Michael Learned

Actress

MICHAEL LEARNED

Born in Washington D.C., at the age of six, Michael’s family moved from NJ to a farm in CT. A 21-acre, glorious paradise for kids. As the oldest of six girls, she was eleven when they moved to Austria, where her father worked for the OSS (later known as the CIA), to live in a tiny village called St. Gilgen. From there she went to boarding school at The Arts Educational School in Hertfordshire, England. Primarily a ballet school, her 11-year old dream was to become a prima ballerina. However, to everyone’s surprise, she won the drama cup and at her teachers suggestions she focused on “special drama” instead of ballet.

At the age of 16, she went to the London School and completed her dramatic training. Upon her return to the states, at 17 years of age, she married Peter Donat and had 3 children by the time she was 24. As her marriage to Peter was breaking up, fifteen years later, she moved to Los Angeles and landed the part of Olivia Walton in “The Waltons.” It changed her life.

Since then, Michael has become a four-time Emmy award-winning actress (three for “The Waltons” and one for “Nurse”). She has received a People’s Choice Award and has been a three- time Golden Globe nominee. On stage, she starred in “Steel Magnolias” at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, in the national tour of “On Golden Pond” and in Lewis Black’s “One Slight Hitch.” Other theatre credits include “Elizabeth the Queen” at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Edward Albee’s “All Over” at the Gramercy and McCarter Theatre's.

She starred in the West Coast premieres of “Woman in Mind” and “Hapgood,” both for the American Conservatory Theatre Co, for whom she was the leading lady for three years. Her Broadway appearances include Gore Vidal’s “The Best Man” and Wendy Wasserstein’s “The Sisters Rosenweig” and recently completed a production of “The Out Going Tide.”

In Los Angeles she performed in “Mary Stuart,” “Picnic,” “A Month in the Country” at the Music Center and “Looking for Normal” at the Geffen. She has toured in A.R. Gurney’s “Love Letters” and Edward Albee’s “Three Tall Women.” Michael premiered in Arthur Miller’s “The Ride Down Mt. Morgan” at Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Her films include “For the Love of Mary,” “Life During Wartime,” “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story” and “Power,” directed by Sidney Lumet. Her television credits include everything from “Gunsmoke,” “Police Story,” and “Murder, She Wrote,” to “Cold Case,” “Scrubs,” “Law and Order: SVU,” “Profiler,” “A Father for Brittany,” “Murder in New Hampshire,” “Roots: The Gift,” “All My Sons,” as well as “All My Children,” “General Hospital,” “The Waltons” and “Nurse” to name a few.

One of TV’s most respected moms, four-time Emmy winner, Michael Learned, is currently starring in Ryan Murphy’s limited series, “DAHMER - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” about the serial killer, directed by Ryan Murphy and co-created by Murphy and Ian Brennan for Netflix. She joins a cast as the grandmother of the infamous killer, Catherine Dahmer, with Evan Peters as Dahmer and supporting cast including Niecy Nash, Richard Jenkins, Penelope Ann Miller, Molly Ringwald and Dylan Burnside.

“DAHMER - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” premiered exactly 50 years after Michael Learned took on the iconic role of Olivia Walton on “The Waltons,” and represents the actress’ remarkably versatility and reinforces her Emmy winning capabilities.

She also recently joined her beloved “Waltons” TV family and special guests for a cast Q&A and exhibit with costumes, props, scripts, and more supplied by Warner Brothers that were unveiled at The Hollywood Museum - in the historic Max Factor Building in Hollywood - in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of “The Waltons.”

Michael is now married to John Doherty, and has five beautiful grandchildren.