RALPH WAITE BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
 
Ralph Waite was born on June 22nd, 1928 in Plains, New York and was the oldest of five children.  His parents were Esther Mitchell and Ralph H. Waite who worked as a construction engineer.  After High School he served in the Marine Corps from 1946 through 1948 and then he went on to Bucknell University earning his BA.  He took on a number of jobs such as a social worker, religious editor and even worked as a minister after he earned his masters degree from Yale University Divinity School.  When he was thirty years old he began studying acting and realized where his true passion lay.
 
In 1960, he made his stage debut in a production of, "The Balcony" and followed this with a role in Broadway on, "Blues for Mister Charlie" followed by another rile in, "Hogan's Goat" in which he received great reviews.  Ralph then decided to move to the west coast in search of a career in the film industry.
 
He began getting cast in small roles in such films as, "Cool Hand Luke" (1967) starring Paul Newman and George Kennedy, "Five Easy Pieces" (1970) starring Jack Nicholson and "Last Summer" (1969).  He continued to work as an actor on stage while pursuing a career in film and on television in such series as, "The Waltons" (1971) and television miniseries such as, "Roots" (1977) for which he received an Emmy nomination.    

Other television shows that he has appeared on are, "The Secret Life of John Chapman" (1976), "OMHS" (1980) and "Angel City" (1980).  He also started his own production company called, Ralph Waite Productions and his company produced the television series, "The Mississippi" (1982) which he also acted in.     

His later stage work consisted of roles in, "Death of a Salesman" (1998), "The Gin Game" (1999), "Ancestral Voices" (2000) and "This Thing of Darkness" (2002).  In 2009 he also took on a role on the daytime soap opera, "Days of Our Lives".           

Along with a successful acting career, Waite has always had an interest in politics.  He ran twice for a Congressional Seat in 1990 and in 1998, but did not succeed at either.  He also returned to religion and became an active member of the Spirit of the Desert Presbyterian Fellowship in Palm Desert, California.   
 
He has married three times throughout his life, first to a woman by the name of Beverly from 1951 to 1966 with whom he had three daughters.  His second marriage was to Kerry Shear Waite from 1977 through 1981.  His third marriage was to Linda East from 1982 through today.
 
 
Filmography

2011 25 Hill 
2011 Off the Map
2009-2010 Days of Our Lives
2008-2010 NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service 
2010 Letters to God 
2009 Bones
2009 Grey's Anatomy
2009 Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Jr. 
2008 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
2008 Generation Gap 
2008 The Cleaner
2007 Cane
2007 Cold Case
2007 Murder 101: If Wishes Were Horses
2003-2005 Carnivàle
2004 Silver City 
2004 The Practice 
2003 Blessings
2002 Sunshine State 
2001 All My Children
2001 Spirit 
2000 Timequest 
2000 The President's Man 
1999 Chicken Soup for the Soul
1999 Rocket Power
1999 The Outer Limits
1997 The Third Twin
1997 A Walton Easter 
1997 Orleans 
1996 Murder One 
1996 Homeward Bound 2: Lost in San Francisco 
1995 A Walton Wedding 
1995 A Season of Hope 
1994 Sioux City 
1994 Sin & Redemption 
1994 Time Trax
1994 Keys
1993 A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion 
1993 Cliffhanger 
1992 The Bodyguard
1990 Desperate Hours 
1990 Crash and Burn 
1990 Shannon's Deal 
1990 Sparks: The Price of Passion 
1989 Murder, She Wrote
1989 Red Earth, White Earth 
1988 Good Old Boy: A Delta Boyhood
1985 Crime of Innocence 
1984 Growing Pains
1984 A Good Sport 
1983 The Mississippi 
1982 A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain 
1982 Mother's Day on Waltons Mountain 
1982 A Wedding on Walton's Mountain 
1981 The Gentleman Bandit  
1980 Angel City
1980 The Waltons: A Decade of the Waltons 
1980 On the Nickel 
1980 OHMS 
1977 Red Alert 
1977 Waiting for Godot 
1977 Roots
1976 The Secret Life of John Chapman 
1973 Kid Blue 
1973 The Stone Killer
1973 Hot Summer Week 
1973 The Thanksgiving Story 
1972 Trouble Man 
1972-1981 The Waltons 
1972 The Magnificent Seven Ride! 
1972 Chato's Land
1971 Nichols 
1971 The Grissom Gang 
1971 Lawman 
1971 The Sporting Club  
1971 The Pursuit of Happiness
1970 Five Easy Pieces
1970 Bonanza
1969 Last Summer 
1967-1968 N.Y.P.D.
1968 A Lovely Way to Die
1967 Cool Hand Luke 
1967 The Borgia Stick 
1954 Look Up and Live