Ralph Waite

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Ralph Waite
Ralph Waite.jpg
Waite at the 40th anniversary of The Waltons on September 29, 2012
Born(1928-06-22)June 22, 1928
DiedFebruary 13, 2014(2014-02-13) (aged 85)
Resting place White Plains Rural Cemetery
Alma mater Bucknell University and Yale Divinity School
Occupation(s)Actor, political activist
Years active1954–2014
Political party Democratic
Spouses
Beverly Waite
(m. 1951;div. 1966)
Kerry Shear Waite
(m. 1977;div. 1981)
Linda East
(m. 1982)
Children3

Ralph Waite (June 22, 1928 – February 13, 2014) was an American actor, best known for his lead role as John Walton Sr. on The Waltons (1972–1981), which he occasionally directed. He later had recurring roles as two other heroic fathers; in NCIS as Jackson Gibbs, the father of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and in Bones , as Seeley Booth's grandfather.

Contents

Waite had supporting roles in movies such as Cool Hand Luke (1967), Five Easy Pieces (1970), The Grissom Gang (1971), The Bodyguard (1992), and Cliffhanger (1993). [1]

Early life

Waite, the eldest of five children, was born in White Plains, New York, on June 22, 1928, to Ralph H. Waite, a construction engineer, and Esther (née Mitchell) Waite. [2] He graduated from White Plains Senior High School in 1946. Too young for World War II, Waite served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1946 to 1948, then graduated from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. He worked briefly as a social worker. Waite earned a master's degree from Yale University's Divinity School and was an ordained Presbyterian minister and religious editor at Harper & Row, New York, before deciding on an acting career. [3] He was a member of the Peninsula Players summer theater program during the 1963 season. [4]

In 1963, Waite made his Broadway debut as the Minister in Marathon '33, written and directed by June Havoc. [5] He next appeared in Blues for Mister Charlie , and worked on- and off-Broadway steadily throughout the 1960s. [6]

Film work

From The Waltons (1972), L-R: Ralph Waite, Richard Thomas, and Michael Learned Waltons 1972.JPG
From The Waltons (1972), L-R: Ralph Waite, Richard Thomas, and Michael Learned

His film work included roles in Cool Hand Luke , Five Easy Pieces , Lawman , Kid Blue , The Grissom Gang , Chato's Land , and The Stone Killer . His later films included The Bodyguard , the part of Frank the helicopter pilot in the 1993 film Cliffhanger , and as the mysterious time traveler in Timequest (2002). [7] He also voiced Shadow in Homeward Bound II.

Later stage work

Waite scored a personal triumph when he created the role of Will Kidder in the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Young Man from Atlanta , by playwright Horton Foote, in 1995. [8]

Personal life

Waite was married three times, two marriages ending in divorce. He had three daughters from his first marriage. His eldest daughter, Sharon Waite, died of leukemia when she was 9 years old in 1964. [9] Liam Waite, one of Waite's stepsons, is also an actor. After 50 years away from organized religion, Waite returned in 2010 and became an active member of Spirit of the Desert Presbyterian Fellowship in Palm Desert, California. [3]

Political involvement

Waite ran unsuccessfully for Congress in California as a Democrat on three occasions: In 1990, he challenged veteran GOP incumbent Al McCandless in the Riverside County-based 37th district, losing by 5%. In 1998, Waite ran in the special election for the then-Palm Springs-based 44th district left vacant by the death of incumbent Sonny Bono. [10] He was defeated in that election by Mary Bono, Sonny's widow, and lost to her again that November. [11]

On October 21, 1991, Waite introduced former California Governor Jerry Brown prior to the latter's speech announcing his candidacy for the 1992 Democratic presidential nomination. [12]

Electoral history

YearOfficeDemocratVotesPctRepublicanVotesPct
1990U.S House of Representatives
District 37
Jeffrey Jacobs 29%
Ralph Waite 71%
103,96144.8%Bud Mathewson 27%
Al McCandless 73%
115,46949.8%
1998U.S House of Representatives
District 44 (special election)
Ralph Waite24,22828.8%Mary Bono53,75564%
1998U.S House of Representatives
District 39 (general election)
Ralph Waite57,69735.7%Mary Bono97,01360.1%

Death

On February 13, 2014, Waite died in Palm Desert, California, of natural causes at age 85. [13] He is buried in White Plains Rural Cemetery in New York. The NCIS episode "Honor Thy Father", the season 11 finale, is dedicated to Waite's memory.

