Richard Earl Thomas was born on 13 June 1951, in Manhattan, New York City USA, and is an actor probably best known for his performance as John-Boy Walton in the CBS television series “The Waltons”. His performance there earned him an Emmy Award and he’s also appeared in various television shows as either a cast member or guest. The opportunities he’s had has helped raise his net worth to where it is now.
How rich is Richard Thomas? As of early-2016, sources inform us of a net worth that is at $2 million, mostly earned through a successful career as an actor. Aside from television roles, he’s also had major film roles, theatre roles and has even written a book. All of these are responsible for his current wealth.
Richard Thomas Net Worth $2 Million
Thomas’ parents were owners of and dancers at the New York School of Ballets. Richard started his acting career while attending McBurney School where he participated in the Broadway production of “Sunrise at Campobello” portraying the son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1959 would see Richard’s first television performance in “A Doll’s House”, in which he acted with Christopher Plummer and Julie Harris. He then began appearing in several soap operas including “As the World Turns” and “The Edge of Night”. In 1969, he received his first major film role in “Winning” alongside Paul Newman, he was also cast in “Last Summer” with Barbara Hershey and Bruce Davidson. Eventually he would gain popularity and a significant rise in net worth in the television series “The Waltons”, in which he appeared for six years with a total of 122 episodes. He even appeared in three television movies based on the series after its run. During 1973, he won the Best Actor in a Dramatic Series Emmy award, and then tried his hand at studying, at Columbia College of Columbia University, however, he would leave the school after his junior year.
Thomas then played roles in movies including “You’ll Like My Mother” and “The Red Badge of Courage”. He continued to make television movies in the following years like 1979s “All Quiet on the Western Front” and “Roots: The Next Generations”. Other films Richard has done include “Final Jeopardy” and “Stephen King’s It”.
After these movies and series, Thomas started making more guest appearances, and other endeavors. He returned to Broadway in the production of “Fifth of July”, “Citizen Tom Paine” and “Richard II”. In 2000, he became part of the production “Art”, “As You Like It” and “Democracy”. He also took parts in other acclaimed plays and even tried his hand at voiceovers for several commercials for companies including Mercedes-Benz and Aleve. For his latest work, Thomas has made guest appearances in popular television shows such as “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”, “White Collar” and “The Good Wife”.
For his personal life, Richard has been married twice, firstly to Alma Gonzales in 1975, and from that marriage he had a son and triplet daughters but the couple eventually divorced in 1993. During 1994 he married Georgiana Bischoff and they have a son. Georgiana also has two daughters from previous marriages.
McBurney School, Columbia College of Columbia University
Nationality
American
Spouse
Georgiana Bischoff (m. 1994), Alma Gonzales (m. 1975–1993)
Children
Pilar Alma Thomas, Gweneth Gonzales Thomas, Richard Francisco Thomas, Barbara Ayala Thomas, Montana James Thomas, Pilar Alma Thomas, Gweneth Gonzales Thomas, Richard Francisco Thomas, Barbara Ayala Thomas, Montana James Thomas
Parents
Barbara Fallis, Richard Thomas, Barbara Fallis, Richard Thomas
Emmy Award for the Best Actor in a Dramatic Series Emmy award (1973)
Nominations
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play, Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play, The Robert Prosky Award for ...
Movies
“The Waltons” (1972-1981), All Quiet on the Western Front (1979), “A Doll’s House” (2005),“As the World Turns” (-2010), “The Edge of Night” (-1984), FX Network Cold War: The Americans (2013)
TV Shows
“Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”, “White Collar”, “The Good Wife”
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Trademark
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Birthmark on his left cheek
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Fact
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He was awarded the 1990 Drama Logue Award for Outstanding Performance for "The Lisbon Traviata" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
Will be opening in the play, "Twelve Angry Men" in Dallas, co-starring George Wendt. [February 2007]
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Richard Thomas left The Waltons (1971) at the end of the fifth season because he only signed a 5-year contract. He planned to pursue other acting opportunities. The Waltons: The Achievement (1977) was his last episode but he did made a comeback in Season 6 and the last three family television reunions.
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Father of a son, Richard Francisco (born 1976), with Alma Gonzales.
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Father of triplet-girls, Barbara Ayala, Gweneth Gonzales and Pilar Alma (born August 26, 1981), with ex-wife, Alma Gonzales.
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Has one son, Montana James (born on July 28, 1996), with second and current wife, Georgiana Bischoff.
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Speaks some Chinese, after changing his major at Columbia from Literature to Chinese. He changed his major from Literature to Chinese because he attended Columbia during the time that the Vietnam War was underway and as well as the controversy surrounding it. He was frustrated with the anti-war demonstrations and how they were interupting his educations and he felt the best way to avoid such disturbances was to change his major to Chinese.
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Uses two tiny hearing aids due to the 50% hearing loss, as a result of otosclerosis (a nerve disorder).
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Served as the host of the University of South Carolina's Ecumenical Service of the Family and introduced His Holiness Pope John Paul II.
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Is National Chairman of the Better Hearing Institute.
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He first acted professionally at age seven; appeared as a cast replacement on the Broadway stage as John A. Roosevelt, one of the children of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, in the drama, "Sunrise at Campobello".
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His parents were owners of the New York School of Ballet. Among their students were Trinka Lowe and Daniel Levins.