Ralph Waite

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Ralph Waite in 2012 to mark the 40th anniversary of the premiere of the American television series The Waltons

Ralph Harold Waite (born June 22, 1928 in White Plains , New York - † February 13, 2014 in Palm Desert , California ) was an American actor . His most famous role was that of John Walton from the series The Waltons .

Life

Waite was the oldest of five children. Before starting his acting career, he attended Bucknell University in Lewisburg , Pennsylvania, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA). For a while he worked as a social worker. He completed additional courses at Yale University School of Divinity before turning to acting.

Waite had problems with alcohol from a young age and was already a heavy alcoholic when the Waltons began being made. As Waite later reported on American talk shows, he couldn't go for an hour without alcohol, but the role of the understanding, intelligent father of the extended family prompted Waite to think about his life. He joined Alcoholics Anonymous and has been abstinent ever since . In the seventh season of the series, two episodes were devoted to the problem, among other things, Waite's film role John Walton is portrayed as an alcoholic during his service in World War I. Waite also dealt with the subject with the film Straße der Strauchelte (1980), which he himself produced and directed . Waite was a member of the Democratic Party , he ran several times (in 1990 and 1998) for the Democrats for the US Senate, but unsuccessfully.

Waite was married three times and had three daughters from his first marriage. His stepson Liam Waite is also an actor. Ralph Waite died at his Palm Desert home at the age of 85.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Commons : Ralph Waite  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Obituary of the mirror
  2. ↑ Short biography about Ralph Waite. In: The New York Times, 2010 (accessed February 14, 2014).
  3. ↑ 'The Waltons' star Ralph Waite finds a home in church. Report on the Presbyterian Church USA website from August 6, 2010 (accessed February 14, 2014).
  4. ↑ father of the "Waltons" is dead. Message on n-tv .com (accessed on 14 February 2014) of 14 February, 2014.
personal data
SURNAME Waite, Ralph
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Waite, Ralph Harold (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH June 22, 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH White Plains , New York
DATE OF DEATH February 13, 2014
Place of death Palm Desert , California