The Watsons is one of the most popular television programs in the 70s, created by Earl Hamner, Jr. It was based on Hamner’s Book Spencer’s Mountain and also from the movie called The Waltons. This show followed the life of a family living in rural Virginia during the time of the Great Depression and the Second World War. This show first debuted as a TV movie and was titled “The Homecoming: A Christmas Story.”

The show became an instant hit which led CBS to order a full season of episodes which will feature the same characters. This is when ‘The Waltons’ started. It ran for a full nine seasons and became the staple of American TV. After all these years, many fans are wondering of what happened to the Waltons.

Michael Learned.
She played the role of Olivia Walton who was a demure wife of John Walton and the mother of their seven children. She was an opinionated Southern Baptist who disapproved liquor and the war. However, her opinion changed when her children enlisted for the Pearl Harbor. She is now living in California with her fourth husband, John Doherty. She revealed that during her time with The Waltons, she was an alcoholic but she has been sober since 1977.

Ralph White.
He played John Walton, Sr and also sat at the director’s chair for a few episodes. His role was being the patriarch of the family referred to as “Daddy” by their children. He was running a small sawmill on Walton’s Mountain. Ralph passed away in 2014 at 85. He spent most of his life not as a member of a religious group and joined the Spirit of the Desert Presbyterian Fellowship in California instead. He was a political activist and campaigned for California Congress three times as a Democrat.

Richard Thomas.
He is John-Boy in the show and the eldest of the Walton siblings. He also became the narrator of the show and voiced by Earl Hamner Jr. He is a writer and enlisted in the military after Pearl Harbor. Richard won an Emmy Award for portraying the role and was also nominated for another, including two Golden Globes. In real life, he is a writer and published his book of poetry, Glass, in 1981.

John Walmsley.
He played Jason Walton who has a special bond with his older brother, John-Boy. He was just 15 years old when the show started and similar to the character that he played, he also loves music. He plays the harmonica, guitar, and the piano. In real life, Jason is a musician in addition to his acting work. He has a band called The Ravers and he has played with the big names in the music industry like Brian Setzer and David Koz.

Judy Norton.
She played Mary Ellen, the eldest of the Walton girls. Her role was a rough and tumble girl who loves baseball. Her character led from a teenager to a professional woman. She ended up being a doctor when she became an adult in the tv show. While she was a character in The Waltons, Judy also had stage play roles during this time. She directed more than 40 plays from two different Canadian theater companies.

Eric Scott.
He was ben in the TV show and he was a very ambitious kid and was susceptible to get rich quick schemes. Always bailed out by his brother or father. During the 8th season of The Waltons, he was kidnapped by the Japanese after he joined the Seabees. He now owns a parcel delivery service in Encino, California called Chase Messengers. He is now retired from acting.

Mary Beth McDonough.
She was Erin, the second daughter of the family. She got a job as a switchboard operator and works for Pickett Metal Products during the WWII in The Waltons. She also married Paul Northbridge. After the show, she continued her acting career and had different roles in TV like the Boston Legal, ER, and Will and Grace.

Kami Cotler.
She is the youngest Walton child and she was only 6 years old when the show began. When she grew up, she became a restless soul and her character is always traveling the world in her pursuit of adventure. When the show ended, her acting career did not run for the long run. She became a school teacher and now runs an elementary school in LA where she is residing with her two children.

David W. Harper.
He is the youngest Walton son who is the twin of Joseph Zebulon who died during his birth. He is called Jim-Bob and he dreams to someday fly planes. He was denied to enter the Air Force because of his poor eyesight but he turned out to be a mechanically gifted man who builds a car for himself out of used car parts. When The Waltons ended, he then moved to another miniseries called The Blue and the Gray and also had a role in the movie Fletch. He is already retired from acting but he still regularly appear at Waltons-related events.

Though many of us may not have been able to see The Waltons on TV surely, a lot of our parents and grandparents have followed the story of this family television show. It is good to learn how these characters were doing after the long-time running show ended.