Melissa Sue Anderson is an American-Canadian actress. She played the role of
Mary IngallsMary Amelia Ingalls was born near the town of Pepin, Wisconsin. She was the first child of Caroline and Charles Ingalls...
on the
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television series
Little House on the PrairieLittle House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
. She starred on the show from 1974 until 1981, leaving after Season 7, but later appeared in 2 episodes of Season 8 in late 1981. She won an
Emmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for her performance in
Which Mother Is Mine? (1979). One of her more recent performances was as First Lady Megan Hollister in the 2006 television mini-series
10.5: Apocalypse10.5: Apocalypse is a 2006 television miniseries written and directed by John Lafia. A sequel to 2004's 10.5, the film follows a series of catastrophic seismic disasters .-Plot:...
.
Biography
Anderson was born in
Berkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. Her show business career began when a dance teacher urged her parents to find an agent for her. She began doing TV commercials, and soon she was in demand for television roles. One of those included that of Millicent, the girl who kissed Bobby and induced him to see fireworks on
The Brady BunchThe Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
. At age eleven, she won her role in
Little House on the Prairie ahead of hundreds of competitors. She left in 1981 and continued acting in television shows like
The EqualizerThe Equalizer is an American television series that ran for four seasons, initially on CBS, between 1985 and 1989. It starred Edward Woodward as an aging New York vigilante with a mysterious past...
,
Alfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
, and
Murder, She WroteMurder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
.
She has been described as mild mannered and unpretentious, similar to her Mary Ingalls character. Her first publicly known romance was with actor
Lorenzo LamasLorenzo Lamas y de Santos is an American actor. Lamas is known for playing Lance Cumson on the popular 1980s soap opera Falcon Crest, Reno Raines on the 1990s crime drama Renegade, and Hector Ramirez on the daytime soap opera The Bold and The Beautiful...
, with whom she made an appearance in the film series
The Love BoatThe Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
in which two friends (Lorenzo and Melissa) resist the matchmaking efforts of their parents. After this short romance, she dated
Frank Sinatra, Jr.Franklin Wayne Sinatra , professionally known as Frank Sinatra, Jr., is an American singer, songwriter and conductor....
, who at the time was more than twice her age. She says, "It was fun, but never really wild. That's just not me."
She won an
Emmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for her performance in
Which Mother Is Mine?, an
ABC Afterschool SpecialThe ABC Afterschool Special is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC from 1972 to 1996, usually in the late afternoon on week days. Most of the episodes were dramatic presentations of situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers. Several episodes were...
(1979), and was nominated for a 1978 Primetime Emmy Award for Best Leading Actress in a Drama Series for her work on
Little House on the Prairie. In 1976, Michael Landon asked Anderson if she would appear in his autobiographical film,
The Loneliest RunnerThe Loneliest Runner is an autobiographical made-for-television film written, and directed by Bonanza star Michael Landon. It first aired in 1976 on NBC and starred Lance Kerwin, Brian Keith, DeAnn Mears, and Landon's television daughter, Melissa Sue Anderson. Landon also made a cameo appearance in...
. Anderson agreed to play Nancy Rizzi, his first girlfriend, saying she was very thrilled to have been asked. She also secured a Spanish '
TP de OroThe TP de Oro is a Spanish award given since 1973, to honour, mostly, Spanish, but also foreign television series. The TP de Oro is considered to be the most prestigious Spanish awards for television.-External links:* *...
' Award for 'Best Foreign Actress' for
Little House (1980). She was the associate producer for the next to last TV project
Michael LandonMichael Landon was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza , Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie , and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven...
made before dying:
Where Pigeons Go to DieWhere Pigeons Go to Die is a 1990 made for television film written and directed by Michael Landon based on the novel by R. Wright Campbell. The film stars Art Carney and was nominated for two Emmy awards:...
(1990).
In 1998, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the
National Cowboy & Western Heritage MuseumThe National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of American rodeo, photographs, barbed wire, saddlery, and early rodeo trophies...
in
Oklahoma CityOklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
,
OklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
With husband
Michael Sloan, she has two children, daughter Piper (born February 1991) and son Griffin (born June 1996).
She has lived in
MontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
,
QuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
,
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
since 2002. She and her husband became naturalized
CanadiansCanadian citizenship is typically obtained by birth in Canada, birth abroad when at least one parent is a Canadian citizen and was born or naturalized in Canada, or by adoption abroad by at least one Canadian citizen. It can also be granted to a permanent resident who lives in Canada for three out...
in 2007
http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainment/story.html?id=e41b709e-3b13-4130-a22f-aa2b32e9bcaf
Films
| Year |
Film |
Role |
Notes |
| 1974 The year 1974 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in the USA.*August 7 - Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J...
|
Little House on the Prairie Little House on the Prairie is a 1974 television film which is considered to be the pilot to the Little House on the Prairie tv-series...
|
Mary Ingalls Mary Amelia Ingalls was born near the town of Pepin, Wisconsin. She was the first child of Caroline and Charles Ingalls...
|
TV movie |
| 1976 The year 1976 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*March 22 - Filming begins on George Lucas' Star Wars science fiction film...
