Michael Learned Biography

Fast Facts

• Married to her first husband at 17-years-old, they would begin acting in stage productions together, all while raising their three sons
• Originally raised on a Connecticut farm with her five younger sisters, her family would move to Austria when she was 11, as her father served as a foreign diplomat with the U․S․ State Department
• After more than seven years on CBS's "The Waltons" and earning three Emmys for her role on the series, she would go on to find other successes in the television industry, including "Nurse", which would land her a fourth Emmy
• Discovered on stage by television producer Lee Rich, who immediately cast her as family matriarch Olivia Walton in 1971's "The Waltons"
• Billed as Miss Michael Learned during the earliest parts of her career, as she was an unknown actress when she landed her role on "The Waltons" and executives didn't want to confuse the audience about her gender
• Serves as godmother of Christopher Plummer's daughter Amanda, whose middle name is Michael
• It is still disputed whether or not she chose not to renew her contract with "The Waltons" after seven seasons, or studio executives chose to let her go from the series