Life after The Waltons wasn't all smooth sailing for Richard Thomas

"Suddenly, it was all gone."

Warner Brothers

No matter how better off you'll be, it can be tough to say goodbye to a place that you love.

As one of the stars of The Waltons, Richard Thomas could have stayed comfortably for the entire run of the series, and no one would have batted an eye. Thomas was known to audiences as John-Boy, and until he left the series, it was seemingly impossible to picture an episode of The Waltons without him.

Still, Thomas knew that he'd never grow as an actor if he stayed on the series.

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"I felt if I stayed with The Waltons any longer, I would have been doing it for all the wrong reasons," said Thomas during an interview with the Sunday Press. By staying in the same series, Thomas knew that he wouldn't be creatively challenged as an actor. He needed new projects to spread his wings.

However, after so many years on The Waltons, Thomas admitted that he had grown accustomed to the comfortable life on a television program. When he left the series, he found himself in freefall.

"It turns you around," said Thomas. "There I was, working five days a week, nine months a year, with the same people, enjoying a known cash flow, embracing a certain security...Suddenly, it was all gone. Suddenly, I was reading scripts and trying to decide what to do, where to do it, and with whom."

Luckily, Thomas was a talented and committed actor who had no trouble obtaining new roles. Moreover, he found that he actually preferred the fast-paced lifestyle of an actor.

"But I quickly realized that this is normal for an actor," said Thomas. "We are not creatures of habit. Or at least, we should not be."

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15 Comments

dmarkwind 17 days ago
IMDB lists 121 acting roles for Thomas, including more than 20 before "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story," which launched the Waltons. Other roles I remember him most in were The Red Badge of Courage, Roots - the Next Generations, Battle Beyond the Stars, The Master of Ballantrae, The Adventures of Swiss Family Robinson, Wonder Boys, and NCIS - New Orleans.
DS62 24 days ago
It says somewhere on here he played Atticus Finch in 2022 in the Theater. So know he did do that as well after the Waltons though it’s not mentioned much. Makes sense since he lives in New York.
dmarkwind DS62 17 days ago
He also went on the road with a touring national production of that show in 2024.
Inthe25th 24 days ago
I missed him on the latter seasons of the Walton's. It was still a good show, but I felt something was missing. Even when he came back in the reunion movies in the 1990s starting with the fateful day in 1963 when President Kennedy was assassinated the Walton's just did not have the same feel at all. I cannot remember the name of the movie but in the 80s I believe he played a preacher trying to help a female singer get her life back in order and be better.
WordsmithWorks 30 days ago
I think the post-Waltons Richard Thomas was typecast as a "John-Boy type."
MrsPhilHarris 1 month ago
I can’t think of anything he was in besides The Waltons.
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AnnieM MrsPhilHarris 24 days ago
I remember a TV movie he was in based on a true story from WW2 where an American ship was sunk and the men floated in shark-infested waters for hours before being rescued. It was called 'Mission of the Shark': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm048rB-VIU
MrsPhilHarris AnnieM 23 days ago
I’m going to have to look up his name and see if I recognize anything.
The only thing I really remember is the made for TV movie All Quiet On The Western Front in 1979 and then the sci-fi film Battle Beyond The Stars because it was so different from the 1930s Waltons. I know he’s been in other stuff but those are the only two that stands out with me.

I notice from IMDb that he really didn’t do a lot during the downtime from the Waltons. I know a lot of actors would do other projects when their TV series was on hiatus. I wonder if that would’ve helped out with his feelings of stagnation if he had done some other projects then. I really have no idea if he was active in the theater at the time. It would be fabulous if somebody created a theater version of IMDb or if IMDb actually did include theater credits and photos from those productions.
Thank you BuckeyeBeth.
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