The Waltons was a very long-running television series with nine episodes, and Michael Learned was an important part of the show as she was Olivia, one of the main characters. After the sixth season of the show, Michael was not feeling the energy to continue. However, the show maker insisted, and she agreed to appear in the show but on the condition which was that she wouldn’t be working full nine months.
Finally, she did the seventh season and then left the show. The reason behind her disappearance from the show is way too scattered. Some say that she was ill and struggling with her health issues, and some say that she left because she did not like her acting career much. Now, the diehard fans might or might not know the reason, as all of the rumors are so scattered. So, Read on to know why did Michael Learned leave The Waltons.
Who Is Michael Learned?
Michael Learned is a talented and experienced American actress. She is best known for her amazing role in Walton in The Waltons. It is one of the longest-running drama series on CBS. Also, she has been honored with Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress. She won that award four times for a single Drama series.
This achievement is tied with Tyne Daly’s achievements. Michael was honored with more such awards. She won three times for The Waltons, and the fourth award was for her performance in Nurse. Let’s have a look at her early life.
She was born in Washington, DC, in April 1939, and currently, she is 84. She was the eldest daughter of two diplomats, Elizabeth Duane Betti and Bruce Learned. While she was studying in Tring, England, she discovered drama and theatres.
On further exploration, she developed an interest in the entertainment field, especially in acting. Her first-ever work in acting was The Waltons. She got assigned as Olivia Walton in The Waltons, and this series successfully ran nine seasons from 1972 to 1981. Apart from all this, her name is quite controversial.
People have Michael as a boy’s name in their heads, so they used to get confused if she was a boy or a girl. For the first five seasons of The Waltons, Michael was billed as ‘Miss Michael Learned,’ so there’s confusion regarding gender. She worked for seven seasons and then left the show despite being The Waltons sensation. Fans asked a lot about her departure from the show, and those who do not know, are still asking, so let me answer.
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Why Did Michael Learned to Leave The Waltons?
There are several reasons and predictions regarding Michael’s departure from the show. In an interview, Michael talked about her departure in detail and said that she was not getting the energy to continue. When the show makers had to replace Richard Thomas, who was playing the lead role of John Boy, Michael felt something was missing. The new face and the new voice of John Boy took away all her energy, and it felt like something had changed in her.
Her subconscious mind wasn’t letting her continue anymore. She further continued that the storyline was already taking away the charm of the character, Olivia. She felt that she was just sitting on the set for more than 14 hours and doing nothing, just calling John-Boy and asking him to bring her more coffee.
She further continued that this might be one of the reasons that she was getting bored by the show with every passing day. Reportedly, she decided to quit the show, with a thought in the back of her head that she had earned enough money she needed to give her children and herself a better life.
But when she confessed later, it was revealed that she was bored. Now, the shoemaker had to remove Olivia, the main character, from the show. So, they announced the exit with the help of Tuberculosis. Olivia, the character, started suffering from Tuberculosis and was shifted to Sanatorium. On the other hand, Michael still worked for the movie, The Waltons, in which she appeared as Ma Walton.
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