Ralph Waite (June 22, 1928 – February 13, 2014) was an American actor and political activist, best known for his lead role as John Walton Sr. on The Waltons (1972–1981), which he occasionally directed. He also had recurring roles in NCIS as Jackson Gibbs, the father of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and 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).[1]
American film and television actor (1928–2014)
Ralph Waite
Waite at the 40th anniversary of The Waltons on September 29, 2012
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]
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
Year
Office
Democrat
Votes
Pct
Republican
Votes
Pct
1990
U.S House of Representatives District 37
Jeffrey Jacobs 29% Ralph Waite 71%
103,961
44.8%
Bud Mathewson 27% Al McCandless 73%
115,469
49.8%
1998
U.S House of Representatives District 44 (special election)
Ralph Waite
24,228
28.8%
Mary Bono
53,755
64%
1998
U.S House of Representatives District 39 (general election)
Ralph Waite
57,697
35.7%
Mary Bono
97,013
60.1%
Death
On February 13, 2014, Waite died in Palm Desert, California, of age-related illnesses at age 85.[13] He is buried in White Plains Rural Cemetery in New York.
Другой контент может иметь иную лицензию. Перед использованием материалов сайта WikiSort.org внимательно изучите правила лицензирования конкретных элементов наполнения сайта.
2019-2025 WikiSort.org - проект по пересортировке и дополнению контента Википедии