Eldest of six sisters, she lived on a farm during her first ten years of life.
Married to Canadian-American actor Peter Donat, by whom she had 3 children, until their divorce.
Mother of 3 sons: Chris, Caleb and Lucas Donat.
She is the godmother of Christopher Plummer's daughter, Amanda Plummer. As a matter of fact, Amanda's middle name is Michael, after her.
She was originally billed "Miss Michael Learned" on _"The Waltons"(1972)_ not out of ego or demand, but for the simple fact that Ms. Learned was unknown to the public at the time she won the role of Olivia and the powers that be did not want the audience to be confused about her gender.
Stage-trained at San Francisco's ACT company where she frequently appeared with her first husband, actor Peter Donat. They married when she was 17.
Won four acting Emmy awards: three for "The Waltons" (1971) and one for her subsequent series "Nurse" (1981).