practice (almost) for a leisurely life captaining a riverboat. It lasted only a year.

Executive Producer of Ralph Waite Productions from 1983 to 1984.

When Waite's class had a 40th reunion in 1986, but he was starring in a play in New Haven. Unable to attend the main reunion dinner, he showed up for a brunch the following day.

Had conducted a memorial service for his aunt, Grace Haviland Waite, at the Quaker Meeting House in Purchase, New York, in 1989.

He twice ran unsuccessfully for a Congressional seat -- in 1990 and 1998.

There have been other more recent theater excursions including "Death of a Salesman" (1998), "The Gin Game" (1999), "Ancestral Voices (2000) and "This Thing of Darkness" (2002).

A Palm Desert resident during his second attempt, the 70-year-old Californian was a Democratic hopeful for a seat left vacant by the late Sonny Bono after his fatal skiing accident in 1998. He was ultimately defeated by Bono's widow, Mary Bono.

Did not attend the funeral of Ellen Corby, when the actress passed away in 1999.

He also had a recurring role on the offbeat HBO series Carnivàle (2003) and in 2009 began putting time in on the daytime soap Days of Our Lives (1965) as Father Matt. Waite was able to carry with him a certain grizzled, rumpled, craggy-faced, settled-in benevolence, although he was quite capable of villainy. He always seemed more comfortable in front of the camera wearing a dusty pair of work clothes than a suit.

He continued to act well into his 80s, most notably playing the father of Mark Harmon on NCIS (2003). For many years, Waite had held passionate political ambitions.

John Walton Sr., Waite's character on The Waltons (1972), was ranked #3 by TV Guide in its list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue].

In 2008, veteran actor James Garner was planning to come out of retirement from on camera roles when he was cast in NCIS (2003), but having a stroke soon after being cast, prevented him from doing it. The role was ultimately given to Waite, who was also born in 1928, but whose health was holding up rather better at that time. In the end, Waite passed away five months before Garner.

His former mother-in-law, Pearl Shear, died in 2009 and lived to be age 91. Shear guest-starred on The Waltons (1972) with him.

Waite died in Palm Desert, California on February 13, 2014, at age 85.