Michael Learned
Encyclopedia
Michael Learned is an American actress known for her role as Olivia Walton on The Waltons
.
, the daughter 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. 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. . 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 theatre and decided to make acting her life's work. In a 2002 article she wrote for Daily Word, a publication of the Unity Church
, Learned states that at the time she was cast in The Waltons, she had "hit rock bottom". It was then, at age 32, that Learned realized she was an alcoholic. Taking herself to ex-husband Peter Donat's cabin on the California coast, Learned states she decided to "get sober" and that her time there was the beginning of a spiritual journey. Learned further stated in the article that she has been sober since 1977.
Learned has been married four times. Her first husband was Canadian-American actor Peter Donat
, whom she married in 1956, when she was 17 years old. The marriage was dissolved in 1972. She had three children by this marriage: Caleb, Christopher and Lucas
. Her second marriage, to Glenn Chadwick, lasted from 1975–1977, and ended in divorce. In 1979, she married actor/screenwriter William Parker. That marriage ended before her 1988 marriage to lawyer John Doherty; they reside in California
.
. In 1979, her contract was not renewed; some sources indicate that she opted not to re-sign with the show. 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 the three Waltons reunion movies during the 1990s. For her portrayal of Olivia Walton, Learned was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards.
During her run as Olivia Walton, Learned and Waltons co-star, Will Geer
, appeared together in the 1974 made-for-TV movie, Hurricane.
Learned later starred as Nurse Mary Benjamin in the hospital drama Nurse
, which ran on CBS during the 1981-82 season. Though the series was well received critically, it was not a ratings success and lasted only two seasons. Learned was nominated for two Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Lead Actress" and won yet another Emmy for this role in 1982.
She later 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.
Learned 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. In The Secret World of Alex Mack
s second season, she guest starred as a ghost who regretted the decisions of her long-estranged granddaughter, revealed at the end to be the show's main villain, Danielle Atron. She also guest-starred in Scrubs
as Mrs. Wilk in five episodes from the show's fifth season. She also played Shirley Smith on ABC's General Hospital
.
In October 2011, it was announced Learned had been hired as a temporary recast in the character of Katherine Chancellor
on the CBS daytime drama, The Young and the Restless
. Learned was hired to replace Jeanne Cooper
, who is on medical leave from the series.
She has appeared in many stage productions on Broadway, Off Broadway, and elsewhere, including in the 2006-2007 national touring production of On Golden Pond. In the fall of 2008 she starred in Innovation Theatre Works' production of Driving Miss Daisy
, playing the title role of Daisy Werthen opposite Willis Burks II
as Hoke and Dirk Blocker
as Daisy's son Boolie.
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
The Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
.
Personal life
Learned was born in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, the daughter 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
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
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. . 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
Tring
Tring is a small market town and also a civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England. Situated north-west of London and linked to London by the old Roman road of Akeman Street, by the modern A41, by the Grand Union Canal and by rail lines to Euston Station, Tring is now largely a...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England. During this time, she discovered the theatre and decided to make acting her life's work. In a 2002 article she wrote for Daily Word, a publication of the Unity Church
Unity Church
Unity, known informally as Unity Church, is a religious movement within the wider New Thought movement and is best known to many through its Daily Word devotional publication...
, Learned states that at the time she was cast in The Waltons, she had "hit rock bottom". It was then, at age 32, that Learned realized she was an alcoholic. Taking herself to ex-husband Peter Donat's cabin on the California coast, Learned states she decided to "get sober" and that her time there was the beginning of a spiritual journey. Learned further stated in the article that she has been sober since 1977.
Learned has been married four times. Her first husband was Canadian-American actor Peter Donat
Peter Donat
Peter Donat is a Canadian-American actor known for his roles in American television.-Early life:Donat was born Pierre Collingwood Donat in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada, the son of Marie and Philip Ernst Donat, a landscape gardener. His uncle was British actor Robert Donat...
, whom she married in 1956, when she was 17 years old. The marriage was dissolved in 1972. She had three children by this marriage: Caleb, Christopher and Lucas
Lucas Donat
Lucas Donat, born 18 December 1962 in Toronto, Canada, to renowned actors Michael Learned and Peter Donat. In 1978 he played Mark Thorn in the film Damien: Omen II. He is co-founder and CEO of Donat/Wald Co., the advertising agency responsible for the highly successful eHarmony commercials that...
. Her second marriage, to Glenn Chadwick, lasted from 1975–1977, and ended in divorce. In 1979, she married actor/screenwriter William Parker. That marriage ended before her 1988 marriage to lawyer John Doherty; they reside in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Television
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. She was nominated for six Emmy Awards and won three for her role of Olivia WaltonThe Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
. In 1979, her contract was not renewed; some sources indicate that she opted not to re-sign with the show. Her character's abrupt disappearance was explained by Olivia developing tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and entering a sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
in Arizona. She made occasional guest appearances until the show's cancellation and later appeared in the three Waltons reunion movies during the 1990s. For her portrayal of Olivia Walton, Learned was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards.
