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Richard Thomas

Richard Thomas (born June 13, 1951) is an American actor.

Born Richard Earl Thomas in New York City, he was seven when he made his first Broadway appearance in Sunrise at Campobello (1958) playing John Roosevelt, son of FDR.

Thomas soon began his television career. In 1959, he appeared in the TV presentation of Ibsen's A Doll's House with Julie Harris, Christopher Plummer and Hume Cronyn. He then started acting in daytime television, appearing in soap operas such as The Edge of Night and As the World Turns, which were broadcast from his native Manhattan.

Thomas received his first major roles in film, appearing in the motion pictures Winning (1969) with Paul Newman, about auto racing, and Last Summer with Barbara Hershey, a summer romance picture.

He became nationally recognized for his portrayal of John-Boy in the 1970s television series The Waltons, which was fashioned on the real life of the writer Earl Hamner. Thomas won an Emmy for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series in 1972.

In 1980, Thomas made his first Broadway appearance in over twenty years in Whose Life Is It Anyway, and in 1993 he played the title role in the Shakespeare Theater production of Richard II.

He has also served as national chairman of the Better Hearing Institute, and is currently the host of the PAX TV series It's A Miracle.

Filmography