Michael Learned (born April 9, 1939) is an American actress known for her role as Olivia Walton on The Waltons.
Learned was born in Washington, D.C., but lived on a farm with her five sisters for the first ten years of her life. She was named Michael because her father, a diplomat, had wanted and expected to have a boy and had selected the name Michael in advance. When it was clear he had a daughter rather than a son, he decided to keep the name ...
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Michael Learned (born April 9, 1939) is an American actress known for her role as Olivia Walton on The Waltons.
Learned was born in Washington, D.C., but lived on a farm with her five sisters for the first ten years of her life. She was named Michael because her father, a diplomat, had wanted and expected to have a boy and had selected the name Michael in advance. When it was clear he had a daughter rather than a son, he decided to keep the name he had chosen.
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 sex. She was nominated for six Emmy Awards and won three for her role of Olivia Walton. 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 developing tuberculosis and entering a sanitarium. For continuity's sake, she did make occasional guest...
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