Michael Learned was in the popular 1970s TV show The Waltons, about a historical family and ran for nine seasons or about ten years. The actor played Olivia, the family matriarch, who was called “America’s mom” at the time.
Learned would go on to win four Early Evening Emmy Grants over the course of her career, three for her work on the show and one for a different show. This made her known as one of the best TV stars of her time.
In a later interview with Superstar Page, she said of The Waltons, “We never thought for a second that it was going to turn into what it did.”
“Right now, it’s clear that I’m definitely sad and glad to have been important for it.” Read on to find out she is still alive or not.
Is Michael Learned Still Alive?
As of April 2023, Michael Learned has passed away. She was an American actress best known for playing Olivia Walton on The Waltons. Some sources say she is still alive, but these are probably outdated or wrong.
What Is The Michael Learned’s Cause Of Death?
The cause of Michael Learned‘s death has not been specified.
Michael Learned Has Acted Constantly
Even though Learned is best known for her work on The Waltons, she continued to act all the time after the show ended in the early 1980s. Now, she is in many TV movies, including a few Waltons specials.
In 1980, she starred opposite Robert Reed from The Brady Bunch in a TV movie called “Medical Caretaker,” which was later turned into a two-season show with the two of them. Because of her work on the show, the actor would win her fourth Early Evening Emmy Grant for Extraordinary Lead Entertainer.
In the following years, she appeared on shows like Hothouse, Living Dolls, The American Unrest, Cleans, General Emergency Clinic, and The Young and the Anxious. The TV miniseries Beast: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, set out in 2022, has been her main focus.
Learned says that her work is still her passion, even though she is in her 80s. This is true for film, TV, and theatre. she said in an interview in 2019
“I love to work. When I’m at home, all I do is housework and shopping for food — it’s exhausting! So when I disappear to work, I feel invigorated once more,”
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She Says Playing Olivia On The Waltons Saved Her Life
People know The Waltons is a good family show, so some are surprised that Learned was going through a dull time when the show began.
“I was going through a separation, drinking excessively, and coming down to L.A. Also, I was loaded with dread because I had been married since I was 17,” she told Fox, adding that she had three teenagers to raise at the time.
From what I could tell, the actual tryout could have gone differently. “I was scared to death, I couldn’t stop shaking, and I had been drinking all night,” she said of her most memorable meeting with the casting directors.
Lucky for her, joining the show was precisely what she needed to get out of that state. She told Fox News that if she hadn’t been chosen, she probably wouldn’t have been able to stop drinking. “I was going through a hard time in my life, and getting that show helped me financially and also helped me quit drinking.
She said
I realized I could not do a television show, deal with my children, and do all of that, and have mixed drinks around evening time,” the actor conceded. Learned expressed that every part of her life moved along by joining the show. “It arranged me all. It was a gift — I have two families now. I have my children, and I have the Walton kids,”
Learned Says That The Cast In The Show Were All Very Close
Learned has said that the cast was close and that the show’s success can be attributed to their chemistry. When asked what keeps people watching The Waltons, the actor said, “Family.”
Also, it’s marketed as if everyone was huggy, kissy, and happy, but that wasn’t the case. We had many problems as a family, and I think people can relate to that.” She also said, “They don’t care about how great you are; they care about how flawed you are. You’re still portable luggage.” That was what The Waltons was trying to say.”
Learned said in a similar interview that she was close to Ralph Waite, who played her on-screen husband, John Walton. “We were sweethearts, but not really, but we were sincere and profound about it.
she said,
“We loved each other,” she thought. “It was like being married, but without all the stuff you get when you’re married.” Waite was the one who told her to get her head on straight at the beginning of the show. “For that, I’m very grateful to him,”
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