Indiana Broadcast History Archive

Photo Courtesy of Indiana Broadcast Pioneers

Will Geer was a celebrated actor, folk singer, and activist best known for his role as Grandpa Zeb Walton on the long-running TV series The Waltons, for which he won an Emmy Award. Over a six-decade career, he left a lasting impact on stage, screen, and social activism. 

Born William Aughe Ghere in Frankfort, Indiana, in 1902, Geer grew up in Kentucky, Georgia, and Tennessee. Inspired by his grandfather, who taught him the Latin names of plants, Geer pursued botany, earning a degree in horticulture from the University of Chicago and a Masters at Columbia University.  

However, his love of performance eventually led him to acting, where he got his start in tent shows and show boats on the Ohio River before joining the Minnie Maderne Fiske’s Troupe in the 1920s and later debuting on Broadway in 1928 in The Merry Wives of Windsor. 

Geer’s Broadway career spanned decades, with standout performances in productions like Of Mice and Men and Tobacco Road. 

Geer also acted on the radio in the 1930s and 1940s, appearing in The Plot to Overthrow Christmas in 1938 and in the soap opera Bright Horizon In 1944. 

During the Great Depression, he became a prominent activist, touring migrant camps and union halls with Woody Guthrie and Burl Ives, using folk music to support labor movements. In 1934, Geer joined the Communist Party, participated in major labor strikes, and became a lifelong advocate for workers' and civil rights. 

In the 1950s, Geer’s refusal to testify before the House Un-American Committee resulted in his Hollywood blacklisting. During this time, he founded the Theatricum Botanicum, a California arts colony that combined repertory theater, education, and social discourse. 

Later in his career, Geer returned to acting with memorable roles in films like Jeremiah Johnson and received widespread acclaim for The Waltons. Geer died in 1978. 

February 2025

Katherine Maners

Indiana Broadcast Pioneers