During her run as Olivia Walton, Learned and Waltons co-star, Will Geer
Will Geer
Will Geer was an American actor and social activist. His original name was William Aughe Ghere. He is remembered for his portrayal of Grandpa Zebulon Tyler Walton in the 1970s TV series, The Waltons....
, appeared together in the 1974 made-for-TV movie, Hurricane.
Learned later starred as Nurse Mary Benjamin in the hospital drama Nurse
Nurse (1981 TV series)
Nurse is an American medical drama that aired on CBS from April 2, 1981 to May 1982. Series star Michael Learned won an Emmy in 1982 for her role on the show.-Synopsis:...
, which ran on CBS during the 1981-82 season. Though the series was well received critically, it was not a ratings success and lasted only two seasons. Learned was nominated for two Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Lead Actress" and won yet another Emmy for this role in 1982.
She later had a starring role in the unsuccessful 1989 sitcom Living Dolls
Living Dolls
Living Dolls is an American situation comedy featured on the fall 1989 schedule of ABC. It was a spin-off created by a writer from Who's the Boss? and featuring characters introduced during an episode of that show. The show is notable as the acting debut of Halle Berry...
and reprised her Waltons role for a number of TV movies and reunions in the 1990s.
Learned played "Judge Helen Turner" on the ABC soap operas All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
and One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
as part of the "baby switch" storyline on both shows. In The Secret World of Alex Mack
The Secret World of Alex Mack
The Secret World of Alex Mack is an American television series that ran on Nickelodeon from October 8, 1994 to January 15, 1998, replacing Clarissa Explains It All on the SNICK line-up. It also aired on YTV in Canada and NHK in Japan, and was a popular staple in the children's weekday line-up for...
s second season, she guest starred as a ghost who regretted the decisions of her long-estranged granddaughter, revealed at the end to be the show's main villain, Danielle Atron. She also guest-starred in Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
as Mrs. Wilk in five episodes from the show's fifth season. She also played Shirley Smith on ABC's General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
.
In October 2011, it was announced Learned had been hired as a temporary recast in the character of Katherine Chancellor
Katherine Chancellor
Katherine Chancellor Murphy is a fictional character on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless...
on the CBS daytime drama, The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
. Learned was hired to replace Jeanne Cooper
Jeanne Cooper
Wilma Jeanne Cooper , best known as Jeanne Cooper, is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Katherine Chancellor on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless...
, who is on medical leave from the series.
Theater
In the late 1960s, Learned and her husband (Peter Donat) appeared in various roles with the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) in San Francisco.She has appeared in many stage productions on Broadway, Off Broadway, and elsewhere, including in the 2006-2007 national touring production of On Golden Pond. In the fall of 2008 she starred in Innovation Theatre Works' production of Driving Miss Daisy
Driving Miss Daisy
Driving Miss Daisy is a 1989 American comedy-drama film adapted from the Alfred Uhry play of the same name. The film was directed by Bruce Beresford, with Morgan Freeman reprising his role as Hoke Colburn and Jessica Tandy playing Miss Daisy...
, playing the title role of Daisy Werthen opposite Willis Burks II
Willis Burks II
Willis Burks II, sometimes credited as Willis Burks or Willis Burks, Jr., was an American television, film, stage and voice actor whose acting career spanned more than thirty years....
as Hoke and Dirk Blocker
Dirk Blocker
Dennis Dirk Blocker is an American actor and the son of late actor Dan Blocker, of the popular TV series, Bonanza.Dirk Blocker began appearing in American television in 1974, acting in an episode of Marcus Welby, M.D. at the age of sixteen...
as Daisy's son Boolie.
Filmography
1960s- The Other Man (mini-series) (1963)
- WojeckWojeckWojeck is a Canadian dramatic television series, which aired on the CBC from 1966 to 1968. It was the first successful drama series on English Canadian television....
(1968)
1970s
- The WaltonsThe WaltonsThe Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
(1972–1979) (as "Miss Michael Learned") - GunsmokeGunsmokeGunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
(1973) - Match Game 73 (1973)
- Hurricane (1974)
- It Couldn't Happen to a Nicer GuyIt Couldn't Happen to a Nicer GuyA 1974 black comedy starring Paul Sorvino as Harry Walters, a stout, real estate salesman, who is randomly picked up by a beautiful woman and then raped at gunpoint as a prank. He is later dropped off naked in a small town and left to explain to his wife, friends, and the police how he was both...
(1974) - Police Story (1974)
- Little Mo (1978)
- The 30th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1978)
1980s
- Nurse (1980)
- Touched by LoveTouched by LoveTouched by Love is a 1980 drama film about a therapist who tries a novel approach with a girl afflicted with cerebral palsy; she has her charge become a pen pal with the girl's favorite singer, Elvis Presley...
(1980) - A Christmas Without SnowA Christmas Without Snow-Plot:A divorced woman moves to San Francisco from Omaha with her young son. She's trying to re-build her life after her divorce, she leaves her son with his grandmother. She joins the choir of a local church. She has some issues with the choirmaster who tries to get the choir into shape before...
(1980) - Politics of Poison (1982)
- Night of 100 Stars (1982)
- Mother's Day on Waltons MountainThe WaltonsThe Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
(1982) - The Parade (1984)
- St. ElsewhereSt. ElsewhereSt. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at fictional St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End neighborhood...
