Richard Thomas

Richard Earl Thomas was born on June 13, 1951, in Manhattan, New York. His parents, Barbara Fallis and Richard S. Thomas, were dancers with the New York City Ballet and owned the New York School of Ballet. Thomas began his acting career at a young age, making his Broadway debut at seven in “Sunrise at Campobello” (1958). He also appeared in early television productions such as the 1959 “Hallmark Hall of Fame” presentation of Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” and several daytime soap operas including “The Edge of Night” (1961) and “As the World Turns” (1966–67). His initial film roles included “Winning” (1969) alongside Paul Newman and “Last Summer” (1969), and he also featured in “The Todd Killings” (1971) and “Red Sky at Morning” (1971). He pursued higher education at Columbia College, majoring in Chinese before switching to English, but left during his junior year to commit full-time to an acting role.

Thomas achieved widespread recognition for his leading role as John-Boy Walton in the CBS drama series “The Waltons,” starting with “The Homecoming: A Christmas Story” in 1971. He continued this role for 122 episodes, earning an Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series in 1973, along with two Golden Globe Award nominations. After leaving “The Waltons” in 1977, he returned for three TV movies in the 1990s. His career continued to evolve with diverse roles, including playing the adult Bill Denbrough in the 1990 television mini-series adaptation of Stephen King’s “It” and portraying Special Agent Frank Gaad on FX’s “The Americans” (2013–2016) for 48 episodes. His stage career remained active throughout, with notable performances in “Fifth of July” (1980), “The Lisbon Traviata” (1990), and a Tony Award nomination for “The Little Foxes” (2017). More recently, he appeared in Netflix’s “Ozark” (2022) as Nathan Davis and toured as Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird” (2022-2024).

Beyond acting, Thomas has also taken on directing and producing roles. He directed five episodes of “The Waltons” between 1975 and 1977. His producing credits include co-executive producer for “Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story” (1983) and “For All Time” (2000), co-producer for “What Love Sees” (1996), and executive producer for “Summer of Fear” (1996). He hosted the PAX TV series “It’s a Miracle” from 1999 to 2001. His extensive body of work demonstrates a consistent presence in entertainment for over 60 years, with significant contributions across various mediums and a sustained commitment to his craft. Thomas is also noted for his narration work, with over 340 audiobooks recorded on Audible as of January 2023.