Ralph Waite, Dad from "The Waltons," Dies

Age 85

Probably best known for his long-running role as the father to the Waltons clan, in the TV series The Waltons, television and movie actor Ralph Waite has died at the age of 85 at his home in Palm Desert, California.

Waite, an ordained Presbyterian minister, former Marine and social worker turned his skills to acting back in the early 60s, staring in Hogan's Goat alongside Faye Dunaway on Broadway, and small screen roles followed. Then in 1975, Ralph Waite found global fame playing the father in The Waltons, reports the BBC.