Ralph Waite agrees. "After reading the script, I was hooked," said Waite. "I knew I wanted to be a part of the message Old Henry sends to people of all ages. It's written so honestly, directly and ...

The man who played the patriarch on CBS’ long-running series The Waltons has died. Ralph Waite was 85. He also had been recurring since 2008 as Papa Gibbs, the father of Mark Harmon’s ...

Ralph Waite, best known for starring in the CBS series “The Waltons” from 1972 to 1981, died Thursday at his home in Palm Desert, Calif., at the age of 85. The actor played John Walton Sr., ...

Ralph Waite, who was beloved to TV viewers as the ultimate father figure, John Walton, on The Waltons, has died. He passed away at midday on Thursday at his home in South Palm Desert, Steve Gordon ...

LOS ANGELES — Ralph Waite, who played the kind-and-steady patriarch of a tight-knit rural Southern family on the TV series “The Waltons,” died Thursday, his manager said. He was 85.

Ralph Waite, the actor known to millions as the kind patriarch John Walton, Sr. on "The Waltons," died at home in Palm Desert, Calif., on Thursday, NBC News confirms. He was 85. On "The Waltons ...