Filmography

Film

Director

Actor

YearTitleRoleNotes
1967 Cool Hand Luke "Alibi"
1968 A Lovely Way to Die Sean Magruder
1969 Last Summer Peter's FatherUncredited
1970 Five Easy Pieces Carl Fidelio Dupea
1971 The Pursuit of Happiness Detective Cromie
The Sporting Club Olson
Lawman Jack Dekker
The Grissom Gang Mace
1972 Chato's Land Elias Hooker
Hot Summer WeekJohn
The Magnificent Seven Ride! Jim MacKay
1973 Trouble Man Pete Cockrell
Kid Blue Drummer
The Stone Killer Mathews
1980 On the Nickel C.G.
1980 Angel City Jared Teeter
1988Good Old Boy: A Delta BoyhoodThe Narrator
1989Red Earth, White EarthMartin
1990 Crash and Burn Lathan Hooks
Desperate Hours
1992 The Bodyguard Herb Farmer
1993 Cliffhanger Ranger Frank
1994 Sioux City Drew McDermott
1996 Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco ShadowVoice
2000 Timequest The Time Traveler
2002 Sunshine State Furman Temple
2004 Silver City Casey Lyle
2010 Letters to God Cornelius Perryfield
2011 25 Hill Ed
2012Gabe the Cupid DogR.L. Dutton

Television

Director

YearTitleNotes
1973-1980 The Waltons 16 episodes
1983 The Mississippi Episode "Mardi Gras"

Actor

YearTitleRoleNotes
1966 Look Up and Live Host
1967–1968 N.Y.P.D. Robert Stryker
1970 Bonanza HobyEpisode "The Lady and the Mark"
1971 Nichols Sam Burton
1972–1981 The Waltons John Walton Sr.
1977 Roots Slater, First Mate
1978CBS: On the AirHimself
1983 The Mississippi Ben Walker
1987 Reading Rainbow
1989 Murder, She Wrote District Attorney Paul Robbins
1994 Time Trax Lamont Carson
1996 Murder One Malcolm Dietrich
1997 Orleans Otis Leblanc
1999 The Outer Limits Gene Morton
Chicken Soup for the Soul Dad
Rocket Power Doc FreimouthVoice
2001 All My Children Bart
2003–2005 Carnivàle Reverend Norman Balthus
2004 The Practice Walter Josephson
2007 Cold Case Felton Metz
2008 CSI Sheriff MontgomeryEpisode "Young Man with a Horn"
2008–2013 NCIS Jackson Gibbs 8 episodes
2008 The Cleaner Jonus Mullins
2011 Kickin' It Principal Keener7 episodes
2009–2014 Days of Our Lives Father Matt
2009 Grey's Anatomy Irving WallerEpisode "Tainted Obligation"
2009–2013 Bones Hank Booth 3 episodes
2011 Off the Map AbuelitoEpisode "On the Mean Streets of San Miguel"

TV movies

YearTitleRoleNotes
1967 The Borgia Stick The Man From Toledo
1973 The Thanksgiving Story
1976The Secret Life of John ChapmanJohn Chapman
1977 Red Alert Henry Stone
1977 Waiting for Godot Pozzo
1980 OHMS Floyd Wing
1980Angel CityJared Teeter
1981 The Gentleman Bandit Father Bernard Pagano
1982-1999A Wedding on Walton's MountainJohn Walton Sr. Reunion movies
Mother's Day on Waltons Mountain
A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain
A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion
A Walton Wedding
A Walton Easter
1984A Good SportTommy O'BannonAlso executive producer
Growing PainsRob
1985Crime of InnocenceFrank Hayward
1990Sparks: The Price of PassionOrville Lemon
1994 Sin & Redemption Cal Simms
KeysDr. C.J. Halligan
1995A Season of HopeSam Hackett
1997 The Third Twin Senator Proust
2000 The President's Man President Mathews
2001SpiritJacob
2003 Blessings Sheriff
2007Murder 101: If Wishes Were HorsesJacob

Brawley

2009 Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective Grandpa Ventura

Theatre

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References

  1. "Ralph Waite will be honored in 'NCIS' season finale". USA Today. February 24, 2014.
  2. "Ralph Waite profile at". Filmreference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Presbyterian Church (USA) – Ralph Waite finds a home in church". Pcusa.org. August 6, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  4. Peninsula Players 65th Anniversary Program, 1999
  5. Playbill, vol. 1 (January 1964) No. 1, Marathon ’33, p. 27.
  6. Byrge, Duane (February 13, 2014). "'The Waltons' Actor Ralph Waite Dead at 85". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  7. "R.I.P. 'The Waltons' Patriarch Ralph Waite". Deadline Hollywood . February 13, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  8. Canby, Vincent (January 30, 1995). "THEATER REVIEW; Nameless Menace In Latest By Foote". The New York Times . Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  9. Interview with Beverly Waite Archived December 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine ; accessed May 19, 2014.
  10. Lyman, Rick (February 13, 1998). "On Stage and Off". The New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  11. "'The Waltons' actor Ralph Waite dies at 85". Fox 5 San Diego . February 14, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  12. Brown Presidential Campaign Announcement, Oct 21 1991
  13. "The Waltons' actor Ralph Waite dies at 85 in Palm Desert." Archived May 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine , "Mydesert.com", February 13, 2014