(1984) - Power (1986)
- A Deadly Business (1986)
- Picnic (1986)
- All My SonsAll My SonsAll My Sons is a 1947 play by Arthur Miller. The play was twice adapted for film; in 1948, and again in 1987.The play opened on Broadway at the Coronet Theatre in New York City on January 29, 1947, closed on November 8, 1947 and ran for 328 performances...
(1987) - Mercy or Murder? (1987)
- Hothouse (1988)
- Roots: The GiftRoots: The GiftRoots: The Gift is a 1988 television film. It is the third installment of the Roots series, which traces the maternal family history of African American author Alex Haley, starting with his fourth great-grandfather Kunta Kinte. The film premiered on ABC on December 11, 1988, with AT&T as the sole...
(1988) - Living DollsLiving DollsLiving Dolls is an American situation comedy featured on the fall 1989 schedule of ABC. It was a spin-off created by a writer from Who's the Boss? and featuring characters introduced during an episode of that show. The show is notable as the acting debut of Halle Berry...
(1989) - Murder, She WroteMurder, She WroteMurder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
(1989) - Who's the Boss?Who's the Boss?Who's the Boss? is an American sitcom created by Martin Cohan and Blake Hunter, which aired on ABC from September 20, 1984 to April 25, 1992...
(1989)
1990s
- Gunsmoke: The Last Apache (1990)
- WiseguyWiseguyWiseguy is an American crime drama series that aired on CBS from September 16, 1987 to December 8, 1990 for a total of four seasons. Starring Ken Wahl, the series was produced by Stephen J...
(1990) - Aftermath: A Test of Love (1991)
- Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Wojas Smart Story (1991)
- Keeping Secrets (1991)
- Mattie's Waltz (1992)
- Dragon: The Bruce Lee StoryDragon: The Bruce Lee StoryDragon: The Bruce Lee Story is a 1993 American semi fictionalized biographical martial arts action film telling the story of actor and martial arts expert Bruce Lee, starring Jason Scott Lee as Bruce Lee, Lauren Holly and Robert Wagner...
(1993) - A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion (1993)
- The American Revolution (1994)
- Reading RainbowReading RainbowReading Rainbow is an American children's television series aired by PBS from June 6, 1983 until November 10, 2006 that encouraged reading among children. The award-winning public television series garnered over 200 broadcast awards, including scores of Emmy Awards, many for "Outstanding Children's...
(1994) - The Secret World of Alex MackThe Secret World of Alex MackThe Secret World of Alex Mack is an American television series that ran on Nickelodeon from October 8, 1994 to January 15, 1998, replacing Clarissa Explains It All on the SNICK line-up. It also aired on YTV in Canada and NHK in Japan, and was a popular staple in the children's weekday line-up for...
(1995) - A Walton Wedding (1995)
- A Walton Easter (1997)
- Life During Wartime (1997)
- A Father for BrittanyA Father for BrittanyA Father for Brittany is a Lifetime Movie aired on television in 1998 and based on a true story. Andrew McCarthy and Teri Polo play a husband and wife who try to adopt a child.-Plot:...
(1998) - ProfilerProfiler (TV series)Profiler was an American crime drama that aired on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The series follows the exploits of a criminal profiler working with the fictional FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force based in Atlanta, Georgia....
(1998) - Promised Land (1998)
2000s
- For the Love of May (2000)
- Pensacola: Wings of GoldPensacola: Wings of GoldPensacola: Wings of Gold is a syndicated American action/adventure drama series based at the Naval Air Station Pensacola in Pensacola, Florida. Episodes aired in several countries outside the US including Portugal, France, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Italy, Hungary and Australia...
(2000) - So Graham NortonSo Graham NortonSo Graham Norton is a British television programme, hosted by Irish personality Graham Norton. It ran from 3 July 1998 to 1 March 2002.-Theme:...
(2000) - The Best of So Graham Norton (2000)
- CBS at 75 (2003)
- Law & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
(2003) - TV TotalTV totalTV total is a German late-night television comedy talk show that has run since 8 March 1999 on ProSieben, and is currently aired at around 23:15 from Monday to Thursday....
(2004) - All My ChildrenAll My ChildrenAll My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
(2005) - Lethal Eviction (2005)
- LoggerheadsLoggerheads (film)Loggerheads is an independent film written and directed by Tim Kirkman, produced by Gill Holland and released in the United States by Strand Releasing in October 2005. After its debut at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, Loggerheads screened at...
(2005) - One Life to LiveOne Life to LiveOne Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
(2005) - ScrubsScrubs (TV series)Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
(2006) - The Killer (2007)
- Cold Case (2009)
- An American Girl: Chrissa Stands StrongAn American Girl: Chrissa Stands StrongAn American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong is the fifth film in the American Girl series, starring actress and singer Sammi Hanratty. It is based on the Chrissa books in the American Girl range written by [Mary Casanova]....
(2009)
2010s
- General HospitalGeneral HospitalGeneral Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
(2010) - The Young and the RestlessThe Young and the RestlessThe Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
(2011)