From Child Star to New Beginnings: How He Found Love After 50 and Transformed His Life by the Sea
At 68, the actor famous for his role as Jason Walton on The Waltons has undergone a complete transformation, both in his personal life and appearance. He became widely known for his role on the popular TV series, which first aired in 1972. While recovering from mononucleosis in 1979, he met his first wife, Lisa Harrison. His journey has taken a unique path compared to many child stars, and now, he is in a relationship with someone new.
Harrison was introduced via a buddy, and they clicked right away. After only two months, she moved in with him. As it turned out, the show had already made her a tremendous fan. They made the decision to be married after three years of cohabitation. Later on, he remembered, in jest, “She made me get down on my knees.”
A typical “Waltons” family affair, their wedding was. The entire cast attended the ceremony in Malibu, which was officiated by his on-screen father, Ralph Waite. In the meanwhile, Mama Walton actor Michael Learned said they were a match “made in heaven.”
When his on-screen sister, Mary Elizabeth McDonough, saw their wedding rings, she broke down in tears. During the reception, even John Ritter, who appeared as a guest on the show, joined them.
Because of their mutual love of music, Harrison and this actor performed a song they wrote together, “Cuddle Up,” at the wedding. They started a band and performed at Disney World and clubs. If “The Waltons” ever ended, he once said, he would devote himself entirely to music, his “first love.”
In 2022, a black-and-white image of him playing guitar with Ellen Corby, who portrayed Grandmother Esther Walton, appeared on Facebook.
The actor talked about their unique relationship and how they developed a “deep, familial connection” while working together. Since he never had grandparents of his own, he viewed her as a “adopted grandmother” and she was his staunchest music supporter.
He sincerely regretted not being able to visit Corby in Atlanta in 1974 due to acute sickness. He went with her to the Emmy Awards the following year, where she took home the prize for her performance on the show.
Their picture with Earl Hammer at this occasion was featured in the biography “Earl Hammer: From Walton’s Mountain to Tomorrow.”
A daughter, Brighton Asher, who also pursued acting, was eventually born to this former child star and Harrison. This actress is well-known for her parts in “Harvest Season,” “Take Me with You,” and “Shining Vale.”
The pair separated in 2008, despite being married for almost thirty years. However, he had already found a new person long before they split up, and they were married that same year.
His Quieter Life with His Second Wife
The actor moved to Cornwall, Britain, in October 2019 to live in peace and quiet instead of the California sunshine. He met Marion, his second wife, in 2004 and they started living together. Given that his parents were originally from Lancashire, the relocation felt somewhat like a homecoming.
When he was only a toddler, they moved to California. However, during one of several visits, this former child star finally fell for Cornwall’s charm.
Christopher Robin’s voice from Disney’s “Winnie the Pooh” mentioned his anonymity in the little town, saying, “I don’t really get recognized as I changed my look a few years ago and now look quite different than on ‘The Waltons.'”
The accomplished musician viewed this as a benefit rather than a source of distress. He liked to see people without their reactions to his popularity because he was a people-watcher.
They were enthralled with their new surroundings, which featured the sea, the woods, the coastal trails, the farm animals, and the “good food.” Over the years, Cornwall had become a familiar place for them to go on vacation.
The actor described on his music website how he and his wife decided to travel to England in the summer of 2018 instead of taking a vacation. By June of that year, they had already sold their RV and car and said farewell to their Maine neighbors and friends.
Everything they possessed was loaded into a truck and transported to Boston, then to the dock in New York, where it was placed onto a ship bound for Southampton and finally Cornwall. Their stuff finally arrived after three months.
Two parakeets he inherited from his mother, who died of Alzheimer’s, were among the things he took to England. After settling down, he and Marion opened a bank account, purchased a car, registered with the National Health Service, and began a new life.
Since then, they have been taking in Cornwall’s pubs, medieval churches, and moors. The actor subsequently stopped performing and appeared to be doing well away from the limelight, according to IMDb.
Images from the actor’s new life in Cornwall showed him looking completely different.
A look into their existence was provided by a 2018 Thanksgiving Facebook post in which Marion was seen kissing him on the cheek and he said, “I’m thankful for this woman.” There was a noticeable shift in his appearance.
He was thinner in other pictures, and his thick red hair had been replaced by shorter gray strands. He also had a mustache and a gray beard.
His appearance between February and June 2015, when he appeared more like his supporters remembered him, was a far cry from this. However, some aspects of his life stayed the same in spite of these shifts.
