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Ralph Waite dies: Friends, co-stars react to death of ‘Waltons’ actor

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Rainer poses in her central London apartment on July 29, 1999. She died on Dec. 30, 2014.   (Adam Butler / Associated Press)
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Considered to be among the most influential rabbis of his generation, Schulweis stressed deed over ritual. He founded Jewish World Watch, which raises about $2 million a year to fight genocide in Africa and improve the lives of survivors. He was 89.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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The author of more than a dozen books of poetry and several works of prose, Strand was a Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. poet laureate widely praised for his concentrated, elegiac verse. He was 80.  (Chris Felver / Getty Images)
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A puppeteer who created whimsical marionettes, Baker operated the oldest puppet theater in the United States. He also ran the Academy of Puppetry and Allied Arts, where high school students could learn the art of puppetry. He was 90.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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A charismatic character, Barry served as mayor of the District of Columbia for four terms. Though dogged by scandals, he maintained his popularity and was reelected even after an FBI videotape showed him smoking crack. He was 78.  (Tim Sloan / AFP / Getty Images)
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Nichols directed landmark films such as “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “The Graduate.” His critic- and crowd-pleasing work earned him adulation both on Broadway and in Hollywood. He was 83.  (Archive Photos / Getty Images)
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An Army veteran who became an antiwar activist after a paralyzing injury in Iraq, Young was the subject of the scathing documentary “Body of War.” For many, he symbolized the unending cost of battle. He was 34.  (Taylor Jones / Getty Images)
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A physician who gave up his medical practice to embark on a surf odyssey with his wife and nine children, Paskowitz also founded a surfing school and is credited with pioneering surfing in Israel. He was 93.  (Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times)
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Tom Magliozzi, left, along with his brother Ray, for more than 35 years dispensed frequently good advice on “Car Talk,” one of NPR’s most popular and least serious programs. Tom Magliozzi was 77.  (Susan Walsh / Associated Press)
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The longtime Washington Post editor led the paper from 1968 to 1991. He became the best-known editor of his generation, directing the groundbreaking coverage of the Watergate scandal. He was 93.  (AFP/Getty Images)
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The Dominican-born fashion designer spent more than 50 years dressing royalty, Hollywood celebrities and U.S. first ladies from Jacqueline Kennedy to Hillary Clinton. His gowns were often featured on the cover of Vogue magazine and on the red carpet at the Academy Awards. He was 82.  (Brad Barket / Getty Images)
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The former USC coach became one of the most celebrated names in collegiate and Olympic swimming. He coached the 1972 U.S. Olympic men’s swim team to nine gold medals, including the seven won by Mark Spitz. Eight years earlier, he guided the U.S. women’s team to six gold medals. He was 93.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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The U.S. Army machinist turned Soviet spy was vilified for betraying his country and his sister, Ethel Rosenberg, in a notorious Cold War-era atomic espionage case that ended with the electrocutions of Rosenberg and her husband, Julius. Greenglass was 92.  (Archive Photos / Getty Images)
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The former dictator of Haiti helped condemn the country to endemic poverty and violence before he was ousted by a popular uprising. He was 63.  (Lee Celano / Getty Images)
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His L.A.-based ensemble, Mariachi los Camperos de Nati Cano, is widely considered one of the top mariachi ensembles in the United States. The group played top concert venues around the world and won crossover fans with its performances with Linda Ronstadt. He was 81.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Dubbed “the flying housewife,” Mock became the first woman to fly solo around the globe, in 1964. She was 88.  (Mike Ewen / Associated Press)
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Known for his fiery rhetoric and thundering speeches, the unionist Protestant preacher helped fan the sectarianism of Northern Ireland but went on to lead a power-sharing government with some of his most bitter Catholic enemies. He was 88.  (AFP / Getty Images)
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Rivers rose to prominence in the 1960s as one of only a few nationally known female comics. She had a run on late-night television and reinvented herself as fashion commentator on Hollywood’s red carpet. She was 81.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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The respected British actor and Academy Award-winning director of “Gandhi,” the multiple-Oscar-winning best picture of 1982, was known as a “socially engaged” filmmaker who often focused on major historical figures. He was 90.  (Larry Davis / Los Angeles Times)
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The Indian guru was one of the West’s most influential teachers of yoga. He helped lay the foundation for its explosive growth and attained rock-star status with tens of thousands of followers. He was 95.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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An iconic Bay Area tunnel, commonly known as the Waldo Tunnel or Rainbow Tunnel, will be named after the late actor Robin Williams.

