Since he began appearing on The Waltons, Will Geer has been thought of as America's Grandpa. While that may not seem like a highly coveted position to some people, Geer became both an icon and an idol when he began appearing on the series

Grandpa Walton was kind and wise, always able to give advice to a grandchild who needed it the most. Granted, more times than not, that grandchild was John-Boy, who got into more scraps than the average kid, but Grandpa Walton was quick with an even hand and a genial face.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a viewer who didn't watch The Waltons and wished that Zebulon was their grandfather.

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In an interview with The Gannett News Service, Geer revealed that he was both a grandfather on and off screen, though he was much less interested in acting as a patriarch to his own grandchildren.

"I have only three grandchildren in real life," Geer said. "I tell my family one of the reasons I work so much is to get away from home so I won't have to babysit my own grandchildren. So what do I do? I get a job in a series where I have seven grandchildren."

However, Geer was proud of his experiences on the set of The Waltons and made sure to express that often.

"What more could an old gentleman ask for than a series with seven grandchildren," Geer said. "You just have to live long enough, and in pictures, you get around to doing everything." 

In fact, one of Geer's favorite things to do on set was engage in some improvisation during shooting, a practice he took up from an acting coach to keep him on his toes. While it undoubtedly made Geer a quick-thinking and talented actor, not everyone was thrilled.

"Even today, I sometimes make up lines," he said. "It drives the script-girl bananas."