The life of the Walton family is often thought of as an ideal family in every kid's fantasy, it turned out that Richard Thomas was actually living out that dream as his reality.

You'd probably best remember Thomas as John-Boy in The Waltons, but even when he was off-set, Thomas was living by the same sense of familial unity that made the Waltons so welcoming. According to an interview with The Jackson Sun, the actor confessed, "I come from the same kind of family as the Waltons. My father was in Eastern Kentucky Hill and mining country. And my family is close - a younger sister and an older adopted brother. They come out to see me all the time."

It was an idealized life that followed Thomas into adulthood, and affected his viewpoint. He stated, "I get up every morning and feel that the world is in the palm of my hand. I just have to live up to what's promised!"

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Richard ThomasJohn-BoyThe Waltons

Richard Thomas and his costars stayed busy while on hiatus with The Waltons

Thomas didn't keep up any delusions about what the world was actually like, he just had patience and faith that it had the capability to be better. Thomas said, "I feel that alienation has been stressed long enough in our society. And The Waltons is a show which is concerned with what we need right now - a sense of unity and interdependence."

The actor also believed that shows like The Waltons were an excellent tool in promoting unity, specifically amongst the American family. 

Thomas said, "I think that The Waltons has helped, as much as anything like that can. It has brought many families together for an hour every week. I've gotten so many letters from people telling me that 'I can sit down with my kids once a week and talk about something we have in common. We see these values put forth and we can discuss them and feel a part of them!"

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