Richard Thomas BIO
In 1958, at age seven, Thomas made his Broadway debut in Sunrise at Campobello. In 1959, he appeared in the Hallmark Hall of Fame NBC television presentation of Ibsen's A Doll's House with Julie Harris, Christopher Plummer, and Hume Cronyn. He then began acting in daytime TV, appearing in soap operas such as The Edge of Night (as Ben Schultz, 1961), A Flame in the Wind and As the World Turns (as Tom Hughes, 1966–67) which were broadcast from his native Manhattan. In 1970, he guest starred in NBC's Bonanza ("The Weary Willies").
Thomas's first major film roles were in the auto racing drama Winning (1969) with Paul Newman and the coming-of-age story Last Summer (also 1969) with Bruce Davison and Barbara Hershey.
In 1971 Thomas appeared in The Todd Killings, a psychological thriller released by National General Pictures, directed by Barry Shear and co-starring Robert F. Lyons, Belinda Montgomery and Barbara Bel Geddes, based on the true crimes of serial killer Charles Schmid. Also in 1971, he starred in Red Sky at Morning, and played the lead in the independent production Cactus in the Snow.
Thomas on the set of The Waltons in 1973
Beginning in 1972, Thomas became recognized worldwide for his portrayal of John-Boy Walton in the TV series The Waltons, based on the life story of writer Earl Hamner, Jr. He appeared in the original CBS television film The Homecoming: A Christmas Story in 1971, which inspired the commissioning of the otherwise largely recast series, and then played the role continuously in 122 episodes. In March 1977, Thomas left the series and his role was taken over by Robert Wightman. However, Thomas returned to the role in three Waltons TV movies in the 1990s, including A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion in 1993. Thomas won an Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series in 1973.
Thomas played against type as murderer and rapist Kenneth Kinsolving in You'll Like My Mother in 1972 with Patty Duke. He played the lead roles of Private Henry Fleming in the NBC TV movie The Red Badge of Courage in 1974 and Paul Baumer in the 1979 CBS TV movie on All Quiet on the Western Front.
In other TV films, he played Col. Warner's younger son Jim in Roots: The Next Generations (the 1979 sequel to 1977's Roots), the title role in the biopic Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story in 1983, Will Mossup in CBS's Hobson's Choice in 1983, Henry Durie in The Master of Ballantrae for Hallmark Hall of Fame, Martin Campbell in Final Jeopardy, and the adult Bill Denbrough in the 1990 television mini-series It, adapted from Stephen King's horror novel.
In 1980, Thomas made his first Broadway appearance in more than 12 years when he was a replacement in Lanford Wilson's Fifth of July. In the same year, he appeared as Shad (the young farmer entrusted to employ mercenaries to save his planet from Sador and his invading forces) in Battle Beyond the Stars.
In 1987, he appeared on stage in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., in the one-man tour-de-force Citizen Tom Paine (playing Paine "like a star-spangled tiger, ferocious about freedom and ready to savage anyone who stands in his way," in a staging of Howard Fast's play set in the bicentennial year of the United States Constitution). In 1990, he joined with Nathan Lane at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles for Terrence McNally's The Lisbon Traviata in the role of Stephan. In 1993, he played the title role in a Shakespeare Theater stage production of Richard II in Washington, D.C.
Thomas starred in the ABC TV movie Death in Small Doses, directed by Sondra Locke. He starred with Maureen O'Hara and his It co-star Annette O'Toole in the Hallmark Channel movie The Christmas Box in 1995.
Thomas appeared in a quartet of performances at the Hartford Stage in Connecticut including Hamlet (1987), Peer Gynt (1989), Richard III (1994) and Tiny Alice (1996). In 1997 and 1998, he played degenerate Joe Greene in two episodes of Touched by an Angel and four episodes of Promised Land.
In 2001, he appeared in London's West End in a theatre production of Yasmina Reza's Art with Judd Hirsch. He also appeared on the New York stage in The Public Theater's production in Central Park of As You Like It in 2005, Michael Frayn's Democracy on Broadway in 2004, and the Primary Stages' off-Broadway production of Terrence McNally's The Stendhal Syndrome in the same year.
He hosted the PAX TV series It's a Miracle. He starred in the series Just Cause in 2003 for the PAX TV network.
In 2006, Thomas began an American theater tour of Reginald Rose's play Twelve Angry Men along with Cheers star George Wendt at the Shubert Theater in New Haven, Connecticut, playing the pivotal role of Juror Eight opposite Wendt's Juror One.
In 2009 and 2010, Thomas was featured on Broadway in Race, a play by David Mamet. The production was directed by Mamet and included James Spader, David Alan Grier, and Kerry Washington. In February and March 2011, he starred at the off-Broadway New York Public Theater in Timon of Athens.
Thomas played Frank Gaad in the FX Network period spy drama television series The Americans which debuted in January 2013.
Thomas appeared in the 2017 Broadway revival of The Little Foxes and was nominated for a 2017 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.
In December 2018, Thomas portrayed Ebenezer Scrooge in Pittsburgh CLO's production of A Musical Christmas Carol.
