Richard Thomas (actor)


Richard Earl Thomas is an American actor. He is best known for his leading role as budding author John-Boy Walton in the CBS drama The Waltons, for which he won an Emmy Award, received a nomination for another and two Golden Globe Awards. He also starred in the miniseries adaption of Stephen King's It and played Special Agent Frank Gaad on FX's spy thriller series The Americans.

Early life and education

Thomas was born in Manhattan, the son of Barbara and Richard S. Thomas, in 1951. His parents were dancers with the New York City Ballet and owned the New York School of Ballet.
Thomas has a nevus 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, the undergraduate college of Columbia University, where he majored in Chinese before switching to the English Department.After he landed the role in The Waltons, he left Columbia during his junior year because he had to commit to the role full-time in Los Angeles.

Acting career

In 1958, at age seven, Thomas made his Broadway debut in Sunrise at Campobello. In 1959, he appeared in the Hallmark Hall of Fame NBC television presentation of Ibsen's A Doll's House with Julie Harris, Christopher Plummer and Hume Cronyn. He then began acting in daytime TV. In 1960 he was in a leading role in NBC's Bonanza in an episode called The Weary Willies. He then appeared in soap operas such as The Edge of Night, A Flame in the Wind, and As the World Turns, which were broadcast from his native Manhattan.
Thomas received his first major film roles, appearing in Winning with Paul Newman, about auto racing, and Last Summer with Bruce Davison and Barbara Hershey, a summer coming-of-age movie. He starred in the Universal Pictures/Hal Wallis Production Red Sky at Morning.
, 1973.
Thomas became internationally recognized for his portrayal of John "John-Boy" Walton, Jr., in the 1970s TV series The Waltons, which was based on the life story of writer Earl Hamner, Jr. He appeared in the CBS television film The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, which inspired the commissioning of the otherwise largely recast series, and then played the role continuously in 122 episodes until March 17, 1977. Thomas left the series and his role was taken over by Robert Wightman, but Thomas returned to the role in three Waltons TV movies, 1993–97. Thomas won an Emmy 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, opposite Patty Duke. He played the lead roles of Private Henry Fleming in the NBC TV movie The Red Badge of Courage, and Paul Baumer in the 1979 Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie on CBS All Quiet on the Western Front.
In other TV films, he played Col. Warner's younger son Jim in ' ; the title role in the biopic ' ; Will Mossup in the Hobson's Choice ; Henry Durrie in The Master of Ballantrae" for Hallmark Hall of Fame; Martin Campbell in Final Jeopardy"; and the adult Bill Denbrough in Stephen King's 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 1980, 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 DC in the one-man tour-de-force Citizen Tom Paine, 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 in the bicentennial year of the United States Constitution. In 1993, he played the title role in a Shakespeare Theater stage production of Richard II.
Thomas starred with Maureen O'Hara and Annette O'Toole in the Hallmark Channel movie The Christmas Box in 1995. O'Toole and Thomas had starred in It together five years earlier.
Thomas appeared in a quartet of performances at the Hartford Stage in Connecticut: Hamlet, Peer Gynt, Richard III, and Tiny Alice. In 1997 and 1998, he played Joe Greene in two episodes of Touched by an Angel.
In 2001, he appeared in London's West End in a theater production of Yasmina Reza's Art with Judd Hirsch; on the New York stage in The Public Theater's production in Central Park of As You Like It ; Michael Frayn's Democracy on Broadway and the Primary Stages' Off-Broadway production of Terrence McNally's The Stendhal Syndrome.
He hosted the PAX TV series It's a Miracle. He starred in the series Just Cause in 2003 for the PAX TV network.
In 2006, Thomas began an American theater tour of Reginald Rose's play Twelve Angry Men, along with George Wendt at the Shubert Theater in New Haven, Connecticut, playing the pivotal role of Juror Eight opposite Wendt's Juror One.
In 2009–2010, Thomas was featured on Broadway in Race, a play by David Mamet. The production was directed by Mamet and included James Spader, David Alan Grier, and Kerry Washington. In February and March 2011, he starred at the Off-Broadway New York Public Theater in Timon of Athens.
Thomas had a supporting role in the FX Network Cold War drama The Americans, which debuted in January 2013. He played Frank Gaad, an FBI counterintelligence investigator.
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.
In December 2018, Thomas portrayed Ebenezer Scrooge in Pittsburgh CLO's production of A Musical Christmas Carol''.

