Ralph Harold Waite Jr. was born on 22nd June 1928, in White Plains, New York State USA, and was an actor, director and politician as well, possibly best known to the world for appearing in the role of John Walton, Sr. in the popular TV series “The Waltons” (1972-1981), and in films “The Bodyguard” (1992) as Herb Farmer, and as Frank in “Cliffhanger” (1993), among other roles. Ralph passed away in 2014.
Have you ever wondered how rich Ralph Waite was, at the time of his death? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Ralph`s net worth was as high as $2 million, earned through his successful career in the entertainment industry, during which he made more than 80 film and TV appearances. Also, Ralph also tried himself in politics, but without any major success.
Ralph Waite Net Worth $2 Million
Ralph is the first born child of Ralph H. Waite and his wife Esther. He served in the US Marine Corps for two years, before he enrolled at Bucknell University, located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. After graduation he found a job as a social worker, but then furthered his education, obtaining a master`s degree from Yale University Divinity School. He was then ordained a Presbyterian minister, while also working as a religious editor for Harper & Row.
Ralph decided to become an actor in the early ‘60s, and began with the Peninsula Players summer theater program through the 1963 season, and later started to feature on stage, before making his Broadway debut in “Blues for Mister Charlie” (1964). He remained active on stage during the ‘60s, but eventually became more focused on films and TV.
He made his first TV appearance in the series “Hawk” (1966), and just a year later made his film debut in the Stuart Rosenberg`s Oscar-winning “Cool Hand Luke”. Before the end of the decade, Ralph also had roles in “A Lovely Way to Die” (1968), starring Kirk Douglas, among other appearances, which only increased his net worth.
Ralph started the ‘70s quite successfully, landing appearances in such films as “The Pursuit of Happiness” (1971), “Chato`s Land” (1972) with Charles Bronson, and “Trouble Man” (1972), before he got the role of John Walton, Sr in “The Waltons” (1972-1981), which role celebrated him as an actor, and increased his net worth by a large margin, as he appeared in 196 episodes. While the show lasted, Ralph stayed active on the map, and made numerous film appearances, including in such films as “Kid Blue” (1973), then a lead role in “The Secret Life of John Chapman” (1976), and his directorial debut with “On the Nickel” (1980).
In the early 80s, Ralph had featured as John Walton in television films about the famous fictional family, such as “A Wedding on Walton`s Mountain” (1982), “Mother`s Day on Walton Mountain” (1982), “A Day for Thanks on Walton`s Mountain” (1982), but also had many other roles throughout the decade, including in such productions as “The Mississippi” (1983-1984) as Ben Walker, then “Crime of Innocence” (1985) starring Andy Griffith, and the “The River Pirates” in 1988, with Richard Farnsworth and Ryan Francis in lead roles. His net worth was rrising.
The next decade was one of the most successful ones for Ralph as he appeared in several high profile films, such as Mick Jackson`s Oscar-nominated “The Bodyguard” (1992) next to Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, then Renny Harlin`s “Cliffhanger” (1993), which also received Oscar Award nominations, with Sylvester Stallone and John Lithgow, “A Season of Hope” (1995), and the TV series “Murder One” (1996), in which he portrayed Malcolm Dietrich.
Ralph started the new millennium with a role in action thriller “The President`s Man” (2000), with Chuck Norris in the lead role, and two years later featured in the romantic drama “Sunshine State”. In 2003 he was cast as Reverend Norman Balthus in the TV series “Carnivale” (2003-2005), and had small roles in low-budget films such as “Silver City” (2004), and “Murder 101: If Whises Were Horses.
In 2008 he re-emerged as Jackson Gibbs in the popular crime drama TV series “NCIS” (2008-2013), while also securing the role of Father Matt in the soap opera “Days of Our Lives”, which he played from 2009 until 2014, increasing his net worth by a large margin. Ralph also had roles in films such as Bill Norton`s “Generation Gap” (2008), “Letter to God” (2010), and Corbin Bernsen`s “25 Hill” (2011), all of which added further to his net worth.
Regarding his personal life, Ralph was married three times. His first wife was Beverly Hall(1951-66); the couple had three children. Secondly, he married Kerry Shear Waite in 1977 and divorced four years later. Just a year later he married Linda East, with whom he remained until his death. Ralph passed away on 13th February 2014 at 85 years of age.
