Waite, Ralph 1928(?)–

PERSONAL

Born June 22, 1928 (some sources cite 1929), in White Plains, NY; son of Ralph H. (a construction engineer)and Esther (maiden name, Mitchell) Waite; married Beverly Hall, 1951 (divorced, 1966); married Kerry Shear, August 27, 1972 (divorced, 1980); married Linda East (an interior decorator), December 4, 1982; children: (second marriage) Kathleen, Suzanne; step-children: Liam (an actor). Education: Bucknell University, B.A.; Yale University, B.D.; trained for the stage with Lee Strasberg and Mary Tarchi.

Addresses: Agent—Innovative Artists Talent and Literary Agency, 1505 10th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401.

Career: Actor, director, and producer. Los Angeles Actors Theatre, Los Angeles, founder, 1975, artistic director and member, beginning 1975; Ralph Waite Productions, principal. Worked as a social worker in Westchester County, NY; a Presbyterian minister in Garden City, NY; Harper & Row (publisher), New York City, publicity director and assistant editor of religious books; ABC Club, Indio, CA, member of the board of directors; president of an organization building houses for the poor, Palm Desert, CA. Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, 1990 and 1998. Military service: U.S. Marine Corps, 1946–48.

Awards, Honors: Emmy Award nomination, outstanding single performance by a supporting actor in a comedy or drama series, 1977, for Roots; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding lead actor in a drama series, 1978, for The Waltons; Elliot Norton Award, outstanding actor—large resident company, Greater Boston Theatre Alliance, 1996, for The Young Man from Atlanta; Waite's character of John Walton, Sr. from The Waltons was named one of the greatest television dads of all time, TV Guide, 2004.

CREDITS

Television Appearances; Series:

John Walton, Sr., The Waltons, CBS, 1972–81.

Ben Walker, The Mississippi (also known as On the Mississippi), CBS, 1983–84.

Malcolm Dietrich, Murder One, ABC, 1996.

Bart, All My Children (also known as All My Children: The Summer of Seduction and La force du destin), ABC, 2001.

Reverend Norman Balthus, Carnivale (also known as La feria ambulante), HBO, between 2003 and 2005.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Third mate Slater, Roots, ABC, 1977.

CBS: On the Air (documentary), CBS, 1978.

Voice, The West (documentary), PBS, 1996.

Senator Proust, The Third Twin (also known as Ken Follett's "The Third Twin"), CBS, 1997.

Television Appearances; Movies:

The man from Toledo, The Borgia Stick, NBC, 1967.

John Chapman, The Secret Life of John Chapman, CBS, 1976.

Henry Stone, Red Alert, CBS, 1977.

Floyd Wing, Ohms (also known as OHMS), CBS, 1980.

Jared Teeter, Angel City (also known as Field of Tears), CBS, 1980.

Father Bernard Pagano, The Gentleman Bandit (also known as The Bandit Priest), CBS, 1981.

John Walton, A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain, NBC, 1982.

John Walton, Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain, NBC, 1982.

John Walton, A Wedding on Walton's Mountain, NBC, 1982.

Tommy O'Bannon, A Good Sport, CBS, 1984.

Frank Hayward, Crime of Innocence, NBC, 1985.

Martin Pehrsson, Red Earth, White Earth (also known as Snake Treaty), CBS, 1989.

Orville Lemon, Sparks: The Price of Passion, CBS, 1990.

John Walton, A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion, CBS, 1993.

Cal Simms, Sin & Redemption, CBS, 1994.

Dr. C. J. Halligan, Keys (also known as Keys to Her Past), Lifetime, 1994.

John Walton, A Walton Wedding (also known as John–Boy's Wedding), CBS, 1995.

Sam Hackett, A Season of Hope (also known as The Lemon Grove), CBS, 1995.

John Walton, A Walton Easter, CBS, 1997.

President Mathews, The President's Man, CBS, 2000.

Jacob, Spirit, World International Network, 2001.

Sheriff, Blessings, CBS, 2003.

Jacob Brawley, Murder 101: If Wishes Were Horses, The Hallmark Channel, 2007.

Chick, Generation Gap, The Hallmark Channel, 2008.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Lieutenant colonel Fredericks, The Desperate Hours, ABC, 1967.

Pozzo, "Waiting for Godot," Great Performances, PBS, 1977.

John Walton, Sr., and himself, The Waltons: A Decade of the Waltons, CBS, 1980.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Stryker, "Murder for Infinity," N.Y.P.D., ABC, 1967.

