Richard Earl Thomas (born June 13, 1951) is an American actor. He is best known for his leading role as budding author

John-Boy Walton ''The Waltons'' is an American television series that aired for nine seasons (1972–1981) on CBS. A further six TV movies aired in the 1980s and 1990s. Below is a list of the series characters and the actors who played them. Main characters John ...

in the CBS drama series ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book '' Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 fil ...

'' for which he won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

. He also received another Emmy nomination and two

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

nominations, for that role. Thomas later starred in the 1990 television mini-series adaptation of

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high ...

's epic horror novel '' It'', and played Special Agent Frank Gaad on FX's spy thriller series ''

The Americans ''The Americans'' is an American period spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg that aired on the FX television network for six seasons from January 30, 2013, to May 30, 2018. Weisberg and Joel Fields also serve as showrunners a ...

''. More recently, he appeared in Netflix's '' Ozark'' and is touring with ''

To Kill a Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' has become ...

'' as

Atticus Finch Atticus Finch is a fictional character in Harper Lee's Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel of 1960, ''To Kill a Mockingbird''. A preliminary version of the character also appears in the novel ''Go Set a Watchman'', written in the mid-1950s but not publ ...

Early life and education

Thomas was born on June 13, 1951 in

Manhattan, New York Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. stat ...

, the son of

Barbara Fallis Barbara Fallis (1924 – September 5, 1980) was an American ballet dancer and educator. She danced for many prominent companies, including the American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet, and later started her own school, the New York Schoo ...

and Richard S. Thomas. His parents were dancers with the

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...

and owned the New York School of Ballet. Thomas has a

nevus Nevus (plural nevi) is a nonspecific medical term for a visible, circumscribed, chronic lesion of the skin or mucosa. The term originates from ''nævus'', which is Latin for "birthmark"; however, a nevus can be either congenital (present at bi ...

on his left cheek. He has stated that this led to his being turned down for a role in a television commercial in his youth. He was a student at

Columbia College Columbia College may refer to one of several institutions of higher education in North America: Canada * Columbia College (Alberta), in Calgary * Columbia College (British Columbia), a two-year liberal arts institution in Vancouver * Columbia In ...

, the undergraduate college of

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

, where he majored in Chinese before switching to the English department. After he landed the role in ''

'', he left Columbia during his junior year because he had to commit to the role full-time in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

Acting career

In 1958, at age seven, Thomas made his Broadway debut in ''

Sunrise at Campobello ''Sunrise at Campobello'' is a 1960 Warner Bros. biographical film telling the story of the struggles of future President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his family when Roosevelt was stricken with paralysis at the age of 39 ...

''. In 1959, he appeared in the ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in ...

'' NBC television presentation of

Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

's ''

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' ( Danish and nb, Et dukkehjem; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having be ...

'' with Julie Harris,

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...

and

Hume Cronyn Hume Blake Cronyn Jr. OC (July 18, 1911 – June 15, 2003) was a Canadian-American actor and writer. Early life Cronyn, one of five children, was born in London, Ontario, Canada. His father, Hume Blake Cronyn, Sr., was a businessman and ...

. He then began acting in daytime TV, appearing in

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

s such as ''

The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American television mystery crime drama series and soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that networ ...

'' (as Ben Schultz, 1961), '' A Flame in the Wind'' and ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...

'' (as Tom Hughes, 1966–67) which were broadcast from his native Manhattan. In 1970, he guest starred in NBC's ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

'' (episode "The Weary Willies"). Thomas' first major film roles were in '' Winning'' (1969) with

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

(about auto racing) and ''

Last Summer ''Last Summer'' is a 1969 Teen Drama, teen drama film about adolescent sexuality based on the 1968 novel of the same name by Evan Hunter. Director Frank Perry filmed at Fire Island, New York, Fire Island locations. It stars Catherine Burns, Bar ...

'' (also 1969) with Bruce Davison and

Barbara Hershey Barbara Lynn Herzstein, better known as Barbara Hershey (born February 5, 1948), is an American actress. In a career spanning more than 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema in several genres, including weste ...

(a summer

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

movie.) In 1971, he starred in '' Red Sky at Morning'', and played the lead in ''Cactus in the Snow'' (an independent production, considered lost and difficult to acquire through VHS, DVD or any other format). Richard Thomas John-Boy Walton 1973

The Waltons Beginning in 1972, Thomas became recognized worldwide for his portrayal of

in the TV series ''

,'' based on the life story of writer

Earl Hamner, Jr. Earl Henry Hamner Jr. (July 10, 1923 – March 24, 2016) was an American television writer and producer (sometimes credited as Earl Hamner), best known for his work in the 1970s and 1980s as the creator of two long-running series, ''The Waltons' ...