Staying in Touch with His Friends
Despite the fact that “The Waltons” ended years ago, the actor maintains contact with his former co-stars. He shared a number of pictures of their reunion on Twitter in April 2019, writing, “Had a wonderful time at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Marshfield, MO with my #Waltons family.”
The musician posted that he was “happy to be home again” in Cornwall, but he didn’t mind traveling to the US for this occasion.
The Past Few Years of His Life with Marion
Walmsley has posted numerous moments of his life on social media and seems to like all kinds of outdoor sports. He posted a picture of himself river rafting in August 2015. The actor posted a picture of himself posing on Mount Washington on Facebook in October 2016.
The most recurring topic in his life is his love for Marion, which is demonstrated by his posts, even if he also enjoys remaining fit and updating his fans online. In celebration of their wedding anniversary, the musician posted a number of pictures to Facebook on August 19, 2017.
In one of the pictures, he was sitting across from his wife, grinning, and they were holding glasses so they could toast. They were in one of their favorite restaurants in Vermont, he said in the caption. In addition, the singer expressed gratitude to Marion, called her “the love of my life,” and acknowledged that she was the best aspect of him.
He posted a picture of him kissing her on the cheek by the beach a few days later. According to him, his sister Kami Cotler questioned him about whether Walmsley’s song “Love And You,” which is featured on his album “Goin’ To Clarksdale,” was written about his wife.
As a teenager, the actor revealed that he had composed the song in a trailer on the set of “The Waltons.” Since they met years later, he was unable to write it about Marion. He did point out that the song’s lyrics did, in fact, perfectly capture their relationship: “I look at the song now as a premonition of good things to come.”
The actor extolled the delight of sitting next to Marian as they set off for their new home in a blog post from October 2018. The celebrity claimed he wasn’t taking their trip for granted, even if previous journeys hadn’t always been that tranquil.
“You just have to travel with the person if you want to find out if a relationship will work,” the musician remarked, quoting Bill Murray. Walmsley agreed, believing he had “picked a peach.”
He also deemed his wife wiser and more beautiful than him, and the “perfect traveling companion.” Being with her was like “easing into a warm bath” when he’d reached the end of his rope.
“Marion’s personality served them well over the next few weeks,” he remarked, recalling their trip to Cornwall. After a few stops en route to their new residence, the couple stashed a luggage behind the bathroom door in their hotel room for safekeeping when they arrived in Strasbourg, France.
After that, they took a romantic stroll and had dinner at a café along the Rhine River. The next day, the two grabbed some cappuccinos and pastries at a sidewalk coffee shop before moving on from the city.
When they visited Reims, they took pleasure in seeing the famous Notre Dame de Reims Cathedral. Walmsley claimed that the recently installed stained-glass window, created by one of his favorite artists, Marc Chagall, was his favorite feature of the establishment.
The celebrity and his spouse later took a tour about the city and dined at a different coffee shop that served regional cheeses and champagnes. The blog post concluded with a story of how they witnessed the audience going crazy during a 2018 World Cup soccer match in which England defeated Colombia.
In the years that followed, he resumed his exploits. On a trek in 2019, Walmsley was captured on camera taking in the scenery from the mountain he had just ascended.
The actor visited farm animals including lambs in November 2020, giving the impression that he was still enjoying his life in Cornwall.
But he also had his wife at his side. In a touching remembrance of Marion, Walmsley commemorated his 13th wedding anniversary on August 19, 2021. He posted a sweet picture of the couple sipping wine at a table outside in the sun on Facebook.
She is wearing sunglasses to protect her eyes from the sun as she looks lovingly at her husband and he smiles at the camera. Adding that he even believes his wife likes him, Walmsley humorously wished her a “lucky 13th” anniversary in his caption!
In August 2022, a year later, the actor uploaded a photo of his wife’s initials on a beach with a heart inside to further express his love for her.
A different type of update was delivered by Walmsley about a month later. He used a picture of himself and the other band members rehearsing on stage to demonstrate how he had reintegrated into his music. He also acknowledged that he was a huge fan of the local music scene in Cornwall.
He turned his attention back to his wife the next month. In addition to wishing Marion a happy birthday, he mentioned that they would be dining out that evening.
The actor posted a picture and video to Twitter in December 2022 of them attending a band performance while in Dublin before Christmas.
The pair continued to reside in the sleepy seaside town of Cornwall in 2023, marking 15 years of marriage. They appear to still be in love as they remain together in 2024.
On February 6, the actor celebrated his 68th birthday, and despite his age, he still looks amazing. Finding the proper partner to spend the adventure with could be the secret to living forever.
