Ralph Waite - wikipedia Ralph Waite This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( May 2014 ) Ralph Waite Waite at the 40th anniversary of The Waltons on September 29, 2012 ( 1928 - 06 - 22 ) June 22, 1928 White Plains, New York, U.S. February 13, 2014 ( 2014 - 02 - 13 ) ( aged 85 ) Palm Desert, California, U.S. Cause of death Age - related illnesses Occupation Actor, political activist Years active 1954 -- 2014 Political party Democratic Spouse ( s ) Beverly Waite ( m. 1951 ; div. 1966 ) Kerry Shear Waite ( m. 1977 ; div. 1981 ) Linda East ( m. 1982 ; his death 2014 ) Children 3 daughters ( 1 deceased ) Parent ( s ) Ralph H. Waite and Esther ( née Mitchell ) Waite From The Waltons ( 1972 ), L-R : Ralph Waite, Richard Thomas, and Michael Learned Ralph Waite ( June 22, 1928 -- February 13, 2014 ) 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 a recurring role in NCIS as Jackson Gibbs, the father of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Waite had supporting roles in movies like Five Easy Pieces ( 1970 ), The Grissom Gang ( 1971 ), The Bodyguard ( 1992 ), and Cliffhanger ( 1993 ). Contents 1 Early life 2 Film work 3 Later stage work 4 Personal life 4.1 Political involvement 4.1. 1 Electoral history 5 Death 6 Filmography 6.1 Film 6.2 Television 6.3 As director 6.4 As producer 6.5 As writer 7 Theatre 8 References 9 External links Early life 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. 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. He was a member of the Peninsula Players summer theater program during the 1963 season. Waite made his Broadway debut in Blues for Mister Charlie, and would work on and off - Broadway steadily throughout the 1960s. Film work His film work included roles in Cool Hand Luke, Five Easy Pieces, Lawman, The Grissom Gang, Chato 's Land and The Stone Killer. His later films included The Bodyguard, the part of Frank the helicopter pilot in the 1993 film Cliffhanger and as the mysterious Time Traveller in the Science Fiction Historical Drama film Timequest ( 2002 ). He also voiced Shadow in Homeward Bound II. Later Stage work 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. 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. 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. 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 five percentage points. 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. He was defeated in that election by Mary Bono, Sonny 's widow, and lost to her again that November. On October 21, 1991, Waite introduced then - former California Governor Jerry Brown prior to the latter 's speech announcing his candidacy for the 1992 Democratic presidential nomination. Electoral history Year Office Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct 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 peacefully in Palm Desert, California, of age - related illnesses at age 85. Filmography Film Cool Hand Luke ( 1967 ) as Alibi A Lovely Way to Die ( 1968 ) as Sean Magruder Last Summer ( 1969 ) as Peter 's Father ( uncredited ) Five Easy Pieces ( 1970 ) as Carl Fidelio Dupea The Pursuit of Happiness ( 1971 ) as Detective Cromie The Sporting Club ( 1971 ) as Olson Lawman ( 1971 ) as Jack Dekker The Grissom Gang ( 1971 ) as Mace Chato 's Land ( 1972 ) as Elias Hooker Hot Summer Week ( 1972 ) as John The Magnificent Seven Ride ( 1972 ) as Jim Mackay Trouble Man ( 1973 ) as Pete Cockrell Kid Blue ( 1973 ) as Drummer The Stone Killer ( 1973 ) as Mathews Red Alert ( 1977, TV Movie ) as Henry Stone OHMS ( 1980, TV Movie ) as Floyd Wing On the Nickel ( 1980 ) as C.G. Angel City ( 1980, TV Movie ) as Jared Teeter Good Old Boy : A Delta Boyhood ( 1988 ) as Narrator Red Earth, White Earth ( 1989 ) as Martin Crash and Burn ( 1990 ) as Lathan Hooks Desperate Hours ( 1990 ) The Bodyguard ( 1992 ) as Herb Farmer Cliffhanger ( 1993 ) as Frank Sioux City ( 1994 ) as Drew McDermott Homeward Bound II : Lost in San Francisco ( 1996 ) as Shadow ( voice ) Timequest ( 2000 ) as The Time Traveler Sunshine State ( 2002 ) as Furman Temple Blessings ( 2003, TV Movie ) as Sheriff Silver City ( 2004 ) as Casey Lyle Letters to God ( 2010 ) as Cornelius Perryfield 25 Hill ( 2011 ) as Ed Gabe the Cupid Dog ( 2012 ) as R.L. Dutton Television Look Up and Live ( 1966 ) as Host The Borgia Stick ( 1967, TV Movie ) as Man from Toledo N.Y.P.D. ( 1967 - 1968 ) as Robert Stryker Bonanza ( 1970 ) `` The Lady and the Mark '' as Hoby Nichols ( 1971 ) as Sam Burton The Waltons ( 1972 -- 1981 ) as John Walton, Sr. The Thanksgiving Story ( 1973, TV Movie ) The Secret Life of John Chapman ( 1976, TV Movie ) as John Chapman Roots ( 1977 ) as Third Mate, Slater Waiting for Godot ( 1977, TV Movie ) as Pozzo CBS : On the Air ( 1978 ) as Himself Angel City ( 1980, TV Movie ) as Jared Teeter The Gentleman Bandit ( 1981, TV Movie ) as Father Bernard Pagano A Wedding on Walton 's Mountain ( 1982, TV Movie ) as John Walton Mother 's Day on Waltons Mountain ( 1982, TV Movie ) as John Walton