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The smoky-voiced movie legend taught Humphrey Bogart how to whistle in “To Have and Have Not.” The two became one of Hollywood’s legendary couples on screen and off. She was 89.  (Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images)
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Former White House spokesman James S. “Jim” Brady gave his name to a gun-control law after surviving a devastating gunshot wound to his head during the 1981 assassination attempt on President Reagan. He was 73.  (Mandel Agan / AFP/Getty Images)
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The grandmaster of special-effects makeup, Smith broke ground in the 1970s with his work on films such as “Little Big Man” and “The Exorcist.” He received an Academy Award in 1985 for aging F. Murray Abraham into an elderly composer in the film “Amadeus.” He was 92.  (Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images)
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A dynamic, public-spirited leader, Rich rose to the heights of academic administration at UCLA before serving 10 years as president of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She was 71.  (Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times)
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Van Kirk was the last surviving crew member of the Enola Gay, which dropped the first nuclear bomb in the history of warfare over Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945. He was 93.   (Bita Honavar / EPA)
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The raspy-voiced actress enlivened the New York stage for more than six decades. Her lengthy theater career included a Tony-winning one-woman show and collaborations with Stephen Sondheim and Edward Albee. She was 89.  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
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The rail-thin blues guitarist was known for his scorching riffs, flowing white hair and gravelly, hard-times voice. In 1988, Winter became the first white musician named to the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame. He was 70.  (AFP / Getty Images)
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The groundbreaking Soviet foreign minister later became the president of an independent Georgia. In the final years of the Soviet Union, he helped topple the Berlin Wall and end the Cold War. He was 86.  (AFP / Getty Images)
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The South African writer won fame and a Nobel Prize as a chronicler of apartheid. Her work conveyed the visible and hidden wounds of racial injustice, corruption and abuses of freedom. She was 90.  (Pierre Haski / AFP / Getty Images)
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The world-renowned conductor held top posts with the Vienna State Opera, the Cleveland Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, among others. Over the course of his career, he conducted an average of two concerts a week for more than 70 years. He was 84.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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The doyenne of the modeling business, Ford co-founded an agency that set standards for the industry. She launched superstars such as Brooke Shields, Christie Brinkley and Naomi Campbell, and shaped American ideals of beauty in the 1960s and beyond. She was 92.  (Evan Agostini / Getty Images)
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Mistakenly declared dead during World War II, the former Olympic track star endured more than two years in a Japanese prison camp. His life became the subject of the book and film “Unbroken.” He was 97.  (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
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The Oscar-nominated writer-director excelled at mining the urban middle class for laughs as well as tears in such movies as “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice” and “Down and Out in Beverly Hills.” He was 84.  (Christina House / For The Times)
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The legendary soul and gospel singer was mentored by Sam Cooke and played alongside Elvis Presley and Sly Stone. He wrote “It’s All Over Now,” which became a No. 1 hit for the Rolling Stones in 1964. He was 70.  (David Corio / Getty Images)
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The veteran stage, screen and television actor was known for his roles in Tennessee Williams’ plays on the New York stage but gained fame in Hollywood for playing bandits in movies including “The Magnificent Seven” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” He was 98.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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The prolific jazz pianist and composer cofounded the legendary Jazz Messengers, pioneered the genre known as hard bop and influenced generations of musicians with a style that encompassed all his musical loves: gospel, blues, Latin rhythm. He was 85.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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The Los Angeles-based disc jockey pioneered the nationally syndicated countdown-style radio show. His warm, distinctively husky tenor became one of the country’s most instantly recognizable voices. He was 82.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
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Often called “Little Jimmy Scott” for his small stature and memorable, high-pitched voice, Scott was one of the jazz world’s most unique sounds. His voice earned praise from the likes of Ray Charles, Madonna and Lou Reed. He was 88.   (Kevin P. Casey / Los Angeles Times)
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The actress was known as much for her activism as for her powerful stage and movie roles in productions including “A Raisin in the Sun.” She was 91.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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During World War II, Nez was part of a top-secret group that became known as the Navajo code talkers. Using the Navajo language, they developed an unbreakable military communications code. He was 93.  (Jake Schoellkopf / For The Times)
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The biochemist in 1976 synthesized a psychedelic drug that was later called Ecstasy. He was 88.  (Bob Carey / Los Angeles Times)
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The acclaimed author of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” rose from poverty, segregation and violence to become a force on stage, screen and the printed page. She was 86.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
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Rising from near-poverty as a teenager, Glazer went on to own the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and international soccer powerhouse Manchester United. He was 85.  (Al Messerschmidt / Getty Images)
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The Pritzker Prize winner ushered in architecture’s post-modernism movement in the 1970s. He was 80. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2013  (Jean-Philippe Ksiazek / AFP/Getty Images)
