Remember Richard Thomas? Take A Deep Breath Before You See Him Now

In a quick interview, the American actor also talks about how he started in theater. You'll probably know Richard Thomas best for playing John-Boy in the '70s drama series The Waltons. Now, the Emmy-winning actor is playing literature's most famous lawyer, Atticus Finch, in the touring production of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, adapted for the stage by Aaron Sorkin. Thomas started his acting career at age seven, appearing on Broadway in Sunrise at Campobello, a play about President Franklin D. Roosevelt's battle with polio. In an interview with Q's Tom Power, he says he got his start in theater through dance. "My parents were ballet dancers," Thomas tells Power. "I grew up backstage in the world of ballet. When I was young, they danced for several companies, including Balanchine's. "The theater was my world." His first-grade teacher helped him get the part in Sunrise at Campobello. "My dad was dancing and doing some summer stock in upstate New York, and they needed a kid for something," he recalls. "They asked me, and I said yes and loved it. Then I returned to New York, where they were casting for this play. As it happened, my first-grade teacher was a children's agent. So she said, "Do you want to come in and audition for this?" I did, and I got the part. "That was the start of it." "Goodnight, John-Boy" Thomas has played many roles over the past six decades on stage, on TV, and in movies, but his portrayal of John-Boy on The Waltons is still the one people remember him for the most. At the end of the play, Thomas says people often yell "Goodnight John-Boy" to him. While some actors might be bummed about being remembered for one particular role, Thomas says he's grateful for the opportunity. "It's a wonderful thing." What could be better for an actor than having a job that's a springboard for a long and successful career and playing a character so vivid in people's minds that they think he's honest, and that's who you are? Thomas says the whole point of performing is to have audiences believe in his character. "When we get on stage or in front of the camera, we want people to believe in the character we're playing and for that character to seem real to them." And that's precisely what happens when you have success like that. "It's a great thing for an actor to have." I just wanted to give you a heads-up that To Kill a Mockingbird will be showing at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto from May 28 to June 2 this spring.