A Day for Thanks on Walton 's Mountain ( 1982, TV Movie ) as John Walton The Mississippi ( 1983 ) as Ben Walker A Good Sport ( 1984, TV Movie ) as Tommy O'Bannon Growing Pains ( 1984, TV Movie ) as Rob Crime of Innocence ( 1985, TV Movie ) as Frank Hayward Reading Rainbow ( 1987 ) Murder, She Wrote ( 1989 ) as DA Paul Robbins Sparks : The Price of Passion ( 1990, TV Movie ) as Orville Lemon A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion ( 1993, TV Movie ) as John Walton Time Trax ( 1994 ) as Lamont Carson Sin & Redemption ( 1994, TV Movie ) as Cal Simms Keys ( 1994, TV Movie ) as Dr. C.J. Halligan A Season of Hope ( 1995, TV Movie ) as Sam Hackett A Walton Wedding ( 1995, TV Movie ) as John Walton Murder One ( 1996 ) as Malcolm Dietrich Orleans ( 1997 ) as Otis Leblanc A Walton Easter ( 1997, TV Movie ) as John Walton The Third Twin ( 1997, TV Movie ) as Senator Proust The Outer Limits ( 1999 ) as Gene Morton Chicken Soup for the Soul ( 1999 ) as Dad The President 's Man ( 2000, TV Movie ) as President Mathews All My Children ( 2001 ) as Bart Spirit ( 2001, TV Movie ) as Jacob Blessings ( 2003, TV Movie ) as Sheriff Carnivàle ( 2003 -- 2005 ) as Reverend Norman Balthus The Practice ( 2004 ) as Walter Josephson Cold Case ( 2007 ) as Felton Metz CSI ( 2008 ) `` Young Man with a Horn '' as Sheriff Montgomery NCIS ( 2008 -- 2013 ) as Jackson Gibbs ( 8 episodes ) The Cleaner ( 2008 ) as Jonus Mullins Ace Ventura Jr : Pet Detective ( 2009, TV Movie ) as Grandpa Ventura Kickin ' It ( 2011 ) as Principal Keener ( 7 episodes ) Days of Our Lives ( 2009 -- 2014 ) as Father Matt ( recurring ) ( final television appearance ) Grey 's Anatomy ( 2009 ) `` Tainted Obligation '' as Irving Waller Bones ( 2009 -- 2013 ) as Hank Booth ( 3 episodes ) Off the Map ( 2011 ) `` On the Mean Streets of San Miguel '' as Abuelito As director The Waltons ( TV series, 1973 -- 80 ) On the Nickel ( 1980 ) The Mississippi ( TV series, 1983 ) As producer A Good Sport ( 1984 ) ( executive producer ) As writer On the Nickel ( 1980 ) Theatre Blues for Mister Charlie ( 1963 ) Hogan 's Goat ( play ) ( 1965 ) The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald ( 1967 ) The Young Man From Atlanta ( 1995 ) References Jump up ^ `` Ralph Waite will be honored in ' NCIS ' season finale ''. USA Today. February 24, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Ralph Waite profile at ''. Filmreference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` Presbyterian Church ( USA ) - Ralph Waite finds a home in church ''. Pcusa.org. August 6, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2010. Jump up ^ Peninsula Players 65th Anniversary Program, 1999 Jump up ^ Interview with Beverly Waite Archived December 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. ; accessed May 19, 2014. Jump up ^ Lyman, Rick ( February 13, 1998 ). `` On Stage and Off ''. New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2012. Jump up ^ http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/BrownA Jump up ^ `` The Waltons ' actor Ralph Waite dies at 85 in Palm Desert '' Archived May 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine., `` Mydesert.com '', February 13, 2014 External links Ralph Waite on IMDb Ralph Waite at the Internet Broadway Database Ralph Waite at the Internet Off - Broadway Database Ralph Waite at the University of Wisconsin 's Actors Studio audio collection Ralph Waite on Biography Channel VIAF : 24167851 LCCN : no92026473 ISNI : 0000 0000 5958 0944 GND : 1028583192 BNF : cb142374474 ( data ) SNAC : w6p01k2b Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ralph_Waite&oldid=822575072 '' Categories : 1928 births 2014 deaths 20th - century American male actors 21st - century American male actors American actor - politicians American male film actors American male voice actors American male television actors Bucknell University alumni Yale Divinity School alumni California Democrats Male actors from New York ( state ) People from White Plains, New York American Presbyterian ministers United States Marines Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Use mdy dates from February 2014 Articles needing additional references from May 2014 All articles needing additional references Articles with hCards Pages using div col with deprecated parameters Pages using div col without cols and colwidth parameters Articles with IBDb links Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Acèh Arpetan Asturianu تۆرکجه Bân - lâm - gú Boarisch Cebuano Čeština Deutsch Dolnoserbski Eesti Español Estremeñu فارسی Français 한국어 Íslenska Italiano Basa Jawa Kernowek Latina Nederlands 日本 語 Papiamentu Polski Português Qaraqalpaqsha Русский Scots Sicilianu Simple English Slovenčina Suomi Tagalog Türkçe Türkmençe Volapük Winaray Yorùbá Zazaki 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 27 January 2018, at 05 : 01. 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Question: who plays leroy jethro gibbs father on ncis
Answer: Ralph Waite