|
The Loneliest Runner The Loneliest Runner is an autobiographical made-for-television film written, and directed by Bonanza star Michael Landon. It first aired in 1976 on NBC and starred Lance Kerwin, Brian Keith, DeAnn Mears, and Landon's television daughter, Melissa Sue Anderson. Landon also made a cameo appearance in...
|
Nancy Rizzi |
TV movie |
| 1977 The year 1977 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network....
|
James at 15 James at 15 is an American drama series that aired on NBC in the 1977-1978 season. The series was preceded by the 1977 made-for-TV movie James at 15, intended as a pilot for the series...
|
Lacey Stevens |
TV movie |
| 1979 The year 1979 in film involved some significant events.- Major events :* March 5 - Production begins on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.* May 25 - Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released....
|
Survival of Dana |
Dana Lee |
TV movie |
| 1981 -Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
|
Midnight Offerings |
Vivian Sotherland |
TV movie |
| Happy Birthday to Me |
Virginia 'Ginny' Wainwright |
Nominated for a Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
|
| 1982 -Events:* March 26 = I Ought to Be in Pictures, starring Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret and Dinah Manoff is released. Manoff would not appear in another movie until 1987's Backfire.* June = PG-rated film E.T...
|
An Innocent Love |
Molly Rush |
TV movie |
| 1983 -Events:*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York*May 25 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the top grossing picture of...
|
First Affair |
Toby King |
TV movie |
| 1984 -Events:* The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name.* Tri-Star Pictures, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS, releases its first film....
|
Chattanooga Choo Choo "Chattanooga Choo Choo" is a song by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon . It was recorded in a big-band/swing manner by Glenn Miller and his orchestra and featured in the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade, which starred Sonja Henie, John Payne, Glenn Miller and his orchestra, The Modernaires, Milton Berle...
|
Jennie |
|
| Goma-2 |
Kukki |
Uncredited |
| 1986 -Events:*April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle.*April 26 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver.*May - Actress Heather Locklear marries Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee....
|
Dark Mansions Dark Mansions is a 1986 television film starring Joan Fontaine, Michael York, Paul Shenar, Melissa Sue Anderson, Steve Inwood, Lois Chiles, Nicollette Sheridan, Raymond St. Jacques, Grant Aleksander, Yves André Martin, Linda Purl and Dan O'Herilhy. It was directed by Jerry London and written by...
|
Noelle Drake |
|
| 1988 -Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
|
Memories of Manon |
Yvette Marcel |
TV movie / As Melissa Anderson |
| The Suicide Club |
Laura Donovan on TV |
|
| Far North |
Young Nurse |
As Melissa Anderson |
| 1989 -Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...
|
The Return of Sam McCloud |
Colleen McCloud |
TV movie / As Melissa Anderson |
| 1990 The year 1990 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall .* The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2....
|
Forbidden Nights Forbidden Nights is a 1990 television film directed by Waris Hussein. The film is based on the article The Rocky Course of Love in China, written by Judith Shapiro. The film was shot in Hong Kong and stars Melissa Gilbert and Melissa Sue Anderson, who both co-starred in Little House on the Prairie...
|
Marie Shapiro |
TV movie / As Melissa Anderson |
| Dead Men Don't Die |
Dulcie Niles |
As Melissa Anderson |
| 1998 -Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
|
Earthquake in New York |
Dr. Marilyn Blake |
TV movie / As Melissa Anderson |
| 2000 The year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....
|
Thin Ice |
Tanya Ferguson |
TV movie |
| 2006 - Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
|
10.5: Apocalypse 10.5: Apocalypse is a 2006 television miniseries written and directed by John Lafia. A sequel to 2004's 10.5, the film follows a series of catastrophic seismic disasters .-Plot:...
|
First Lady Megan Hollister |
TV miniseries A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
/ As Melissa Anderson |
| Crazy Eights |
Hospital patient |
Uncredited |
| 2007 This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
|
Marco Polo Marco Polo is a 2007 TV mini series directed by Kevin Connor, starring Ian Somerhalder, B.D. Wong and Brian Dennehy. In the 13th Century, imprisoned in Genoa, Marco Polo, a Venetian trader, recounts his days as a young man in China to a fellow prisoner who is dying...
|
Mother |
TV miniseries / Voice / Uncredited |
TV series
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Seasons |
Notes |
| 1973 |
The Brady BunchThe Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
|
Millicent |
5 |
Never Too Young |
| 1984 |
"Murder, She WroteMurder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
" |
Eve Cristal |
Episode 6, Season 1 |
| 1974–81 |
Little House on the PrairieLittle House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
|
Mary Ingalls Mary Amelia Ingalls was born near the town of Pepin, Wisconsin. She was the first child of Caroline and Charles Ingalls...
|
1–8 |
Nominated for an Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
|
| 1988 |
The Equalizer (TV Series)The Equalizer is an American television series that ran for four seasons, initially on CBS, between 1985 and 1989. It starred Edward Woodward as an aging New York vigilante with a mysterious past...
|
Yvette The Yvette is a small river in southern Île-de-France , left tributary of the Orge, which is a tributary of the Seine. Its source is in Les Essarts-le-Roi, north of Rambouillet, in the Yvelines department...
|
3 |
The Mystery of Manon |
External links