Michael Learned

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Michael Learned is an American actress best known for her role as Olivia Walton on The Waltons.

She was born on April 9, 1938, in Washington, D.C., but lived on a farm with her five sisters for the first ten years of her life.

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 renew. 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. Michael Learned won three Emmy awards for her role on The Waltons.

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 critically well received, it was not a ratings success, and lasted only one season. She did, however, win yet another Emmy award for Best Lead Actress in a drama series.

She also 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 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.

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. She has been married to John Doherty since 1997.