He appeared in the original CBS television film ''The Homecoming: A Christmas Story'' in 1971, which inspired the commissioning of the otherwise largely recast series) and then played the role continuously in 122 episodes. In March of 1977, Thomas left the series and his role was taken over by

Robert Wightman Robert Wightman (born December 29, 1952) is an American actor. Biography He has often worked in the theater, notably in the West Coast Premier of the Tennessee Williams' play '' Vieux Carré'' produced with Williams' blessing by Karen Kondazian ...

. However, Thomas returned to the role in three ''Waltons'' TV movies in the 1990s, including ''A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion'' in 1993. Thomas won an

for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series in 1973. Thomas played against type as murderer and rapist Kenneth Kinsolving in '' You'll Like My Mother'' in 1972 with

Patty Duke Anna Marie "Patty" Duke (December 14, 1946 – March 29, 2016) was an American actress and mental health advocate. Over the course of her acting career, she was the recipient of an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awa ...

. He played the lead roles of Private Henry Fleming in the NBC TV movie ''

The Red Badge of Courage ''The Red Badge of Courage'' is a war novel by American author Stephen Crane (1871–1900). Taking place during the American Civil War, the story is about a young private of the Union Army, Henry Fleming, who flees from the field of battle. ...

'' in 1974 and Paul Bäumer in the 1979 CBS TV movie on '' All Quiet on the Western Front''. In other TV films, he played Col. Warner's younger son Jim in '' Roots: The Next Generations'' (the 1979 sequel to 1977's '' Roots''), the title role in the biopic '' Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story'' in 1983, Will Mossup in CBS' ''Hobson's Choice'' in 1983, Henry Durie in '' The Master of Ballantrae'' for Hallmark Hall of Fame, Martin Campbell in '' Final Jeopardy'' and the adult Bill Denbrough in the 1990 television mini-series adaptation of

's epic horror novel '' It''. In 1980, Thomas made his first Broadway appearance in more than 12 years when he was a replacement in Lanford Wilson's '' Fifth of July''. In the same year, he appeared as Shad (the young farmer entrusted to employ mercenaries to save his planet from Sador and his invading forces) in '' Battle Beyond the Stars''. In 1987, he appeared on stage in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. in the one-man ''tour-de-force'' ''Citizen

Tom Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In th ...

'' (playing Paine "like a star-spangled tiger, ferocious about freedom and ready to savage anyone who stands in his way," in a staging of Howard Fast's play set in the bicentennial year of the United States Constitution.) In 1990, he joined with

Nathan Lane Nathan Lane (born Joseph Lane; February 3, 1956) is an American actor. In a career spanning over 40 years he has been seen on stage and screen in roles both comedic and dramatic. Lane has received numerous awards including three Tony Awards, ...

at the

Mark Taper Forum The Mark Taper Forum is a 739-seat thrust stage at the Los Angeles Music Center designed by Welton Becket and Associates on the Bunker Hill section of Downtown Los Angeles. Named for real estate developer Mark Taper, the Forum, the neighbor ...

in Los Angeles for

Terrence McNally Terrence McNally (November 3, 1938 – March 24, 2020) was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. Described as "the bard of American theater" and "one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced," ...

's '' The Lisbon Traviata'' in the role of Stephan. In 1993, he played the title role in a Shakespeare Theater stage production of ''

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father d ...

'' in Washington, DC. Thomas starred with

Maureen O'Hara Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was a native Irish and naturalized American actress and singer, who became successful in Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural redhead who was known for pl ...

and his '' It'' co-star Annette O'Toole in the

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies ...

movie '' The Christmas Box'' in 1995. Thomas appeared in a quartet of performances at the Hartford Stage in Connecticut including ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depi ...

'' (1987), ''

Peer Gynt ''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five-act (drama), act play (theatre), play in verse (poetry), verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen published in 1876. Written in Norwegian language, Norwegian, it is one of the most widely performed Norwegian pla ...

'' (1989), ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Bat ...

'' (1994) and '' Tiny Alice'' (1996). In 1997 and 1998, he played degenerate Joe Greene in two episodes of ''

Touched by an Angel ''Touched by an Angel'' is an American fantasy drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced ...

