Michael Learned

Michael Learned (born on April 9, 1938 in Washington, D.C., but lived on a farm with her 5 sisters for the first 10 years of her life) is an American actress, best known for her role as "Olivia Walton" on The Waltons, which she played from 1972 to 1979. She was billed as Miss Michael Learned because she was relatively unknown at the time, and producers did not want confusion among viewers about her gender. In 1979, her contract was not renewed on The Waltons, and her disappearance was explained by her Olivia Walton developing TB and having an extended stay in a sanitarium. To facilitate this realistically, she did make occasional guest appearances in the programme right up to it was cancelled.

After she left The Waltons, she starred as nurse "Mary Benjamin" in the hospital drama Nurse, which ran on NBC during the 1981-82 season. She also had a starring role in the 1989 sitcom Living Dolls, and reprised her Waltons role for a number of TV movies/reunions in the 1990s.

She played "Judge Helen Turner" on the ABC soap operas All My Children and One Life to Live during the baby switch storyline currently playing out on both shows.

She has been married three times. The first time was at age 18 to Canadian-American actor Peter Donat between 1956-1972, which ended in divorce, although it produced three children. Her second marriage, to Glenn Chadwick, lasted from 1975-1977 again ending in divorce; she has been married to William Parker since 1979.