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Convicted with a codefendant of three 1966 New Jersey barroom murders they did not commit, Carter was the subject of a Dylan anthem and a 1999 film starring Denzel Washington. He was 76.  (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)
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The Nobel Prize-winning Colombian novelist’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude” enchanted millions. His influence helped fuel the international popularity of Latin American literature in the years after World War II. He was 87.  (Mario Guzman / EPA)
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The only writer to win the National Book Award in both fiction and nonfiction, Matthiessen was both an elegant novelist and a rugged naturalist. He wrote graceful yet spare descriptions of the wildest places on Earth. He was 86.  (Ed Betz / Associated Press)
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Often called the “godfather” of house music, Frankie Knuckles was instrumental in launching the electronic dance music movement in the late 1970s. He was 59.  (Derren Nugent / McClatchy-Tribune)
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A U.S. prisoner during the Vietnam War, Jeremiah Denton let the world know that POWs were being mistreated by blinking out the word “torture” in Morse code during a TV interview. He was 89.  (Stephen M. Katz / Associated Press)
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In 1959, Wilson founded the Buffalo Bills with a $25,000 investment and turned the team into western New York’s defining institution. He co-founded the American Football League in 1960. He was 95.  (Rick Stewart / Getty Images)
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A film and television actress who appeared opposite Frank Sinatra in the original “Ocean’s Eleven,” Wymore earned wider notice for her real-life role as the third and last wife of matinee idol Errol Flynn. She was 87.  (File photo / Associated Press)
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A disbarred lawyer, Phelps led a small Kansas church that picketed military and celebrity funerals, preaching a doctrine of divine retribution against gays. He was 84.  (The Washington Post / Getty Images)
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The adventurous and news-making author and reporter is best known for two works that became touchstones in their respective genres -- campaign books (“The Selling of the President”) and true crime (“Fatal Vision”). He was 71.  (Dan Joling / Associated Press)
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The renowned plastic and reconstructive surgeon pioneered the comprehensive care of burn patients in Sherman Oaks. He established what became the nation’s largest private burn-treatment center. He was 81.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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A film director made a name for himself in the ‘80s as head of China’s most progressive film production units. He won recognition for his own pictures and as the “godfather” of now-legendary filmmakers including Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige. He was 74.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
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Widely thought to be the oldest survivor of the Holocaust, Herz-Sommer played piano while imprisoned in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. She is the subject of “The Lady in Number 6,” a 38-minute documentary. She was 110.   (Bunbury Films / EPA)
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In the D-day invasion, Walter Ehlers singlehandedly took on enemy soldiers and gun nests and exposed himself to fire to save his men. He was awarded Medal of Honor for his heroism. He was 92.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
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The curly-haired child star lifted a filmgoing nation’s spirits during the Depression with her singing and dancing. She later returned to the spotlight as a diplomat. She was 85.  (AFP / Getty Images)
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The actor whose work garnered an Academy Award, three Tony nominations and an Emmy nod was one of the most acclaimed performers of his generation. He was found dead of an apparent overdose in his New York apartment, police said. He was 46.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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The celebrated actor won the Academy Award in 1962 for his role in “Judgment at Nuremberg.” He also directed films, plays and opera. He was 83.  (Alfred Assmann / EPA)
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A studio executive who headed the motion picture academy, Sherak brought changes to the Academy Awards, expanding the best picture nominations from five to as many as 10. He was 68.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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A former music director of opera houses in Milan and Vienna and symphonies in London and Berlin, the Italian conductor was known for attention to detail and respect for players. He was 80.  (AFP / Getty Images)
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The former Japanese imperial army soldier hid in the Philippines jungle for 29 years after World War II ended, then gave up in 1974 after his former commander reversed his orders that he stay behind and spy on U.S. troops. He was 91.  (Jiji Press / AFP / Getty Images)
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The veteran actor of TV and movie westerns achieved enduring fame as the Professor on the 1960s show “Gilligan’s Island.” He was 89.  (Wally Fong / Associated Press)
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Israel’s former prime minister was an iron-willed army general. He spearheaded Jewish settlement of Palestinian territories, then years later presided over Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. He was 85.  (Thomas Coex / AFP / Getty Images)
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The filmmaker churned out more than 1,000 movies over 50 years from his sprawling “Hollywood East” studios in Hong Kong. His empire grew to include theaters, amusement parks and TV. He was 106.  (Central Press / Getty Images)
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The Portuguese soccer star, a two-time winner of Europe’s Golden Boot, was named one of soccer’s top 10 players of all time. He was 71.  (AFP / Getty Images)
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Phil Everly, left, shown with his brother, Don, made up a vocal duo that profoundly influenced the Beatles and the Beach Boys among others. Their hits included “Wake Up Little Susie,” “Bye Bye Love” and “When Will I Be Loved.” He was 74.  (Dave Hogan / Getty Images)
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Juanita Moore became only the third African American nominated for a supporting-actress Oscar, for 1959’s “Imitation of Life.” She was 99.  (File photo / Associated Press)
By Meredith Blake
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Ralph Waite, best known for starring in the CBS series “The Waltons” from 1972 to 1981, died Thursday at his home in Palm Desert, Calif., at the age of 85.

