By Sheldon Baker
Considered by many avid television viewers as America’s most respected television mom, Michael Learned for several years starred in the role of Olivia Walton on the CBS-TV show, The Waltons.
As a four-time Emmy award winner, People’s Choice recipient and multiple Golden Globe nominee, Learned’s first regular series audition turned out to be the role of a lifetime. It would ultimately define her career, considering she was told the show would probably not continue beyond the pilot.
