Ralph Waite, 85, 'Waltons' father

LOS ANGELES - Ralph Waite, 85, who played the kind-and-steady patriarch of a tight-knit rural Southern family on the TV series

The Waltons

, died Thursday, his manager Alan Mills said.

Mills, who did not know the cause of death, said he was taken aback because Mr. Waite had been in good health and still working. The actor appeared last year in episodes of the series NCIS, playing the father of star Mark Harmon's character. He also appeared in Bones and Days of Our Lives.

The Waltons, which aired on CBS from 1972 to 1981, starred Mr. Waite as John Walton, and Richard Thomas played his oldest son, John-Boy, an aspiring novelist. The gentle family drama was set in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia.

His costars praised both the actor and the man.

"I am devastated to announce the loss of my precious 'Papa' Walton," said Mary McDonough, who played daughter Erin. "Goodnight, Daddy. I love you."

Michael Learned, who played Walton matriarch Olivia, said she was "devastated" by the death of "a good honest actor and a good honest man. . . . He died a working actor at the top of his game."

Mr. Waite, a native of White Plains, N.Y., served in the Marines before earning a bachelor's degree from Bucknell University and a master's degree from Yale University Divinity School, according to a 2010 profile by the Desert Sun.

He became an ordained Presbyterian minister and then worked at a publishing house, the paper said, before falling under the spell of acting.

Mr. Waite appeared on the stage before moving onto the big screen with roles in 1967's Cool Hand Luke and 1970's Five Easy Pieces, in which he played the brother of Jack Nicholson's character.

Mr. Waite received an Emmy nomination for The Waltons and another for his performance in the ABC miniseries Roots.

His role as a steady TV dad in the CBS drama was in contrast to his personal life that was undercut by alcoholism, Mr. Waite told the Desert Sun.

"I was a caring, responsible father to all of these kids. But I was drinking the night before and being a drunk on the side," he said, adding, "I found a way to get sober."