By Kayla DeKraker
THE WALTONS star Michael Learned, who played Olivia on the classic show, kept her relationship with on-screen husband Ralph Waite strictly professional.
While the pair had undeniable chemistry, the actors never crossed the line in their friendship, instead fostering a deep, mutual respect for on another.
“We had a spat about something totally insignificant, and I was so upset that I had to knock on his trailer door with tears streaming down my face. I said, ‘We have to make up, or I can’t do the scene with you. He held out his arms and gave me a big hug,” she told Fox News.
She added, “That was Ralph Waite.”
Learned previously opened up about their relationship, saying, “I just loved him, and he loved me.”
“That was very real, and we were also very wise. We didn’t sleep together in real life,” she added. “We knew that that could just go downhill. So as much as we loved each other, we were just very respectful of the show and who we were and who our characters were. So, we just remained dear, dear friends.”
Related: WALTONS Star Michael Learned Reflects On Show’s Legacy: ‘We Were Truly Family’
Waite died in 2014 at the age of 85 due to natural causes. Following her beloved co-star’s death, Learned said, “Ralph was a good honest actor and a good honest man. He was my spiritual husband. We loved each other for over forty years. He died a working actor at the top of his game. He was a loving mentor to many and a role model to an entire generation. I’m devastated.”
Before he was an actor, Waite was a minister. He pastored the United Church of Christ in Garden City, Long Island, before leaving the ministry at age 32 to pursue acting. In 1975, actor Bill Hayes said of Waite, “He was a top-notch minister and a dynamic actor in the pulpit even then. But I don’t think Ralph ever enjoyed being asked to conform to the mold or the stereotype expected of most clergymen… He was a very individualistic guy who wanted to be himself.”
THE WALTONS ran from 1972-1981. It followed “The life and trials of a 1930s and 1940s Virginia mountain family through financial depression and World War II.”
Along with Learned and Waite, the show starred David W. Harper, Richard Thomas, Judy Norton, Kami Cotler and Jon Walmsley.
Throughout the decades, Learned kept a relationship of integrity with her Waite and chose to keep their friendship pure and wholesome.
Read Next: THE WALTONS’ Richard Thomas Credits Show’s Popularity to its Family Focus
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