The actor played John Walton Sr., the kind-hearted patriarch of a large, poor family living in rural Virginia in the Great Depression. The wholesome series, which also starred Michael Learned as his wife, Olivia, and Richard Thomas as his eldest son John-Boy, famously ended with a vignette in which the family said goodnight as they turned off the lights.

On Thursday, Waite’s co-stars reacted to the news of his passing.

PHOTOS: Notable deaths of 2014

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“Ralph was a good honest actor and a good honest man,” said Learned. “He was my spiritual husband. We loved each other for over 40 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.”

Mary McDonough, who played daughter Erin, also mourned his loss. “‘I am devastated to announce the loss of my precious ‘papa’ Walton, Ralph Waite. I loved him so much; I know he was so special to all of us. He was like a real father to me. Goodnight Daddy. I love you.”

Waite, who appeared in the landmark miniseries “Roots” and the films “The Bodyguard,” “Cool Hand Luke” and “Cliffhanger,” continued to maintain a busy work pace in his later years, recently starring in “Days of Our Lives,” “Bones” and “NCIS,” where he played the father of Mark Harmon’s character.

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“Everyone at ‘NCIS’ is deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague Ralph Waite,” said the cast and crew of the hit CBS drama in a joint statement. “Ralph was family to us, a tremendous talent and a very special man. We truly cherish the time we had with him. Our hearts and prayers go out to his loved ones.”

Series star Pauley Perrette also tweeted, “So Sad. Ralph Waite has passed away. Papa Gibbs. We love him at NCIS SO much. So so sad.”

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“Bones” executive producers Stephen Nathan and Hart Hanson issued a remembrance: “All of us at Bones mourn the loss of Ralph Waite. We loved having him on set and in many ways his character was the moral center of our show as Booth’s plainspoken, loving, war hero grandfather. The entire Bones family sends condolences to his family and loved ones.”

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Twitter: @MeredithBlake

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Meredith Blake

Meredith Blake is an entertainment reporter for the Los Angeles Times based out of New York City, where she primarily covers television. A native of Bethlehem, Pa., she graduated from Georgetown University and holds a master’s degree from New York University.

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