Ralph Waite
Biography
Ralph Waite was an American actor born on June 22, 1928, in White Plains, New York, and he died on February 13, 2014, at the age of 85. He is best known for his lead role as John Walton Sr. on the 1970s CBS television series The Waltons, which aired from 1972 to 1981 and which he also occasionally directed. Among his other well known television work, he portrayed the slave ship first mate Slater in the mini-series Roots. Later in his career, he appeared as Reverend Norman Balthus in the HBO series Carnivàle and played recurring roles including Father Matt on Days of our Lives, Jackson Gibbs on NCIS, and Hank Booth on Bones.
Career overview
Ralph Waite was an American actor born on June 22, 1928, in White Plains, New York, who lived until February 13, 2014. He is best known for his lead role as John Walton Sr. on the CBS television series The Waltons, which aired from 1972 to 1981, and which he also occasionally directed. Beyond his work on The Waltons, Waite portrayed the slave ship first mate Slater in the mini-series Roots.
Later in his television career, Waite appeared as Reverend Norman Balthus, featuring in 16 out of 24 episodes across the two seasons of the HBO series Carnivàle from 2003 to 2005. He also took on several recurring roles in various television series, including Father Matt on the daytime serial Days of our Lives, Jackson Gibbs, the father of Jethro Gibbs played by Mark Harmon, on NCIS, and Hank Booth, the grandfather of Seeley Booth played by David Boreanaz, on Bones.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
83 titles- Gabe the Cupid Dog (2012) as R.L. Dutton
- 25 Hill (2011) as Ed
- Letters to God (2010) as Mr. Perryfield
- Ace Ventura Jr: Pet Detective (2009) as Grandpa Ventura
- Generation Gap (2008) as Chick
- A Natural Born World-Shaker: The Making of 'Cool Hand Luke' (2008) as Self
- Cane (2007) as Father Mike
- Murder 101: If Wishes Were Horses (2007) as Jacob Brawley
- Grey's Anatomy (2005) as Irving Waller
- Bones (2005) as Hank Booth
- Silver City (2004) as Casey Lyle
- NCIS (2003) as Jackson Gibbs
- Carnivàle (2003) as Norman Belthus
- Timequest (2003) as The Traveler
- Blessings (2003) as Sheriff
- Sunshine State (2002) as Furman Temple
- Spirit (2001) as Jacob Hardesty
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) as Sheriff Montgomery
- The President's Man (2000) as President Mathews
- The Practice (1997) as Walter Josephson
- The Third Twin (1997) as Senator Proust
- A Walton Easter (1997) as John Walton
- The West (1996) as Self (voice)
- Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco (1996) as Shadow (voice)
- The Outer Limits (1995) as Gene Morton
- A Walton Wedding (1995) as John Walton
- A Season of Hope (1995) as Sam Hackett
- Sioux City (1994) as Drew McDermott
- Keys (1994) as Dr. C.J. Halligan
- Sin and Redemption (1994) as Cal Simms
- Cliffhanger (1993) as Frank
- Time Trax (1993) as Lamont Carson
- A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion (1993) as John Walton
- The Bodyguard (1992) as Herb Farmer
- Wild by Law (1991) as Aldo Leopold (voice)
- Shannon's Deal (1990) as Harry
- Crash and Burn (1990) as Lathan Hooks
- Sparks: The Price of Passion (1990) as Orville Lemon
- Snake Treaty (1989)
- Good Old Boy (1988) as Narrator (voice)
- Crime of Innocence (1985) as Frank Hayward
- Murder, She Wrote (1984) as D.A. Paul Robbins
- A Good Sport (1984) as Tommy O'Bannon
- A Good Sport (1984) Executive Producer
- Reading Rainbow (1983) as Self - Narrator (voice)
- The Mississippi (1983) as Ben Walker
- A Wedding on Waltons Mountain (1982) as John Walton
- A Day for Thanks on Waltons Mountain (1982) as John Walton
- Mother's Day on Waltons Mountain (1982) as John Walton
- The Gentleman Bandit (1981) as Father Bernard Pagano
- On the Nickel (1980) as C.G.
- On the Nickel (1980) Director
- On the Nickel (1980) Writer
- On the Nickel (1980) Producer
- The Waltons: A Decade of the Waltons (1980)
- Angel City (1980) as Jared Teeter
- OHMS (1980) as Floyd Wing
- Roots (1977)
- Roots (1977) as Slater
- Red Alert (1977) as Henry Stone
- The Secret Life of John Chapman (1976) as John Chapman
- Dinah! (1974) as Self
- The Stone Killer (1973) as Mathews
- Kid Blue (1973) as Drummer
- The Waltons (1972) as John Walton Sr.
- The Waltons (1972) Director
- The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972) as Jim Mackay
- Chato's Land (1972) as Elias Hooker
- Hot Summer Week (1972) as John
- Trouble Man (1972) as Pete Cockrell
- Nichols (1971) as Sam Burton
- Lawman (1971) as Jack Dekker
- The Grissom Gang (1971) as Mace
- The Pursuit of Happiness (1971) as Detective Cromie
- The Sporting Club (1971) as Olson
- Five Easy Pieces (1970) as Carl Fidelio Dupea
- Last Summer (1969) as Peter's father (uncredited)
- A Lovely Way to Die (1968) as Sean Magruder
- Cool Hand Luke (1967) as Alibi
- The Desperate Hours (1967) as Lt. Fredericks
- The Borgia Stick (1967) as Man from Toledo
- The Mike Douglas Show (1961) as Self
- Bonanza (1959) as Hoby Miles
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Ralph Waite best known for?
Ralph Waite is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Shownieuws (2003), Cane (2007), Grey's Anatomy (2005), The 13th Warrior (1999).
When and where was Ralph Waite born?
Ralph Waite was born on June 22, 1928 in White Plains, New York, USA. They passed away on February 13, 2014.
How many credits does Ralph Waite have?
Ralph Waite has accumulated over 83 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1959 to 2012.
What is Ralph Waite's background in cinema and television?
Ralph Waite was an American actor born on June 22, 1928, in White Plains, New York, and he died on February 13, 2014, at the age of 85. He is best known for his lead role as John Walton Sr. on the 1970s CBS television series The Waltons, which aired from 1972 to 1981 and which he also occasionally directed. Among his o...