On screen they were a devoted married couple, one of the most famous in television history, as Olivia and John Walton in the hit CBS series “The Waltons.”
They were always surrounded by children with each episode reiterating the importance of family and love — but off screen their lives were far from the idyllic existence they depicted on the show.
“The Waltons” was a much-loved family favorite airing for nine seasons between 1972 and 1981.
Olivia Walton, played by Michael Learned, and John Walton, played by Ralph Waite, were a couple struggling through the Great Depression with seven kids and grandparents all living together in Walton’s Mountain, a fictional mountain community.