Biography
Who is Richard Thomas?
Early life and education
Richard Thomas was born in Manhattan, New York City, on June 13, 1951. His parents, Richard S. Thomas and Barbara Fallis, were dancers for the New York City Ballet and operated the New York School of Ballet. During his childhood, he attended two private Manhattan day schools for boys, specifically the Allen-Stevenson School and the McBurney School.
He later enrolled at Columbia University as an undergraduate at Columbia College. While studying there, he initially chose to major in Chinese before eventually moving to the English department. He left the university during his junior year to move to Los Angeles to pursue his television role full-time.
Acting career highlights
The actor made his Broadway debut in 1958 at age seven in the production Sunrise at Campobello. He transitioned into daytime television with roles in soap operas like As the World Turns and The Edge of Night. His first major film appearances included Winning and Last Summer, both released in 1969. In 1972, he played a character named Kenneth Kinsolving in the film You'll Like My Mother.
Richard Thomas achieved international recognition for his performance as John-Boy Walton in the CBS drama The Waltons. He appeared in 122 episodes of the series and earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1973. He also appeared in the 1990 miniseries It, playing the character Bill Denbrough, and later appeared in the television series The Americans as Special Agent Frank Gaad. His more recent television work includes a role in the Netflix series Ozark.
Family and personal life
In 1975, Richard Thomas married Alma Gonzales, and they had a son in 1976 followed by triplet daughters in 1981. The couple divorced in 1993. He later married Georgiana Bischoff on November 20, 1994. Through this marriage, he adopted her two daughters and they welcomed a son in 1996. The family currently lives in New York.
Richard is a Kentucky Colonel and an Episcopalian. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Episcopal Actors Guild. He has also worked behind the scenes in the industry as a producer and director, with credits including the series The Waltons and the film Camping with Camus.
Birthday and age
Richard Thomas was born on June 13, 1951, which makes Richard 75 years old today. That birthday falls under the Gemini sign. Richard shares the date with 55 other famous people.
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