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Ralph Waite was an American actor and political activist, best known for his 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 like Cool Hand Luke (1967), Five Easy Pieces (1970), The Grissom Gang (1971), The Bodyguard (1992), and Cliffhanger (1993).
Birth Name
Ralph Harold Waite Jr.
Born
Friday, 22 June 1928
Died
Thursday, 13 February 2014
Actor Filmography
| Title | Character | Year |
|---|
| Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives | Self | 2017 |
| Larry Kramer in Love and Anger | Richard Weeks | 2015 |
| The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards | Self (In Memoriam) | 2014 |
| Gabe the Cupid Dog | R.L. Dutton | 2012 |
| Off the Map | Abuelito | 2011 |
| 25 Hill | Ed | 2011 |
| Letters to God | Cornelius Perryfield / Mr. Perryfield | 2010 |
| Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Jr. | Grandpa Ventura | 2009 |
| Generation Gap | Chick | 2008 |
| The Cleaner | Jonus Mullins | 2008 |
Actor Filmography
| Title | Character | Year |
|---|
| Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives | Self | 2017 |
| Larry Kramer in Love and Anger | Richard Weeks | 2015 |
| The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards | Self (In Memoriam) | 2014 |
| Gabe the Cupid Dog | R.L. Dutton | 2012 |
| Off the Map | Abuelito | 2011 |
| 25 Hill | Ed | 2011 |
| Letters to God | Cornelius Perryfield / Mr. Perryfield | 2010 |
| Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Jr. | Grandpa Ventura | 2009 |
| Generation Gap | Chick | 2008 |
| The Cleaner | Jonus Mullins | 2008 |
| Cane | Father Mike | 2007 |
| Murder 101: If Wishes Were Horses | Jacob Brawley | 2007 |
| Murder 101 | Jacob Brawley | 2006 |
| Bones | Hank Booth | 2005 |
| Grey's Anatomy | Irving Waller | 2005 |
| Silver City | Casey Lyle | 2004 |
| Blessings | Sheriff | 2003 |
| Cold Case | Felton Metz '07 | 2003 |
| Carnivàle | Reverend Norman Balthus / Norman Belthus | 2003 |
| NCIS | Jackson Gibbs | 2003 |
| Sunshine State | Furman Temple | 2002 |
| Spirit | Jacob Hardesty | 2001 |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Sheriff Montgomery | 2000 |
| Timequest | The Time Traveler | 2000 |
| The President's Man | President Mathews | 2000 |
| Chicken Soup for the Soul | Dad | 1999 |
| Rocket Power | Doc Freimouth | 1998 |
| The Third Twin | Senator Proust | 1997 |
| A Walton Easter | John Walton | 1997 |
| The Practice | Walter Josephson | 1997 |
| The West | Self | 1996 |
| Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco | Shadow / Shadow (voice) | 1996 |
| Homeward Bound 2: Lost in San Francisco | Shadow / Shadow (voice) | 1996 |
| Murder One | Malcolm Dietrich | 1995 |
| The Outer Limits | Gene Morton | 1995 |
| A Walton Wedding | John Walton | 1995 |
| A Season of Hope | Sam Hackett | 1995 |
| Sioux City | Drew McDermott | 1994 |
| Sin & Redemption | Cal Simms | 1994 |
| Keys | Dr. C.J. Halligan | 1994 |
| A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion | John Walton | 1993 |
| Cliffhanger 2 | Frank | 1993 |
| Cliffhanger | Frank | 1993 |
| Time Trax | Lamont Carson | 1993 |
| The Bodyguard | Herb Farmer | 1992 |
| Wild by Law | Aldo Leopold (voice) / Aldo Leopold | 1991 |
| Crash and Burn | Lathan Hooks | 1990 |
| Shannon's Deal | Harry | 1990 |
| Sparks: The Price of Passion | Orville Lemon | 1990 |
| The River Pirates | Narrator | 1988 |
| Crime of Innocence | Frank Hayward | 1984 |
| Murder, She Wrote | D.A. Paul Robbins | 1984 |
| Reading Rainbow | Self | 1983 |
| A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain | John Walton | 1982 |
| The Mississippi | Ben Walker | 1982 |
| Mother's Day on Waltons Mountain | John Walton | 1982 |
| A Wedding on Walton's Mountain | John Walton | 1982 |
| The Gentleman Bandit | Father Bernard Pagano | 1981 |
| Angel City | Jared Teeter | 1980 |
| On the Nickel | C.G. | 1980 |
| OHMS | Floyd Wing | 1980 |
| Red Alert | Henry Stone | 1977 |
| Roots | Slater | 1977 |
| Dinah! | Self | 1974 |
| The Stone Killer | Mathews | 1973 |
| Kid Blue | Drummer | 1973 |
| Trouble Man | Pete / Pete Cockrell | 1972 |
| The Waltons | John Walton, Sr. / John Walton Sr. | 1972 |
| The Magnificent Seven Ride! | Jim Mackay | 1972 |
| Girls on the Road | John | 1972 |
| Chato's Land | Elias Hooker | 1972 |
| Nichols | Sam Burton | 1971 |
| The Grissom Gang | Mace | 1971 |
| Lawman | Jack Dekker | 1971 |
| The Sporting Club | Olson | 1971 |
| The Pursuit of Happiness | Detective Cromie | 1971 |
| Five Easy Pieces | Carl Fidelio Dupea | 1970 |
| Last Summer | Peter's Father | 1969 |
| A Lovely Way to Die | Sean Magruder / Magruder | 1968 |
| N.Y.P.D. | Colfax / Robert Stryker | 1967 |
| Cool Hand Luke | Alibi | 1967 |
| The Borgia Stick | Man from Toledo | 1967 |
| Hawk | Chauffeur | 1966 |
| Bonanza | Hoby Miles | 1959 |
Director Filmography
| Title | Year |
|---|
| The Mississippi | 1982 |
| On the Nickel | 1980 |
| The Waltons | 1972 |
Producer Filmography
| Title | Year |
|---|
| The Mississippi | 1982 |
| On the Nickel | 1980 |
| Year | Type | Category | Won |
|---|
| 1978 | Emmy | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated |
| 1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Series | Nominated |
