Ralph Waite

Acting

Ralph Waite

Born 1928-06-22 · White Plains, New York, USA

Ralph Waite (June 22, 1928 – February 13, 2014) was an American actor. His most famous role may be John Walton Sr. on the 1970s CBS TV series The Waltons, which he occasionally directed. He is also well known for his portrayal of the slave ship first mate Slater in the mini-series Roots. Later in his career, he appeared as Reverend Norman Balthus for 16 out of 24 episodes over the two seasons of the HBO series Carnivàle (2003–2005). He portrayed the recurring roles of Father Matt on the daytime serial Days of our Lives, of Jethro Gibbs's (Mark Harmon) father, Jackson Gibbs, on NCIS and of Seeley Booth's (David Boreanaz) grandfather, Hank Booth on Bones.

Acting credits

The Bodyguard poster
6.7

A former Secret Service agent grudgingly takes an assignment to protect a pop idol who's threatened by a crazed fan. At first, the safety-obsessed bodyguard and the self-indulgent diva totally clash. But before long, all that tension sparks fireworks of another sort, and the love-averse tough guy is torn between duty and romance.

The Bodyguard

1992

Cliffhanger poster
6.5

A year after losing his friend in a tragic 4,000-foot fall, former ranger Gabe Walker and his partner, Hal, are called to return to the same peak to rescue a group of stranded climbers, only to learn the climbers are actually thieving hijackers who are looking for boxes full of money.

Cliffhanger

1993

Cool Hand Luke poster
7.7

When petty criminal Luke Jackson is sentenced to two years in a Florida prison farm, he doesn't play by the rules of either the sadistic warden or the yard's resident heavy, Dragline, who ends up admiring the new guy's unbreakable will. Luke's bravado, even in the face of repeated stints in the prison's dreaded solitary confinement cell, "the box," make him a rebel hero to his fellow convicts and a thorn in the side of the prison officers.

Cool Hand Luke

1967

Chato's Land poster
6.5

In 1870s New Mexico, a half-breed kills a bigoted sheriff in self-defense but the posse that eventually hunts him finds itself in dangerous territory.

Chato's Land

1972

The Magnificent Seven Ride! poster
5.7

Marshal Chris Adams turns down a friend's request to help stop the depredations of a gang of Mexican bandits. When his wife is killed by bank robbers and his friend is killed capturing the last thief, Chris feels obligated to take up his friend's cause and recruits a writer and five prisoners to destroy the desperadoes.

The Magnificent Seven Ride!

1972

Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco poster
6.6

When the pets accidentally get separated from their vacationing owners, Chance, Shadow, and Sassy navigate the mean streets of San Francisco, trying to find their home across the Golden Gate Bridge. But the road is blocked by a series of hazards, both man and beast.

Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco

1996

Five Easy Pieces poster
7.1

Robert Dupea spends his days doing various odd jobs, drinking and womanizing until an encounter with his sister makes him revisit his past.

Five Easy Pieces

1970

Blessings poster
6.5

Released from jail after a term basically served instead of friends he refused to rat out, Charles 'Skip' Cuddy is grateful his gentleman instinct gets him a job with living quarters as handyman on a semi-destitute estate Blessings. Working hard, he wins further confidence from the owner, bitter widow Lydia Blessing, unlike her in-living bitch nurse Jennifer. When a baby is left at the state, Skip takes it in and secretly cares for it. Lydia eventually finds out but sides with him, feeling robbed of grandchildren by her careerist only daughter Meredith. Then Skip's past comes knocking, and the baby's birth parents.

Blessings

2003

Ace Ventura Jr: Pet Detective poster
3.4

"I will try to be normal" 12-year-old Ace Ventura Jr. promises. Thats cool, except whats normal for him is finding missing mutts, kidnapped kitties or gone gators and creating hilarious chaos every step of the way.

Ace Ventura Jr: Pet Detective

2009

Sunshine State poster
6.4

A woman and her new husband returns to her hometown roots in coastal northern Florida, and must deal with family, business, and encroaching real estate development.