''. In 2001, he appeared in London's

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

in a theatre production of Yasmina Reza's '' Art'' with

Judd Hirsch Judd Seymore Hirsch (born March 15, 1935) is an American actor. He is known for playing Alex Rieger on the television comedy series '' Taxi'' (1978–1983), John Lacey on the NBC series '' Dear John'' (1988–1992), and Alan Eppes on the CBS se ...

. He also appeared on the New York stage in The Public Theater's production in Central Park of ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has ...

'' in 2005,

Michael Frayn Michael Frayn, FRSL (; born 8 September 1933) is an English playwright and novelist. He is best known as the author of the farce '' Noises Off'' and the dramas ''Copenhagen'' and ''Democracy''. His novels, such as ''Towards the End of the Mo ...

's ''

Democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

'' on Broadway in 2004 and the Primary Stages' off-Broadway production of

's ''The Stendhal Syndrome'' in the same year. He hosted the PAX TV series '' It's a Miracle''. He starred in the series ''

Just Cause Just Cause may refer to: * Just cause (employment law), a common standard in United States labor arbitration, and a reason for termination of employment. * ''Just Cause'' (film), a 1995 legal thriller starring Sean Connery * ''Just Cause'' (TV se ...

'' in 2003 for the PAX TV network. Richard Thomas (left) with opera star Stacey Robinson in 2014

In 2006, Thomas began an American theater tour of Reginald Rose's play '' Twelve Angry Men'' along with ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...

'' star

George Wendt George Robert Wendt Jr. (born October 17, 1948) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Norm Peterson on the television sitcom ''Cheers'' (1982–1993), which earned him six consecutive nominations for the Primetime Em ...

at the Shubert Theater in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

, playing the pivotal role of Juror Eight opposite Wendt's Juror One. In 2009 and 2010, Thomas was featured on Broadway in '' Race'', a play by

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and '' Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first gained cri ...

. The production was directed by Mamet and included James Spader, David Alan Grier and

Kerry Washington Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) SidebarCertificate of Live Birth: Isabelle Amarachi Asomugha(County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health). Gives Kerry Washington birth dateArchivedfrom the original on May 2, 2016.Note: Fi ...

. In February and March 2011, he starred at the Off-Broadway New York Public Theater in ''

Timon of Athens ''Timon of Athens'' (''The Life of Tymon of Athens'') is a play written by William Shakespeare and probably also Thomas Middleton in about 1606. It was published in the '' First Folio'' in 1623. Timon lavishes his wealth on parasitic compani ...

''. Thomas played Frank Gaad in the FX Network period spy drama television series ''

'' which debuted in January 2013. Thomas appeared in the 2017 Broadway revival of '' The Little Foxes'' and was nominated for a 2017 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play."Tony Awards 2017: Complete Winners List"
''Variety'', June 11, 2017 In December 2018, Thomas portrayed Ebenezer Scrooge in Pittsburgh CLO's production of ''A Musical Christmas Carol''. In February 2021, Thomas portrayed Bodie Lord in the Amazon

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television series '' Tell Me Your Secrets'', appearing in episode 5. In January 2022, Thomas portrayed Wendy Byrde's estranged father, Nathan Davis, in three episodes of season 4 of the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

series Ozark. Starting in April 2022, Thomas starred as Atticus Finch in a National Broadway tour of a stage production of Harper Lee's novel

Personal life

Thomas married Alma Gonzales in 1975. In 1976, they had a son, Richard Francisco. Triplet daughters (Pilar, Barbara, and Gwyneth) were born in 1981. Thomas and Gonzales divorced in 1993. Thomas married Santa Fe art dealer Georgiana Bischoff on November 20, 1994"Mountains of Love"
''People'', December 5, 1994 and their son, Montana, was born in 1996. Bischoff has two daughters, Brooke and Kendra, from previous marriages. Thomas and Georgiana currently reside in

. Two of their children (Montana and Kendra) also reside in New York City.

Filmography

Film

Sources: TCM;"Richard Thomas films"
Turner Classic Movies, retrieved October 26, 2017 AllMovie"Richard Thomas films"
allmovie.com, retrieved October 26, 2017

Television films

Sources: TCM; AllMovie; TV Guide"Richard Thomas TV"
''TV Guide'', retrieved October 26, 2017

Television series

Producer

* ''What Love Sees'' (1996) (co-producer) * '' Summer of Fear'' (1996) (co-executive producer) * '' For All Time'' (2000) (co-executive producer) * ''Camping with Camus'' (2000) (producer)

Director

* ''

'' (5 epis