Will Geer

Will Geer (b. Frankfort, March 9, 1902 – d. Los Angeles, April 22, 1978) – Actor, singer, and social activist. Fascinated by plant life in Indiana, Geer earned a Master’s degree studying botany at the University of Chicago. In the interest of improving labor conditions, he traveled the country—especially the West—along with Burl Ives and Woody Guthrie in the 1930s. During a Grapes of Wrath benefit that Geer organized in 1940, he introduced Guthrie to Pete Seeger. Also during this peripatetic period, he acted in tent shows and on riverboats. In the 1950s, he combined his two passions—acting and botanical life—in the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, which he built in Topanga Canyon, California. As a testament to his musical ability, he earned a Tony Award nomination in 1964 as Best Featured Actor for his lead role in the Broadway musical 110 in the Shade. Although he appeared in scores of films, Geer is best known for playing the grandpa on the first six seasons of The Waltons (1972-1976, CBS).