Sunshine State

2002

Gabe the Cupid Dog poster
6.3

When Eric and Marsha break off their long-term relationship, journalist Eric is able to weather it pretty well. He still has his long time canine companion Gabe, and his boss, Ms Andrews, wants to send him to London to open an office. But first Ms Andrews says Eric must find out the true identity of the best-selling author R L Dutton. A bigger obstacle for Eric's trip, however, comes from his dog. Gabe does not want to face six months in quarantine with big pit bulls and mastiffs waiting for an OK to the UK. Getting ideas from a pretty TV host, Gabe acts as Cupid Dog, doing his best to bring Eric and their neighbor Sara together. Gabe's plan works, only to go up in smoke when Eric realizes Sara is the mysterious author. Now Sara thinks Eric was just using her for a story before leaving for London. Gabe the Cupid Dog must go to new lengths to get Sara and Eric to tie the "leash."

Gabe the Cupid Dog

2012

Letters to God poster
6.8

A young boy fighting cancer writes letters to God, touching lives in his neighborhood and inspiring hope among everyone he comes in contact. An unsuspecting substitute postman, with a troubled life of his own, becomes entangled in the boy's journey and his family by reading the letters. They inspire him to seek a better life for himself and his own son he's lost through his alcohol addiction.

Letters to God

2010

Lawman poster
6.5

While passing through the town of Bannock, a bunch of drunken cattlemen go overboard with their celebrating and accidentally kill an old man with a stray shot. They return home to Sabbath unaware of his death. Bannock lawman Jered Maddox later arrives there to arrest everyone involved on a charge of murder. Sabbath is run by land baron Vince Bronson, a benevolent despot, who, upon hearing of the death, offers restitution for the incident.

Lawman

1971

The Stone Killer poster
6.3

A Los Angeles detective is sent to New York where he must solve a case involving an old Sicilian Mafia family feud.

The Stone Killer

1973

Last Summer poster
6.2

During summer vacation on Fire Island, three young people become very close. When an uncool girl tries to infiltrate the trio's newly found relationship, they construct an elaborate plot that has violent results.

Last Summer

1969

Sioux City poster
5.0

A young Lakota Sioux, adopted by a wealthy Jewish couple in Beverly Hills, gets in touch with his cultural roots and solves a mystery in this thriller.

Sioux City

1994

The President's Man poster
4.7

To many, Joshua McCord is a charismatic Asian studies professor. To the President of the United States, he's America's greatest secret weapon; a covert operative charged with only the most sensitive and dangerous missions.

The President's Man

2000

Silver City poster
6.1

The discovery of a corpse and the ensuing probe by an idealistic journalist threatens to unravel a bumbling local politician's campaign for governor of Colorado.

Silver City

2004

Spirit poster
6.1

When Kelly and her father move to New Orleans after the death of her mother, strange things start happening in their new home. Kelly is convinced that the house is haunted by a ghost who needs her help. Her father does not believe her, so she enlists her friend Cole to help discover the truth.

Spirit

2001

Crash and Burn poster
4.3

Unicom is a powerful organization overseeing most of the world after its economic collapse. They have banned computers and robots in an attempt to insure "life, liberty, and the pursuit of economic stability". When a Unicom Synth robot infiltrates a southwest TV station and kills the manager, a revolutionary against the gestapo-like corporation, a lowly Unicom delivery man must help the rest of the station survive through the incoming "thermal storm".

Crash and Burn

1990

The Grissom Gang poster
6.7

Violent crime caper set in 1930s Kansas in which a gang kidnap an heiress and attempt to recover a ransom. However, the scheme is jeopardised when the leader falls in love with their beautiful captive.

The Grissom Gang

1971

A Lovely Way to Die poster
4.8

A cop quits the force after too much disappointment in the system. He becomes a bodyguard of a rich recent widow. She is on trial for her husband's murder. He decides to help her clear her name... and get over her husband.

A Lovely Way to Die

1968

The Pursuit of Happiness poster
6.2

William Popper is the son of a stockbroker and is thoroughly disenchanted with "the system." So much so that even though he can prove that he ran over a woman in his car entirely by accident, he accepts a sentence for manslaughter.

The Pursuit of Happiness

1971

Kid Blue poster
7.0

Bickford Waner, an apparently naive young man from Fort Worth, arrives in the tiny Texas town of Dime Box and takes on a variety of menial jobs. He's befriended by Reese Ford and his wife Molly, but before long Molly has seduced Bickford. Only with the arrival of Bickford's former girlfriend Janet Conforto is it revealed that Bickford is actually the notorious train robber Kid Blue. Humiliated by a scandal arising from his affair with his friend's wife, Bickford gives up on going straight and plots a crime.

Kid Blue

1973

Behind the camera