Kami Cotler retired acting in pursuit of an academic path. She enrolled at the University of California, Berkley, and got her degree in Social Sciences. She became a teacher and ironically started to work in a rural Virginia school, similar to the school that her character on Waltons attended.
Kami later moved back to California to teach at an Environmental Charter High School and then became co-director of the Ocean Charter School until 2007 when she retired from the school system in order to start her own educational consulting business.
David Harper - Now
After sticking with the series for the duration of its nine-season run, Harper, like many of his on-screen family members, chose to lighten up on his acting load. Since the show, he has appeared in the CBS television miniseries, "The Blue and the Gray."
Along with many of his co-stars, he appeared in several reunion specials throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Kami Cotler - Then
The baby of the Walton family, adorable Kami Cotler, was only six-years-old when the series started. She stars as the youngest child of Olivia and John, Elizabeth Tyler Walton. She is a free-spirited, feisty little girl who has no problem speaking her mind.
When she grows up to be a teenager, she's very fond of books and writing. Elizabeth is very helpful and often babysits her nieces and nephews. Later on in the series, her free-spirit persona leads her to travel around Europe and join the Peace Corps.
Ralph Waite Was Fired Because the Network Was Cheap
Originally, the show wasn't supposed to continue on for a ninth season. However, after setting a lower budget, the producers ended up proceeding with the last season. They needed more money, so they did the most logical thing; they let go of the highest-paid actor, Ralph Waite.
So, if you're wondering why Waite was missing… you can blame the network for being cheap!
Ellen Corby Returned After a Stroke
Some actors are so dedicated to their careers that something as serious as a stroke doesn't keep them out of the game for too long. When Grandma Esther, AKA Ellen Corby, had a stroke in 1976, she left the show for two years in order to care for her health.
Her stroke ended up being written into the script. Ellen was afraid that the stroke would impact her acting abilities, but the opposite ended up happening, although her fans expressed doubt at Corby taking up acting again and not prioritizing her health.