In February 2021, Thomas portrayed Bodie Lord in the Amazon thriller drama television series Tell Me Your Secrets, appearing in episode 5.
In January 2022, Thomas portrayed Wendy Byrde's estranged father, Nathan Davis, in three episodes of season 4 of the Netflix series Ozark.
Starting in April 2022, Thomas starred as Atticus Finch in a National Broadway tour of a stage production of Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
As of January 2023, Thomas has been credited on Audible for narrating over 340 books.
Richard Thomas TV Shows
The Edge of Night
Ben Schultz, Jr
As the World Turns
Tom Hughes
The Christmas Tree
Joey
The DuPont Show of the Month
Oliver Twist
A Doll's House
Ivor
'Way Out
Jeremy Keeler
The Defenders
Johnny Remington
From These Roots
Richard
Give Us Barabbas!
The Boy
Great Ghost Tales
Conradin
Seaway
Martin Anderson
A Flame in the Wind
[ 1964-1966 ] Chris Austin
Medical Center
Toby Tavormina
Marcus Welby, M.D.
[ 1969-1970 ] Dennis Alan Graham
Bonanza
Billy
Bracken's World
Alan
The Homecoming: A Christmas Story
John-Boy Walton
The F.B.I.
John 'Chill' Chilton
Night Gallery
The Sins of the Fathers
The Thanksgiving Story
John-Boy Walton
The Red Badge of Courage
Pvt. Henry Fleming
The Silence
Cadet James Pelosi
The Waltons
[ 1972-1978 ] John-Boy Walton
Getting Married
Michael Carboni
Roots: The Next Generations
Jim Warner
No Other Love
Andrew Madison
All Quiet on the Western Front
Paul Baumer
To Find My Son
David Benjamin
Berlin Tunnel 21
Lieutenant Sandy Mueller
Barefoot in the Park
Paul Bratter
Johnny Belinda
William Richmond
Living Proof: The Hank Williams, Jr. Story
Hank Williams, Jr.
Hobson's Choice
Will Mossup
The Master of Ballantrae
Henry Durie
Final Jeopardy
Marty Campbell
Go Toward the Light
Greg Madison
Glory! Glory!
Rev. Bobby Joe
Common Ground
Colin Diver
It
Bill Denbrough
American Playhouse
[ 1982-1990 ] Cal Porter - Andre's Lover, Kenneth Talley Jr.
Tales from the Crypt
Dr. Trask
Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis
Lieutenant Steven Scott
Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus
James O'Hanlan
Lincoln
John Hay voice
Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232
Gary Brown
Precious Victims
Don Weber
Linda
Paul, Linda's husband
Stalking Laura
Richard Farley
A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion
John Walton Jr.
To Save the Children
David Young
Million Dollar Babies
Oliva-Edouard Dionne
The Invaders
Jerry Thayer
A Walton Wedding
John Walton Jr.
Down, Out & Dangerous
Tim Willows
The Christmas Box
Richard Evans
The Outer Limits
Dr. Stephen Ledbetter
Death in Small Doses
Richard Lyon
Dave's World
Richard Thomas
West Virginia
Narrator
Timepiece
Richard Evans
What Love Sees
Gordon Holly
A Thousand Men and a Baby
Dr. Hugh 'Bud' Keenan
A Walton Easter
John Walton Jr.
Promised Land
[ 1997-1998 ] Joe Greene
Touched by an Angel
[ 1997-1998 ] Joe Greene
Flood: A River's Rampage
Herb Dellenbach
Big and Hairy
Victor Dewlap
Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder
Charles Ingalls
The Adventures of Swiss Family Robinson
[ 1998-1999 ] David Robinson
The Practice
Walter 'The Hummer' Arens
The Christmas Secret
Jerry McNeil
In the Name of the People
Jack Murphy
The Miracle of the Cards
Dr. Neal Kassell
Beyond the Prairie, Part 2: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder
Charles Ingalls
Anna's Dream
Rod Morgan
BloodHounds, Inc
[ 1999-2002 ] Robert Hunter
Just Cause
[ 2002-2003 ] Hamilton Whitney III
Century City
Dr. Brezak
Annie's Point
Richard Eason
Wild Hearts
Bob Hart
Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King
Howard Cottrell
Law & Order
Roger Jenkins
Rizzoli & Isles
Professor Dwayne Cravitz
Time after Time
Dick Woodstein
The Music Teacher
Ray
White Collar
William Wolcott
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
[ 2001-2013 ] Nat Randolph, Daniel Varney
The Good Wife
Ed Pratt
The Americans
[ 2013-2016 ] Frank Gaad
Chicago P.D.
Adam Ames
Conviction
Earl Slavitt
Elementary
Mitch Barrett
Incident at Vichy
Von Berg
Blue Bloods
Richard Walters
Billions
[ 2017-2019 ] Sanford Bensinger
The Blacklist
David Foy
The Comey Rule
Chuck Rosenberg
NCIS: New Orleans
[ 2019-2020 ] NCIS Deputy Director Van Cleef
Tell Me Your Secrets
Bodie Lord
Ozark
Nathan Davis