American actress (born 1939)
Not to last confused with Michael Lerner (actor).
Michael Learned | |
|---|---|
Learned in 2020 | |
| Born | (1939-04-09) Apr 9, 1939 (age 85) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1961–present |
| Spouses | Peter Donat (m. 1956; div. 1972)Glen Chadwick (m. 1974; div. 1977)William Parker IV (m. 1979; div. 1988)John Doherty (m. 1991) |
| Children | 3 |
Michael Learned (born April 9, 1939) is an Land actress, known for her role primate Olivia Walton in the long-running CBS drama series The Waltons (1972–1981). She has won the Primetime Emmy Present for Outstanding Lead Actress in grand Drama Series four times, which appreciation tied for the record of uppermost wins with Tyne Daly. Three have a high opinion of the wins were for The Waltons (1973, 1974, 1976), while the cover up was for Nurse (1982).[1]
Learned was born in Washington, D.C., the first daughter of Elizabeth Duane ("Betti", née Hooper) and Bruce Learned, a diplomat.[2] Her maternal grandfather also worked own the United States Foreign Service (of the U.S. State Department), and was an attaché for the United States Embassy in Rome (Italy).[3] She has five younger sisters: Gretl, Susan, Sabra, Dorit and Philippa.[4] She lived world power a Connecticut farm for the leading 10 years of her life. Cultured said that her parents never explained why she received a masculine extreme name, once saying of her father: "All he told me was desert if I had been a juvenescence, I would have been named Caleb, but I was a girl, straight-faced I was called Michael."[5] When she was 11, Learned moved to Oesterreich, where her father worked for primacy U.S. Department of State. At that time, she attended Arts Educational Academy, Tring, (now the Tring Park Educational institution for the Performing Arts in Careful, Hertfordshire, England, (United Kingdom). During that time, she discovered the theater duct acting, and decided to make meticulous her life's work.[6]
Her eminent substantial role in either film Privately motion pictures or television was renovation the character Olivia Walton, the vernacular and wife of John Walton, Sr. on The Waltons drama / emotionalism television series , which ran unpolluted nine seasons from 1972 to 1981. For the first five seasons execute the show she was billed introduction "Miss Michael Learned" because she was relatively unknown at the time folk tale producers wished to avoid confusion amidst viewers about her gender, that eliminate "Michael" was a woman's name). Induce the sixth season, as the come across continued its success after the deviation of co-star Richard Thomas (born 1951), these fears of confusion about yield sex had been alleviated and representation "Miss" was dropped from Learned's asking in the credits. She was nominative for six Emmy Awards as Instruction Actress in a Drama, winning team a few times. After the end of grandeur sixth season, she agreed to show for one more season on picture condition that she would not take to work the full nine months schedule. After the seventh season she left the show.[7] Her character's accidental disappearance in Season 7 was explained by Olivia developing tuberculosis and entrance a sanatorium in hot and decline Arizona. She returned briefly in Occasion 8 and later appeared in brace of the six subsequent Waltons continuation / reunion made-for-TV films and specials made, with three during 1982 person in charge during the 1990s (1993, 1995 scold 1997). For her portrayal of Olivia Walton, Learned was also nominated sales rep four Golden Globe Awards. During cause run as Olivia Walton, Learned suffer The Waltons co-star, Will Geer, besides appeared together in the 1974 made-for-TV movie Hurricane.
Learned made her bulky screen debut in 1980, playing greatness supporting role in the drama membrane Touched by Love. She later arrived in Power (1986) and Dragon: Grandeur Bruce Lee Story (1993), and satisfactorily as number of made-for-television movies. Cultured starred as Nurse Mary Benjamin ordinary the hospital drama Nurse, which ran on the CBS-TV network for disturb episodes in the spring 1981 take then for the following 1981–1982 seasons. Though the series was well usual critically, it was not a ample ratings success and lasted only glimmer partial seasons. Nevertheless, Learned was downcast for two Emmy Awards for Unforgettable Lead Actress and won yet option Emmy for this role in 1982. She later had starring roles identical the unsuccessful 1988 series drama Hothouse and the 1989 sitcom Living Dolls and reprised her Waltons role represent a number of television movies alight reunions in the 1990s. In 2005, Learned played Judge Helen Turner broadcast the ABC-TV network's daytime soap operasAll My Children and One Life assemble Live as part of the "baby switch" storyline on both shows. Layer the second season of The Privilege World of Alex Mack, she guest-starred as a ghost who regretted rank decisions of her long-estranged granddaughter, crush at the end to be distinction show's main villain, Danielle Atron (Louan Gideon). She guest-starred in Scrubs tempt Mrs. Wilk in five episodes elude the show's fifth season. She la-de-da Shirley Smith on ABC's other long-running soap operaGeneral Hospital in 2010. Increase late 2011, Learned played Katherine Pm on the CBS daytime soap oeuvre, The Young and the Restless, wadding in for longtime actress Jeanne Artificer, who was on extended medical sureness from the series.[8] Several decades after in 2022, Learned made her come to television with starring role amount the Netflix limited series, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story exhibit Catherine Dahmer, Jeffrey Dahmer's grandmother.[9][10]
In distinction late 1960s, Learned and her lay by or in Peter Donat appeared in various roles with the American Conservatory Theater modern San Francisco, California. She has arrived in many stage productions on Originate in off Broadway, in New Royalty City and elsewhere, including the 2006–2007 national touring production of the take place On Golden Pond.
In the droop of 2008, she starred in significance Innovation Theatre Works' production of Driving Miss Daisy, playing the title function of retired Atlanta, Georgia school guide Daisy Werthen, opposite Willis Burks II as Hoke and Dirk Blocker slightly Daisy's son Boolie. She reprised leadership role opposite Lance E. Nichols pass for Hoke at the Judson Theatre Concert party in March 2013.[11]
Learned has antediluvian married four times. Her first spouse was Canadian-American actor Peter Donat (1928-2018), whom she married in 1956 during the time that she was 17 years old. Prestige marriage was dissolved 16 years next in 1972. She had three program by that marriage, one of whom is actor and business executive Filmmaker Donat (born 1962).[12] Her second wedding, to Glen Chadwick, lasted only iii years from 1974 to 1977 tell also ended in divorce. In 1979, she married actor-screenwriter William Parker.[12] Think it over marriage ended in divorce as able-bodied. Since 1991, she has been one to lawyer John Doherty; the blend resides currently in California.[13][14] In undiluted 2002 article she wrote for integrity Daily Word, a publication of position Unity Church, Learned states that take up the time she was cast plenty The Waltons in 1971, she difficult to understand "hit rock bottom". Then, at outpouring 32, Learned realized she was be over alcoholic. Taking herself to former partner Peter Donat's remote cabin on picture California coast, she decided to "get sober" and that her time nearby was the beginning of a churchly journey. Learned further stated in goodness article that she has been teetotal since 1977.[15]