Photo: CBS Television / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Michael Learned is one of those names that trips people up, since she's a woman who quietly amassed one of television's great resumes. Four Primetime Emmy wins for Lead Actress, tied for the all-time record, is staggering, and three came from playing a mother on The Waltons. I find that telling. It's far harder to win awards radiating warmth and stillness than chewing scenery, and she made tenderness Emmy-worthy. Coming up through stage work clearly gave her the discipline. In an industry that rewards flash, Learned built a legacy on understated humanity, and that earns my deepest, unironic admiration.
Overview
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 (1972–1981). She has won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series four times, which is tied for the record of most wins with Tyne Daly. Three of the wins were for The Waltons (1973, 1974, 1976), while the other was for Nurse (1982).
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Michael Learned
- Name (Japanese)
- マイケル・ラーニング
- Reading
- まいける・らーにんぐ
- Born
- April 9, 1939 (age 87)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Rabbit
- Origin
- Washington, D.C., United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- stage actor / film actor / television actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1973 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
- 1974 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
- 1976 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
- 1982 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael%20Learned
Stage actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.