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 in NCIS as Jackson Gibbs, the father of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and in Bones, as Seeley Booth's grandfather.
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).
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. 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. He was a member of the Peninsula Players summer theater program during the 1963 season,Peninsula Players 65th Anniversary Program, 1999 and studied under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio.
Career Wait'es first professional role was the chief of police in The Balcony in a 1960 production of the play in New York. In 1963, he made his Broadway debut as the Minister in Marathon '33, written and directed by June Havoc.Playbill, vol. 1 (January 1964) No. 1, Marathon ’33, p. 27. He next appeared in Blues for Mister Charlie, and worked on- and off-Broadway steadily throughout the 1960s. His first film role was in Cool Hand Luke in 1967, followed by multiple other film roles.
Beginning in 1972, Waite appeared in The Waltons for nine seasons and was nominated for an Emmy Award for his portrayal of John Walton Sr., the father of seven children, in the series that followed a Virginia family during the Great Depression. Waite was also the director for 16 episodes of the series.
Waite founded the experimental Los Angeles Actor's theatre in 1975 and served as its artistic director.
In 1977, he appeared in the mini-series Roots and was nominated for an Emmy Award. Other television roles included The Mississippi (1982-1984), Murder One (1996), Carnivàle (2003-2005), and Days of Our Lives (2009-2013).
Waite originated the role of Will Kidder in the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Young Man from Atlanta by playwright Horton Foote, in 1995.
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). He also voiced Shadow in Homeward Bound II.
In the 2000s, Waite had recurring roles in NCIS as Jackson Gibbs, the father of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and in Bones as Seeley Booth's grandfather.
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.Interview with Beverly Waite ; accessed May 19, 2014. 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.
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. He was defeated in that election by Mary Bono, Sonny's widow, and lost to her again that November.
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.Brown Presidential Campaign Announcement, Oct 21 1991
Electoral history YearOfficeDemocratVotesPctRepublicanVotesPct1990U.S House of RepresentativesDistrict 37Jeffrey Jacobs 29%Ralph Waite 71%103,96144.8%Bud Mathewson 27%Al McCandless 73%115,46949.8%1998U.S House of RepresentativesDistrict 44 (special election)Ralph Waite24,22828.8%Mary Bono53,75564%1998U.S House of RepresentativesDistrict 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."The Waltons' actor Ralph Waite dies at 85 in Palm Desert." , "Mydesert.com", February 13, 2014 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 On the Nickel (1980) (Also writer)
Actor Year Title Role Notes 1967 Cool Hand Luke "Alibi" 1968 A Lovely Way to Die Sean Magruder 1969 Last Summer Peter's Father Uncredited 1970 Five Easy Pieces Carl Fidelio Dupea1971 The Pursuit of Happiness Detective Cromie The Sporting Club Olson Lawman Jack Dekker The Grissom Gang Mace1972 Chato's Land Elias Hooker Hot Summer Week John The Magnificent Seven Ride! Jim MacKay1973 Trouble Man Pete Cockrell Kid Blue Drummer The Stone Killer Mathews 1980 On the Nickel C.G. 1980 Angel City Jared Teeter 1988 Good Old Boy: A Delta Boyhood The Narrator 1989 Red Earth, White Earth Martin1990 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 Shadow Voice 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 2012 Gabe the Cupid Dog R.L. Dutton
Television Director Year Title Notes 1973-1980 The Waltons 16 episodes 1983 The Mississippi Episode "Mardi Gras"
Actor Year Title Role Notes 1966 Look Up and Live Host 1967–1968 N.Y.P.D. Robert Stryker 1970 Bonanza Hoby Episode "The Lady and the Mark" 1971 Nichols Sam Burton 1972–1981 The Waltons John Walton Sr. 1977 Roots Slater, First Mate 1978 CBS: On the Air Himself 1983 The Mississippi Ben Walker 1987 Reading Rainbow 1989 Murder, She Wrote District Attorney Paul Robbins 1993 Roseanne Dr. Gerald Baker 1994 Time Trax Lamont Carson 1996 Murder One Malcolm Dietrich 1997 Orleans Otis Leblanc1999 The Outer Limits Gene Morton Chicken Soup for the Soul Dad Rocket Power Doc Freimouth Voice 2001 All My Children Bart 2003–2005 Carnivàle Reverend Norman Balthus 2004 The Practice Walter Josephson 2007 Cold Case Felton Metz 2008 CSI Sheriff Montgomery Episode "Young Man with a Horn" 2008–2013 NCIS Jackson Gibbs 8 episodes 2008 The Cleaner Jonus Mullins 2009–2014 Days of Our Lives Father Matt 2009 Grey's Anatomy Irving Waller Episode "Tainted Obligation" 2009–2013 Bones Hank Booth 3 episodes 2011 Off the Map Abuelito Episode "On the Mean Streets of San Miguel"
TV movies Year Title Role Notes 1967 The Borgia Stick The Man From Toledo 1973 The Thanksgiving Story 1976 The Secret Life of John Chapman John Chapman 1977 Red Alert Henry Stone 1977 Waiting for Godot Pozzo 1980 OHMS Floyd Wing 1980 Angel City Jared Teeter 1981 The Gentleman Bandit Father Bernard Pagano1982-1999 A 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 Easter1984 A Good Sport Tommy O'Bannon Also executive producer Growing Pains Rob 1985 Crime of Innocence Frank Hayward 1990 Sparks: The Price of Passion Orville Lemon1994 Sin & Redemption Cal Simms Keys Dr. C.J. Halligan 1995 A Season of Hope Sam Hackett 1997 The Third Twin Senator Proust 2000 The President's Man President Mathews 2001 Spirit Jacob 2003 Blessings Sheriff2007Murder 101: If Wishes Were HorsesJacob Brawley 2009 Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective Grandpa Ventura
Theatre Marathon '33 (1963) Blues for Mister Charlie (1964) Hogan's Goat (play) (1965) The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald (1967) Other People's Money (play, before the film) (1991, Trinity Repertory Company, Providence, RI) The Young Man from Atlanta (1995)
References
External links
Ralph Waite at the University of Wisconsin's Actors Studio audio collection Ralph Waite on Biography Channel Ralph Waite on Find A Grave