Colfax, "'L' Is for Love and Larceny," N.Y.P.D., ABC, 1968.

Hoby, "The Lady and the Mark," Bonanza (also known as Ponderosa), NBC, 1970.

Sam Burton, "The Specialists," Nichols (also known as James Garner and James Garner as Nichols), NBC, 1971.

Himself, The Merv Griffin Show, syndicated, 1975.

Himself, Dinah! (also known as Dinah and Dinah and Friends), syndicated, 1975, multiple episodes in 1976, 1977.

Voice of himself, "Rumpelstiltskin," Reading Rainbow, PBS, 1987.

District attorney Paul Robbins, "Alma Murder," Murder, She Wrote, CBS, 1989.

Sergeant Lamont Carson, "Missing," Time Trax, syndicated, 1994.

Otis LeBlanc, "Baby–Sitting," Orleans, CBS, 1997.

Father, "Angels Once in a While/Carrie's Gift/A Secret Promise Kept," Chicken Soup for the Soul, PAX TV, 1999.

Gene Morton, "Small Friends," The Outer Limits (also known as The New Outer Limits), Showtime and syndicated, 1999.

Voice of Doc Freimouth, "Fall and Rise of Sam/Typhoid Sam," Rocket Power (animated; also known as RocketPower), Nickelodeon, 1999.

Walter Josephson, "Avenging Angels," The Practice, ABC, 2004.

Felton Metz in 2007, "World's End," Cold Case (also known as Anexihniastes ypothesis, Caso abierto, Cold case—affaires classees, Cold Case—Kein Opfer ist je vergessen, Doegloett aktak, Kalla spaar, Todistettavasti syyllinen, and Victimes du passe), CBS, 2007.

Jackson "Jack" Gibbs, "Heartland," Navy NCIS: Naval >Criminal Investigative Service (also known as Naval CIS, Navy CIS, Navy NCIS, NCIS, and NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service), CBS, 2008.

Jonus Mullins, "Lie with Me," The Cleaner, Arts and Entertainment, 2008.

Host of "Sounds of Alienation," an episode of Look Up and Live, CBS. Some sources cite an appearance in Cane (also known as Los Duques), CBS.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

Rob, Growing Pains, 1984.

Television Supervising Producer; Series:

The Mississippi (also known as On the Mississippi), CBS, 1983–84.

Television Executive Producer; Movies:

A Good Sport, CBS, 1984.

Television Director; Episodic:

The Waltons, CBS, multiple episodes, 1973–80.

"Mardi Gras," The Mississippi (also known as On the Mississippi), CBS, 1983.

Stage Appearances:

Chief of police, The Balcony, Circle in the Square, New York City, 1960.

Minister, Marathon '63, American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) Playhouse (later August Wilson Theatre), New York City, 1963.

Ralph and Judge, Blues for Mister Charlie, American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) Playhouse (later August Wilson Theatre), 1964.

Traveller without Luggage, American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) Playhouse (later August Wilson Theatre), 1964.

Matthew Stanton, Hogan's Goat, American Place Theatre, New York City, 1965.

The Last Days of Lincoln, Theatre deLys (now Lucille Lortel Theatre), New York City, 1965.

Azdak, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Theatre Company of Boston, Boston, MA, 1966.

Henry and Bruno, "The Mutilated," Slapstick Tragedy, Longacre Theatre, New York City, 1966.

Blues for Mister Charlie, Aldwych Theatre, London, 1966.

Andrew Kragler, Drums in the Night, Circle in the Square, 1967.

Defense counsel Rogers, The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald, American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) Playhouse (later August Wilson Theatre), 1967.

Claudius, Hamlet, New York Shakespeare Festival, Joseph Papp Public Theater, Anspacher Theater, New York City, 1967–68, and Mobile Theatre, New York City, 1968.

The father, Watering Place, Music Box Theatre, New York City, 1969.

Orsino, Twelfth Night (also known as Twelfth Night, or What You Will), New York Shakespeare Festival, Joseph Papp Public Theater, Delacorte Theater, New York City, 1969.

The Peacemaker, Theatre Company of Boston, 1969.

Ted, The Killdeer, New York Shakespeare Festival, Joseph Papp Public Theater, Estelle R. Newman Theater, 1974.

Captain, The Father, Circle in the Square, 1981.

Buried Child, South Coast Repertory Theatre, Costa Mesa, CA, 1985.

