Joe Conley, Played Shopkeeper Ike Godsey on The Waltons
Conley was a fixture on the popular series throughout its nine seasons on the air.
Joe Conley, an actor best known for the role of Ike Godsey, the kindly general store owner on The Waltons, died July 7 at a care facility in Newbury Park, California. He was 85.
Conley, a native of Buffalo, N.Y., began his performing on the radio as a child.
Later, as a student at Loyola University and appeared in campus plays before serving in the Korean War, during which he was wounded. After the war he enrolled at Arizona State University, where an appearance in a production of The Sound of Fury led to role in the 150 film version.
He went on to appear in many television series, including Mister Ed, The People’s Choice, Lassie, Make Room for Daddy, Dragnet, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Dennis the Menace, Gunsmoke, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Green Acres.
As Godsey, he appeared in 172 of the 212 episodes of The Waltons during its nine-season run. He was also in all six of the Lorimar series’ reunion made-for-TV movies.
Conley's feature films included Crime of Passion, Blueprint for Robbery and Cast Away.
For a time, in addition to his acting career, Conley owned several real estate offices and a restaurant in the San Fernando Valley.
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