Ronnie Claire Edwards ('The Waltons'): A Look Back at Her Life Eight Years After Her Death

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In the history of television actress Ronnie Claire Edwards, who died in 2016 at 83, is best known as Corabeth Walton Godsey on TV's classic series The Waltons.

As fellow Waltons star Mary McDonough once noted, Edwards was "larger than life and so whip-smart and funny."

A Closer Look

Graduated from Classen High School, Oklahoma City, OK. Class of 1951.

Edwards joined the cast of The Waltons in 1974 as the intense yet comical Corabeth, a cousin to John Walton, Sr. (as played by Ralph Waite). She wedd Ike (Joe Conley) and stood her ground on many issues, most of the time getting her way.

Edwards, a native of Oklahoma City, made guest appearances on other TV shows such as Dallas, Designing Women, and Falcon Crest. While all three shows aired on CBS, the latter was created by Waltons writer Earl Hamner, Jr.

Edwards also made movies for the big screen, such as The Dead Pool and Nobody’s Fool, and frequently performed in the live theatre.

A multi-talented creative sort, Edwards also penned plays, including Wedding Belles and The Mystery of Miz Arnette (both with Alan Bailey), and books, including her 2000 memoir, The Knife Thrower’s Assistant: Memoirs of a Human Target.

In 1979, Edwards was awarded the Drama Logue Award for Outstanding Performance for The Vienna Notes, which was presented as an NTFN production at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

Beyond the Spotlight and Accolades of Hollywood

In 2012, Ronnie Claire Edwards, who was divorced, restored a 1911 Catholic Church on Swiss Avenue in Dallas and made it her home after selling her 1903 LA mansion to Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea.

A unique personality in and outside of Hollywood, Ronnie Claire Edwards will be forever remembered fondly by her countless, dedicated fans.