Michael Learned

Michael Learned
Learned in a publicity photo as Olivia Walton, 1972
Born	(1939-04-09) April 9, 1939 (age 77) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1961–present
Spouse(s)	Peter Donat (1956–1972) Glenn Chadwick (1974–1977) William Parker, IV (1979–1988) John Doherty (1988–present)
Children	Caleb Donat Christopher Donat Lucas Donat

Michael Learned (born April 9, 1939) is an American actress, known for her role as Olivia Walton in the long-running CBS drama series The Waltons (1972-1979). She has won a record four Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series; three for The Waltons (1973, 74, 76), and one for Nurse (1982).

Learned was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter and oldest child of Elizabeth Duane "Betti" (née Hooper) and Bruce Learned, a diplomat. Her maternal grandfather was an attaché for the United States Embassy in Rome. She lived on a Connecticut farm with her five sisters for the first ten years of her life. Learned said that her parents never explained why she received a masculine first name, and that others often did not believe "Michael" was her given name. When she was 11, Learned moved to Austria, where her father worked for the U.S. State Department. At this time, she attended Arts Educational School, Tring now Tring Park School for the Performing Arts in Tring, Hertfordshire, England. During this time, she discovered the theater and decided to make acting her life's work.

She was billed as "Miss Michael Learned" on The Waltons (which ran from 1972-1981) because she was relatively unknown at the time, and producers did not want confusion among viewers about her sex. By the sixth season, as the show continued its success and after the departure of co-star Richard Thomas, producers' fear of confusion about her sex had been alleviated and the "Miss" was dropped from Learned's billing. 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 to avoid typecasting as an "Olivia Walton" character. Her character's abrupt disappearance was explained by Olivia developing tuberculosis and entering a sanatorium in Arizona. She made occasional guest appearances until the show's cancellation and later appeared in four of the six Waltons reunion movies made during the 1980s and 1990s. For her portrayal of Olivia Walton, Learned was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards. During her run as Olivia Walton, Learned and The Waltons co-star, Will Geer, appeared together in the 1974 made-for-TV movie, Hurricane.