Oddly, “The Waltons” creators decided to keep John-Boy’s character on the show and simply replace Richard Thomas with another actor. Actor Robert Wightman replaced Richard Thomas in the role of John-Boy Walton. Wightman played the role beginning with the show’s eighth season in 1979 until the end of the series in 1981.
With Richard Thomas exiting the show, its powers that be decided not to write the character out of the series – as often happens when an actor wants to leave. Instead, show runners decided to recast the role of John-Boy Walton and carry on as if nothing had happened.
So, instead of seeing Richard Thomas as John-Boy, fans of “The Waltons” began seeing Robert Wightman play the role. And, unfortunately, the change was never really accepted by fans of the popular family drama. Wightman taking over “was something of a poison chalice,” according to Studio 10.
For a while, some fear that he has vanished, but he returns to Walton’s Mountain in the end. In the last season of the show, John-Boy sets out to New York to discuss his book draft with an editor. Unfortunately, his manuscript is turned down, leading him to make his way back to his family.
What movies did the Waltons play?
But The Waltons brought great fame to the actor who then went on to act in various television series and movies like Nurse, Living Dolls, A Walton Thanksgiving, A Walton Wedding, Murder in New Hampshire, and A Deadly Business . Also Read: Times When Rihanna Looked Ravishing In Red; Check Out Her Pics Here.
Michael Learned reportedly starred in The Waltons because she had to support her three children after her divorce from Peter Donat in 1972. Apparently she had not received any alimony after her divorce and this prompted her to take on the role.
However, despite her exit from the television series, Learned continued to appear in the movies of The Waltons. For her role as Ma Walton, Michael Learned earned four Golden Globe nominations and six Emmy nominations out of which she won three. Apart from her, the cast of The Waltons also included Judy Norton Taylor, Richard Thomas, Ralph Waite, …
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