Joe Keller, All My Sons, Long Wharf Theatre, New Haven, CT, 1986.

Jack Packard, Bunker Reveries, Roundabout Theatre Company, Union Square Theatre, New York City, 1987.

Patty, Half Deserted Street, Actors' Outlet Theater, New York City, 1988.

Chris Christofferson, Anna Christie, George Street Playhouse, New Brunswick, NJ, 1991.

Richard Weeks, The Destiny of Me, Circle Repertory Company, Lucille Lortel Theatre, New York City, 1992–93.

Dirt, Morris A. Mechanic Theatre, Baltimore, MD, 1994.

Will Kidder, The Young Man from Atlanta, Signature Theatre Company, Theatre at Kampo Cultural Center, New York City, and Huntington Theatre, Boston, MA, both 1995.

Hometown Heroes, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Thompson Shelterhouse Theatre, Cincinnati, OH, 1995.

Title role, King Lear, George M. Modlin Center for the Arts, Marsh Art Gallery, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, 1997.

Senator Alan Hughes, An American Daughter, Cort Theatre, New York City, 1997.

Willy Loman, Death of a Salesman, Alley Theatre, Houston, TX, and Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, NJ, both 1998.

Andrew, Lake Hollywood, Signature Theatre Company, New York City, 1999.

The Gin Game, 1999.

Title role, King Lear, Intar 53 Theatre, New York City, 2000.

Ancestral Voices, George Street Playhouse, 2000.

The Personal Equation, Provincetown Playhouse, 2000.

Frank and Donald, This Thing of Darkness, Atlantic Theater, New York City, 2002.

Appeared in other productions, including productions at the Trinity Repertory Company, Providence, RI, 1990–91, and other productions at the Long Wharf Theatre. Member of the Theatre Company of Boston, Boston, MA.

Stage Director:

Come Back, Little Sheba, Trinity Repertory Company, Providence, RI, c. 1992.

Trinity Repertory Company, Providence, RI, guest director, 1992–93.

Film Appearances:

Alibi Gibson, Cool Hand Luke, Warner Bros., 1967.

Sean Magruder, A Lovely Way to Die (also known as A Lovely Way to Go), Universal, 1968.

(Uncredited) Peter's father, Last Summer, Allied Artists, 1969.

Carl Fidelio Dupea, Five Easy Pieces, Columbia, 1970.

Detective Cromie, The Pursuit of Happiness, Columbia, 1971.

Jack Dekker, Lawman, United Artists, 1971.

Mace, The Grissom Gang, Cinerama, 1971.

Olson, The Sporting Club, Avco–Embassy Pictures, 1971.

Elias Hooker, Chato's Land, United Artists, 1972.

Jim MacKay, The Magnificent Seven Ride!, United Artists, 1972.

John, Girls on the Road (also known as Hot Summer Week), Fanfare Films, 1972.

Pete Cockrell (Chalky's partner), Trouble Man, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1972.

Detective Mathews, The Stone Killer (also known as L'assassino di pietra), Columbia, 1973.

Drummer, Kid Blue, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1973.C. G., On the Nickel, Rose's Park, 1980.

Narrator, Good Ole Boy: A Delta Boyhood (also known as The River Pirates), 1988.

Desperate Hours, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1990.

Lathan Hooks, Crash and Burn, Paramount, 1991.

Herb Farmer, The Bodyguard, Warner Bros., 1992.

Frank, Cliffhanger (also known as Cliffhanger—l'ultima sfida and Cliffhanger, traque au sommet), TriStar, 1993.

Chief Drew McDermott, Sioux City (also known as Ultimate Revenge), IRS Releasing, 1994.

Voice of Shadow, Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco (also known as Homeward Bound II: Incredible Journey), Buena Vista, 1996.

The time traveler, Timequest, Destination Earth, 2000.

Furman Temple, Sunshine State, Sony Pictures Classics, 2002.

Casey Lyle, Silver City, Newmarket Films, 2004.

Grandpa Ventura, Ace Ventura Jr. (also known as Ace and Ace Ventura 3), Universal, 2008.

Film Work:

Director and producer, On the Nickel, Rose's Park, 1980.

Director, Sioux City (also known as Ultimate Revenge),IRS Releasing, 1994.

RECORDINGS

Audiobooks:

Jonathon Hull, Losing Julia, Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio, 2000.

WRITINGS

Screenplays:

On the Nickel, Rose's Park, 1980.