Michael Learned - wikipedia Michael Learned Michael Learned Learned in a publicity photo as Olivia Walton, 1972 ( 1939 - 04 - 09 ) April 9, 1939 ( age 78 ) Washington, D.C., U.S. Occupation Actress Years active 1961 -- present Spouse ( s ) Peter Donat ( m. 1956 ; div. 1972 ) Glenn Chadwick ( m. 1974 ; div. 1977 ) William Parker IV ( m. 1979 ; div. 1988 ) John Doherty ( m. 1988 ) Children 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 ). Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Television 2.2 Theatre 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 4.1 Film 4.2 Television films 4.3 Television series 5 References 6 External links Early life Learned was born in Washington, DC, 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 10 years of her life. Learned said that her parents never explained why she received a masculine first name, her father told her elusively `` if I had been a boy, I would have been called Caleb, but I was a girl, so I was called Michael. '' 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. Career Television 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 wished to avoid confusion among viewers about her gender. 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 removed from Learned 's billing. She was nominated for six Emmy Awards and won three for her role of Olivia Walton. After the end of the sixth season, she agreed to appear for one more season, on the condition that she would n't have to work the full nine months. 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. Learned starred as Nurse Mary Benjamin in the hospital drama Nurse, which ran on CBS during the 1980 -- 81 and 1981 -- 82 seasons. Though the series was well received critically, it was not a ratings success and lasted only two seasons. Nevertheless, 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 roles in the unsuccessful 1988 drama Hothouse, and 1989 sitcom Living Dolls and reprised her Waltons role for a number of TV movies and reunions in the 1990s. In 2005, 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 ( Louan Gideon ). She guest - starred in Scrubs as Mrs. Wilk in five episodes from the show 's fifth season. She played Shirley Smith on ABC 's General Hospital. In the fall of 2011, Learned played Katherine Chancellor on the CBS daytime soap opera, The Young and the Restless, filling in for Jeanne Cooper, who was on extended medical leave from the series. Theatre This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( November 2017 ) In the late 1960s, Learned and her then - husband ( Peter Donat ) appeared in various roles with the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. She has appeared in many stage productions on Broadway, off Broadway, and elsewhere, including 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. Personal life 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 the marriage ; Caleb, Christopher, and Lucas Donat. Her second marriage, to Glenn Chadwick, lasted from 1975 -- 77, and ended in divorce. In 1979, she married actor / screenwriter William Parker. That marriage ended in divorce as well. Since 1988, she has been married to lawyer John Doherty ; the couple reside in California. 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 ''. Then, at age 32, Learned realized she was an alcoholic. Taking herself to ex-husband Peter Donat 's cabin on the California coast, 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. Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1980 Touched by Love Dr. Bell 1986 Power Governor Andrea Stannard 1993 Dragon : The Bruce Lee Story Vivian Emery 1997 Life During Wartime N / A 2000 For the Love of May Mary Lou Short film 2005 Lethal Eviction Elsa 2005 Loggerheads Sheridan Bellamy 2007 The Killer The Innkeeper Short film 2009 An American Girl : Chrissa Stands Strong Nana Louis Hanlon 2014 Unplugged Grandma Katie Short film 2014 The Parcel Beverly Short film 2014 After Life Gloria Television films Year Title Role Notes 1963 The Other Man N / A Hurricane Lee Jackson It Could n't Happen to a Nicer Guy Janet Walters 1978 Little Mo Eleanor Tennant 1980 Nurse Mary Benjamin 1980 A Christmas Without Snow Zoe Jenson 1982 Mother 's Day on Waltons Mountain Olivia Walton 1984 The Parade Rachel Kirby 1986 A Deadly Business Ann 1986 Picnic Rosemary Sidney Mercy of Murder ? Skipper 1988 Roots : The Gift Amelia Parker 1990 Gunsmoke : The Last Apache Mike Yardner 1991 Aftermath : A Test of Love Irene 1991 Murder in New Hampshire : The Pamela Wojas Smart Story Judy Smart 1991 Keeping Secrets Marion Mahoney Mattie 's Waltz Mattie 1993 A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion Olivia Walton 1995 A Walton Wedding Olivia Walton 1997 A Walton Easter Olivia Walton 1998 A Father for Brittany Edna Humphreys Television series Year Title Role Notes 1968 Wojeck Nina Eden 2 episodes 1972 -- 79 The Waltons Olivia Walton 168 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series ( 1973 -- 74, 1976 ) Nominated -- Golden Globe Award for Best Actress -- Television Series Drama ( 1973 -- 76 ) Nominated -- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series ( 1975, 1978 -- 79 ) 1973 Gunsmoke Mike Yardner Episode : `` Matt 's Love Story '' 1973 Gunsmoke May Lassiter Episode : `` A Game of Death... An Act of Love Part 2 '' 1973 Match Game 73 Herself Episode : `` 1.6 '' 1973 -- 74 Insight Sister Janet 2 episodes Police Story Linda Keitlinger Episode : `` Love, Mabel '' 1981 -- 82 Nurse Nurse Mary Benjamin 25 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Nominated -- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series 1984 St. Elsewhere Sister Millicent Domencia 2 episodes 1988 Hothouse Dr. Marie Teller 7 episodes 1989 Murder, She Wrote Maria Hudson Episode : `` Trevor Hudson 's Legacy '' 1989 Who 's the Boss ? Trish Carlin 2 episodes 1989 Living Dolls Trish Carlin 12 episodes 1990 Wiseguy Rachel 2 episodes Reading Rainbow Herself Episode : `` Appelemondo 's Dream '' 1995 The Secret World of Alex Mack Ghost of Paradise Valley Episode : `` The Secret '' 1998 Profiler Helen Waters 3 episodes 1998 Promised Land Dolly Carstens Episode : `` The Secret of Bluestem '' 2000 Pensacola : Wings of Gold Congresswoman Benedict Episode : `` Article 32 '' 2000 So Graham Norton Herself Episode : `` 3.8 '' 2003 Law & Order : Special Victims Unit Candace Lamery Episode : `` Privilege '' 2005 All My Children Judge Turner Episode : `` 1.9044 '' 2005 One Life to Live Hon. Judge Turner 2 episodes 2006 Scrubs Mrs. Wilk 7 episodes 2009 Cold Case Louise Patterson ' 09 Episode : `` WASP '' General Hospital Shirley Smith 21 episodes 2011 Mr. Sunshine Maggie Episode : `` The Best Man '' 2011 The Young and the Restless Katherine Chancellor 13 episodes References ^ Jump up to : Learned, Michael ( December 2002 ). `` My Spiritual Journey ''. Daily Word. Retrieved January 20, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Michael Learned profile ''. Television Academy. Retrieved October 20, 2014. Jump up ^ Love, Barbara J. ( 1970 ). Foremost women in communications : a biographical reference work on accomplished women in broadcasting, publishing, advertising, public relations, and allied professions. Foremost Americans Publishing Corporation. Jump up ^ `` Elizabeth B. Hooper is Married in Rome -- The Daughter of Attache at the American Embassy in Italy Wed to Bruce Learned ''. The New York Times. July 1936. Retrieved January 20, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Olivia Walton by another name is just Michael Learned ''. The Morning News. Ancestry.com # Newspapers.com. 26 April 1980. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). access - date = requires url = ( help ) Jump up ^ `` Michael Learned -- Biography ''. The New York Times. New York : New York Times. 2010. ISSN 0362 - 4331. Retrieved January 20, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Walton family will lose hard - working old Olivia ''. Hutchinson News. Heritage Microfilm, Inc. # NewspaperARCHIVE. 10 November 1978. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). access - date = requires url = ( help ) Jump up ^ Kroll, Dan J. ( October 21, 2011 ). `` Jeanne Cooper taking medical leave from Y&R ''. Soapcentral. Retrieved January 20, 2014. External links Michael Learned on IMDb Michael Learned at the Internet Broadway Database Michael Learned at the Internet Off - Broadway Database Michael Learned interview video at the Archive of American Television Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Helen Hayes ( 1952 ) Loretta Young ( 1954 ) Loretta Young ( 1956 ) Loretta Young ( 1959 ) Barbara Stanwyck ( 1961 ) Barbara Stanwyck ( 1966 ) Barbara Bain ( 1967 ) Barbara Bain ( 1968 ) Barbara Bain ( 1969 ) Susan Hampshire ( 1970 ) Susan Hampshire ( 1971 ) Glenda Jackson ( 1972 ) Michael Learned ( 1973 ) Michael Learned ( 1974 ) Jean Marsh ( 1975 ) Michael Learned ( 1976 ) Lindsay Wagner ( 1977 ) Sada Thompson ( 1978 ) Mariette Hartley ( 1979 ) Barbara Bel Geddes ( 1980 ) Barbara Babcock ( 1981 ) Michael Learned ( 1982 ) Tyne Daly ( 1983 ) Tyne Daly ( 1984 ) Tyne Daly ( 1985 ) Sharon Gless ( 1986 ) Sharon Gless ( 1987 ) Tyne Daly ( 1988 ) Dana Delany ( 1989 ) Patricia Wettig ( 1990 ) Patricia Wettig ( 1991 ) Dana Delany ( 1992 ) Kathy Baker ( 1993 ) Sela Ward ( 1994 ) Kathy Baker ( 1995 ) Kathy Baker ( 1996 ) Gillian Anderson ( 1997 ) Christine Lahti ( 1998 ) Edie Falco ( 1999 ) Sela Ward ( 2000 ) Edie Falco ( 2001 ) Allison Janney ( 2002 ) Edie Falco ( 2003 ) Allison Janney ( 2004 ) Patricia Arquette ( 2005 ) Mariska Hargitay ( 2006 ) Sally Field ( 2007 ) Glenn Close ( 2008 ) Glenn Close ( 2009 ) Kyra Sedgwick ( 2010 ) Julianna Margulies ( 2011 ) Claire Danes ( 2012 ) Claire Danes ( 2013 ) Julianna Margulies ( 2014 ) Viola Davis ( 2015 ) Tatiana Maslany ( 2016 ) Elisabeth Moss ( 2017 ) VIAF : 33413899 LCCN : n84229131 ISNI : 0000 0000 2868 7730 BNF : cb14197574c ( data ) IATH : w6b1220v Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Learned&oldid=813640471 '' Categories : 1939 births Living people 20th - century American actresses 21st - century American actresses Actresses from Washington, D.C. American film actresses American soap opera actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners People educated at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts Actresses from Connecticut Hidden categories : Pages containing links to subscription - only content Pages using citations with accessdate and no URL Articles with hCards Articles needing additional references from November 2017 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2017 Articles with IBDb links Articles using Template : EmmyTVLegends name Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu Bislama Deutsch Español فارسی Français Italiano Nederlands Português Русский Simple English Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Svenska Türkçe Edit links This page was last edited on 4 December 2017, at 13 : 50. 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Question: why did the mom on the waltons leave
Answer: tuberculosis and entering a sanatorium