Earl Hammer, Jr. wrote a book called ‘Spencer’s Mountain’ which inspired the 1963 film of the same name. In turn, this led to the creation of a television series based on the Walton family from the film who live in rural Virginia at the time of the Great Depression and World War II. The television series was called ‘The Waltons’ and this was aired for nine seasons on CBS between 1972 and 1981. The series inspired several movies which had the same characters. Now that the series is no longer aired, you may have wondered what happened to the cast of ‘The Waltons’. Sadly, Ralph Waite who played the father of the family has now passed away. This is also true of Will Geer and Ellen Corby who played the family’s grandparents. Here is what the rest of ‘The Waltons’ cast is up to today.
Richard Thomas
Richard Thomas played Joh-Boy Walton throughout season one to five and then appeared as a guest star in season six. He was also in three out of the six movies. His most recent film role was playing Mr. Werth in the 2015 film ‘Anesthesia’. In recent television, he has appeared in episodes of ‘Billions’ and ‘Blue Bloods‘, both in 2017. He has been married twice and has five children, including triplet daughters.
Jon Walmsley
Jon Walmsley played Jason Walton, the second oldest son, for the series and the six movies. In recent years, his acting career has waned, and he last appeared on television on ‘Good Morning America’ in 2013. He has predominantly worked as a composer, musician, and music producer in recent years.
Judy Norton Taylor
Judy Norton Taylor played Mary Ellen Walton throughout the series and in the six movies. She has not had a regular role on television since 2000. However, she had roles in the 2016 film ‘The Sparrows: Nesting’ and the 2017 film ‘Finding Harmony’. She has been married four times and has one child with her third husband.
Mary Elizabeth McDonough
Erin Walton was played by Mary Elizabeth McDonough is the series and six movies. Her most recent feature film was the 2014 film ‘The Costume Shop’, although she also appeared in a short film called ‘Monster Hunters USA and Day Care Center’ in the same year. She has been married twice and has a daughter from her first marriage.
Eric Scott
Ben Walton was played by Eric Scott for all the seasons and the six movies. Scott chose to retire from acting in 2011. He has been married three times and has three children. His second wife died from myelomonocytic leukemia.
David W. Harper
David W. Harper portrayed Jim-Bob Walton for the whole series in addition to six related movies. Harper also decided to retire from acting in 2011. In addition to ‘The Waltons’, he is also known for his roles in ‘The Blue and the Gray’ and in ‘Fletch’. He still attends events that relate to ‘The Waltons’.
Kami Cotler
Kami Cotler played Elizabeth Walton for the entire series and also in six movies. She is another of the cast members who decided to retire from acting in 2011. She has had very little acting work that is not related to ‘The Waltons’. She is married and has two children.
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