Exclusive! Richard Thomas Reveals Little-Known Facts about Himself

Richard Thomas played one of the most popular characters on TV, John-Boy Walton. INSP asked the man himself to give our viewers a little treat—to share a few tidbits about his life when the cameras aren’t rolling.

Take Ten with…Richard Thomas

1. I was a Chinese major at Columbia College in New York (although my Chinese is now nonexistent) and read extensively in the Asian Classics. Switched from the English department.
2. I’m a devout Jazz fan.
3. I love to cook, especially with my wife, Georgiana. Her specialties are New Mexican and mine are Appalachian and Cuban.
4. Spanish was my first language, because my parents were dancing in Havana in Alicia Alonzo’s ballet company when I was a baby.
5. I’m an official Kentucky Colonel (although I was born in New York and can’t find my certificate).
6. I own waaaaaay too many books.
7. My favorite films are Lawrence of Arabia and Les Infants du Paradis.
8. My favorite book is the Collected Works of William Shakespeare.
9. I love New York.
10. I’m a Zen practitioner.

We hope you enjoy watching Richard Thomas as John-Boy in The Waltons on INSP. In the years since he left the mountain, Richard has had quite a career, with major roles in The Americans, and Ozark, and has appeared in NCIS: New Orleans, and Blue Bloods (along with another INSP fan favorite, Tom Selleck). among many other parts.