Episode 127

Michael Learned is remarkable in her entirety. Growing up in Vienna, Austria, she despised her masculine name, developed nervous shakes and discovered that her “diplomat” father was a CIA spy. Her mother swore her to secrecy and sent her to a British boarding school where she developed a love and talent for acting.

Theater work led to an invitation to audition for a part as the mom to a brood of depression era children in a show that was not given much hope of lasting beyond half a season. She drove down from San Francisco and landed the iconic role of Olivia Walton which earned her three Emmys. The Waltons premiered in 1972 and quickly became a piece of our American cultural fabric.

And in an impressive demonstration of range, Michael recently won much acclaim for her portrayal of Jeffrey Dahmer’s grandmother in the Netflix original series, Monster.

With much to discuss, Michael joins us to talk about juggling her real-life kids with her TV family, she takes on a round of Waltons Trivia, shares her favorite Waltons episode, and divulges her authentic love for TV husband, Ralph Waite.