
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.

Bones
TV • 2005

Grey's Anatomy
TV • 2005

NCIS
TV • 2003

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
TV • 2000

The Waltons
TV • 1972

The Mike Douglas Show
TV • 1961

Murder, She Wrote
TV • 1984

Bonanza
TV • 1959

The Practice
TV • 1997

The Outer Limits
TV • 1995

Dinah!
TV • 1974

Reading Rainbow
TV • 1983

Nichols
TV • 1971

Carnivàle
TV • 2003

Roots
TV • 1977

Roots
TV • 1977

Cane
TV • 2007

Time Trax
TV • 1993