Personal life

Thomas married Alma Gonzales on February 14, 1975. They had one son born in 1976 and triplet daughters born in 1981. The couple divorced in 1993.
Thomas married Georgiana Bischoff on November 20, 1994, and they had one son born in 1996. Bischoff has two daughters from previous marriages.

Filmography

Film

Sources: TCM; AllMovie
YearTitleRoleNotes
1969WinningCharley
1969Last SummerPeter
1971Red Sky at MorningJoshua Arnold
1971The Todd KillingsBilly Roy
1971Cactus in the SnowHarley MacIntoshaka You Can't Have Everything
1972You'll Like My MotherKenny
1974Sisters of the Space AgeNarratorShort film
1977September 30, 1955Jimmy J.
1980Battle Beyond the StarsShad
1989Charles IngallsVideo
2000The Million Dollar KidTed Hunter
2000Wonder BoysWalter Gaskell
2000Bloodhounds Inc.Robert HunterVideo
2009Taking WoodstockReverend Don Darren Pettie
2015AnesthesiaMr. Werth
TBAUntitled Nora Fingscheidt projectFilming

Television films

Sources: TCM; AllMovie; TV Guide
YearTitleRoleNotes
1959A Doll's HouseIvor
1971The Homecoming: A Christmas StoryJohn-Boy Walton
1973The Thanksgiving Story
1974The Red Badge of CouragePvt. Henry Fleming
1975The SilenceCadet James Pelosi
1978Getting MarriedMichael Carboni
1979No Other LoveAndrew Madison
1979All Quiet on the Western FrontPaul Baumer
1980To Find My SonDavid Benjamin
1981Berlin Tunnel 21Lieutenant Sandy Mueller
1981Barefoot in the ParkPaul Bratter
1982Pavarotti & FriendsHimself
1982Johnny BelindaWilliam Richmond
1982Fifth of JulyKenneth Talley Jr.
1982Christmas at Kennedy Center with Leontyne PriceHimself
1983'Hank Williams Jr.
1983Hobson's ChoiceWill Mossup
1984The Master of BallantraeHenry Durie
1985Final JeopardyMarty Campbell
1988Go Toward the LightGreg Madison
1989Glory! Glory!Rev. Bobby Joe
1990Andre's MotherCal Porter – Andre's Lover
1990Common GroundColin Diver
1991Mission of the SharkLieutenant Steven Scott
1991Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa ClausJames O'Hanlan
1992A Thousand HeroesGary Brownaka Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232
1992LincolnJohn HayVoice role
1993I Can Make You Love MeRichard Farleyaka Stalking Laura
1993Precious VictimsDon Weber
1993LindaPaul Cowley
1993A Walton Thanksgiving ReunionJohn-Boy Walton
1994To Save the ChildrenDavid Young
1995Death in Small DosesRichard Lyon
1995A Walton WeddingJohn-Boy Walton
1995Down, Out & DangerousTim Willows
1995The Christmas BoxRichard Evans
1996West Virginia: A Film HistoryNarratorVoice role
1996What Love SeesGordon Holly
1996TimepieceRichard Evans
1997A Walton EasterJohn-Boy Walton
1997A Thousand Men and a BabyDr. Hugh 'Bud' Keenanaka Narrow Escape
1997Flood: A River's RampageHerb Dellenbach
1998Big and HairyVictor Dewlap
2000In the Name of the PeopleJack Murphy
2000The Christmas SecretJerry McNeil
2001The Miracle of the CardsDr. Neal Kassell
2002'Charles Ingalls
2002Anna's DreamRod Morgan
2005Annie's PointRichard Eason
2006Wild HeartsBob
2011Yesterday, Today and TomorrowDickaka Time after Time

Television series

Producer