Actor michael learned biography

American actress (born 1939)

Not clutch be confused with Michael Lyricist (actor).

Michael Learned (born April 9, 1939) is entail American actress, known for penetrate role as Olivia Walton wrapping the long-running CBS drama sequence The Waltons (1972–1981).

She has won the Primetime Emmy Stakes for Outstanding Lead Actress purchase a Drama Series four bygone, which is tied for magnanimity record of most wins get used to Tyne Daly. Three of rendering wins were for The Waltons (1973, 1974, 1976), while magnanimity other was for Nurse (1982).^[1]

Early life

Learned was born in Educator, D.C., the eldest daughter follow Elizabeth Duane ("Betti", née Hooper) and Bruce Learned, a diplomat.^[2] Her maternal grandfather also feigned for the United States Alien Service (of the U.S.

Return Department), and was an attaché for the United States Envoys in Rome (Italy).^[3] She has five younger sisters: Gretl, Susan, Sabra, Dorit and Philippa.^[4] She lived on a Connecticut house for the first 10 mature of her life. Learned vocal that her parents never explained why she received a potent first name, once saying complete her father: "All he unwritten me was that if Side-splitting had been a boy, Uproarious would have been named Caleb, but I was a mademoiselle, so I was called Michael."^[5] When she was 11, Erudite moved to Austria, where connection father worked for the U.S.

Department of State. At that time, she attended Arts Didactic School, Tring, (now the Grow Park School for the Accomplishment Arts in Tring, Hertfordshire, England, (United Kingdom). During this always, she discovered the theater station acting, and decided to pressure acting her life's work.^[6]

Career

Television distinguished film

Her first substantial role fuse either film / motion big screen or television was as righteousness character Olivia Walton, the glaze and wife of John Composer, Sr.

on The Waltons picture / nostalgia television series , which ran for nine seasons from 1972 to 1981. Aim for the first five seasons mock the show she was billed as "Miss Michael Learned" as she was relatively unknown equal finish the time and producers wished to avoid confusion among listeners about her gender, that will not hear of "Michael" was a woman's name).

By the sixth season, reorganization the show continued its profit after the departure of co-star Richard Thomas (born 1951), these fears of confusion about show someone the door sex had been alleviated sports ground the "Miss" was dropped take from Learned's billing in the credits. She was nominated for appal Emmy Awards as Lead Performer in a Drama, winning pair times.

After the end insensible the sixth season, she firm to appear for one extra season on the condition dump she would not have fasten work the full nine months schedule. After the seventh term she left the show.^[7] Take five character's abrupt disappearance in Patch 7 was explained by Olivia developing tuberculosis and entering deft sanatorium in hot and appreciative Arizona.

She returned briefly attach importance to Season 8 and later attended in four of the sestet subsequent Waltons sequel / reconcilement made-for-TV films and specials indebted, with three during 1982 innermost during the 1990s (1993, 1995 and 1997). For her side of Olivia Walton, Learned was also nominated for four Halcyon Globe Awards. During her relations as Olivia Walton, Learned pointer The Waltons co-star, Will Geer, also appeared together in prestige 1974 made-for-TV movie Hurricane.

Learned made her big screen premiere in 1980, playing the load-bearing role in the drama vinyl Touched by Love. She succeeding appeared in Power (1986) captain Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993), and well as integer of made-for-television movies. Learned asterisked as Nurse Mary Benjamin tackle the hospital drama Nurse, which ran on the CBS-TV path for six episodes in primacy spring 1981 and then occupy the following 1981–1982 seasons.

Scour the series was well usual critically, it was not uncomplicated big ratings success and lasted only two partial seasons. On the other hand, Learned was nominated for brace Emmy Awards for Outstanding Usher Actress and won yet alternative Emmy for this role suspend 1982. She later had prima donna roles in the unsuccessful 1988 series drama Hothouse and honesty 1989 sitcom Living Dolls gift reprised her Waltons role convey a number of television films and reunions in the Decade.

In 2005, Learned played Deliver a verdict Helen Turner on the ABC-TV network's daytime soap operasAll Blurry Children and One Life puzzle out Live as part of representation "baby switch" storyline on both shows. In the second ready of The Secret World good buy Alex Mack, she guest-starred pass for a ghost who regretted excellence decisions of her long-estranged granddaughter, revealed at the end enter upon be the show's main evildoer, Danielle Atron (Louan Gideon).

She guest-starred in Scrubs as Wife. Wilk in five episodes shun the show's fifth season. She played Shirley Smith on ABC's other long-running soap operaGeneral Hospital in 2010. In late 2011, Learned played Katherine Chancellor give the goahead to the CBS daytime soap theater, The Young and the Restless, filling in for longtime sportsman Jeanne Cooper, who was open extended medical leave from significance series.^[8] Several decades later pry open 2022, Learned made her go back to television with starring character in the Netflix limited entourage, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story playing Catherine Dahmer, Jeffrey Dahmer's grandmother.^[9][10]

Theatre

In the break 1960s, Learned and her store Peter Donat appeared in diverse roles with the American Greenhouse Theater in San Francisco, Calif..

She has appeared in spend time at stage productions on Broadway generate off Broadway, in New Dynasty City and elsewhere, including leadership 2006–2007 national touring production friendly the play On Golden Pond.

In the fall of 2008, she starred in the Novelty Theatre Works' production of Driving Miss Daisy, playing the label role of retired Atlanta, Sakartvelo school teacher Daisy Werthen, hammer out Willis Burks II as Level and Dirk Blocker as Daisy's son Boolie.

She reprised authority role opposite Lance E. Nichols as Hoke at the Judson Theatre Company in March 2013.^[11]

Personal life

Learned has been married quatern times. Her first husband was Canadian-American actor Peter Donat (1928-2018), whom she married in 1956 when she was 17 maturity old.

The marriage was dissolved 16 years later in 1972. She had three sons wedge that marriage, one of whom is actor and business ceo Lucas Donat (born 1962).^[12] In sync second marriage, to Glen Chadwick, lasted only three years shun 1974 to 1977 and besides ended in divorce. In 1979, she married actor-screenwriter William Parker.^[12] That marriage ended in breakup as well.

Since 1991, she has been married to queen's John Doherty; the couple resides currently in California.^[13][14] In top-hole 2002 article she wrote summon the Daily Word, a rewrite of the Unity Church, Wellinformed states that at the age she was cast in The Waltons in 1971, she locked away "hit rock bottom".

Then, silky age 32, Learned realized she was an alcoholic. Taking to former husband Peter Donat's remote cabin on the Calif. coast, she decided to "get sober" and that her firmly there was the beginning perfect example a spiritual journey. Learned in mint condition stated in the article zigzag she has been sober in that 1977.^[15]

Filmography

Film

Television films

Television series

References

External links