MICHAEL LEARNED

'Michael Learned' is a four-time Emmy-winning and Golden Globe-nominated American actress best known for her role as Olivia Walton on ''The Waltons''.

Contents

Career

''The Waltons''

''Nurse''

Other television credits

Theater

Personal life

Filmography

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

External links

Career

''The Waltons''

She was billed as "Miss Michael Learned" on ''The Waltons'' because she was relatively unknown at the time, and producers did not want confusion among viewers about her gender. In 1979, her contract was not renewed; some sources indicate that she opted not to re-sign with the show. Her seminal character's abrupt disappearance was explained by Olivia's developing tuberculosis and entering a sanitarium. For continuity's sake, she did make occasional guest appearances until the show's cancellation. Learned was nominated for six Emmy Awards and won three for her role of Olivia Walton. She was also nominated for four Golden Globe Awards.

''Nurse''

She later starred as Nurse Mary Benjamin in the hospital drama ''Nurse'', which ran on CBS during the 1981-82 season. Though the series was well received critically, it was not a ratings success and lasted only two season. She was, however, nominated for two Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Lead Actress" and won yet another Emmy for her role in 1982.

Other television credits

She had a starring role in the unsuccessful 1989 sitcom ''Living Dolls'' and reprised her Waltons role for a number of TV movies and reunions in the 1990s.
She played "Judge Helen Turner" on the ABC soap operas ''All My Children'' and ''One Life to Live'' as part of the "baby switch" storyline on both shows.
She guest-starred in Scrubs as Mrs. Wilk in episodes "My Missed Perception", "My Buddy's Booty", "My Cabbage", and "My Five Stages" from Season 5.

Theater

She has appeared in many stage productions on Broadway, Off Broadway, and elsewhere, including most recently in the 2006-2007 national touring production of ''On Golden Pond''.

Personal life

She was born on April 9, 1939, in Washington, D.C., but lived on a farm with her five sisters for the first ten years of her life.
She has been married three times. Her first husband was Canadian-American actor Peter Donat, from 1956-1972. She had three children by this marriage (which ended in divorce): Caleb, Christopher and Lucas. Her second marriage, to Glenn Chadwick, lasted from 1975-1977, again ending in divorce. In 1979, she married actor/screenwriter William Parker IV. Records indicate she has been married to John Doherty since 1997, although it is not known how her marriage to Parker ended.

Filmography

1960s

★ The Other Man (1963)

★ Wojeck (1968)

1970s

★ The Waltons (1972-1979) (as Miss Michael Learned)

★ Gunsmoke (1973)

★ Match Game 73 (1973)

★ Hurricane (1974)

★ It Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Guy (1974)

★ Police Story (1974)

★ Widow (1976)

★ (1978)

★ Little Mo (1978)

★ The 30th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1978)

★ (1979)

1980s

★ Nurse (1980 film) (1980)

★ Touched by Love (1980)

★ A Christmas Without Snow (1980)

★ Nurse (1981)

★ Politics of Poison (1982)

★ Night of 100 Stars (1982)

★ Mother's Day on Waltons Mountain (1982)

★ The Parade (1984)

★ St. Elsewhere (1984)

★ Power (1986)

★ All My Sons (1986)

★ A Deadly Business (1986)

★ Picnic (1986 film) (1986)

★ Mercy or Murder? (1987)

★ Hothouse (film) (1988)

★ (1988)

★ Living Dolls (1989)

★ Murder, She Wrote (1989)

★ Who's the Boss? (1989)

1990s

★ (1990)

★ Wiseguy (1990)

★ (1991)

★ (1991)

★ Keeping Secrets (1991)

★ Mattie's Waltz (1992)

★ (1993)

★ A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion (1993)

★ The American Revolution (1994)

★ Reading Rainbow (1994)

★ The Secret World of Alex Mack (1995)

★ A Walton Wedding (1995)

★ A Walton Easter (1997)

★ Life During Wartime (1997)

★ A Father for Brittany (1998)

★ Profiler (1998)

★ Promised Land (1998)

2000s

★ For the Love of May (2000)

★ (2000)

★ So Graham Norton (2000)

★ The Best of So Graham Norton (2000)

★ CBS at 75 (2003)

★ (2003)

★ TV total (2004)

★ All My Children (2005)

★ Lethal Eviction (2005)

★ Loggerheads (2005)

★ One Life to Live (2005)

★ Scrubs (2006)

★ The Killer (2007)

External links

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