Melissa Sue Anderson was born in Berkeley, California on September 26, 1962. She was a timid child who enjoyed reading books over climbing trees as a child.
However, many saw early on that the little girl with the marble-clear blue eyes had a gift for acting on stage. One of her dancing professors suggested that her parents contact an agency.
Anderson started her career as a child actor, playing in guest appearances on comedies such as Bewitched and The Brady Bunch, where she portrayed Millicent, the girl who gave Bobby his first kiss.
But it wasn’t until she was cast as Mary Ingalls, one of the show’s core characters, that she earned her big break and defining role.
She appeared in the first seven seasons and appeared as a guest star in the final eight. Anderson was also nominated for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
She is happy there was even a character to portray, since there isn’t much of one in the novel, she says from her home in Montreal. When Laura [Ingalls, author of the Little House novels on which the series was based and the tale was centered, wrote the books, she was an elderly woman. She was reminiscing about the highlights of her life.
Ma and Mary’s characters didn’t play a large role. There was a lot of Laura and Pa, and a lot of Laura and Jack the dog, and a lot of Laura and Mr. Edwards, but not much Mary. She is grateful that they found her acting talent, Anderson told in 2010.
It wasn’t simple for the young actress, who was still in high school at the time, to become one of the country’s most renowned faces.
Many students at school are inquisitive and ask improper inquiries, such as, ‘How much do you make? That’s humiliating. She’ll just give them a look that says what she thinks about the subject or tell them it’s none of their concern, she stated in 1977.
Anderson made roughly $1.5 million during her Hollywood profession, as per Celebrity Net Worth. However, the child actress’s pay at Little House was not very substantial.
Everyone believes that actors make a lot of money. However, they do not. At least not until they pay specific charges. Twenty-five percent of her earnings is put into a trust fund. 10% goes to her agency, and she spends a lot – far too much – on her 1,500-member fan club.
The original cost of membership is one thing, but they spend more to send out letters, bulletins, and Christmas cards. It’s great PR, but it’s quite expensive. Plus, she pays her mother to come to the set every day since she’d hire someone to drive her here and home anyway, she explained in 1977.
Its cast of adored characters and the performers who played them, all of whom achieved breakout success owing to the program, are a key factor in its popularity and durability. The program launched the careers of young performers such as Melissa Gilbert Sue and gave veteran actor Michael Landon his most memorable role as the family’s “Pa,” Charles Ingalls.
Off-screen, the co-stars were a huge part of each other’s life for many years, and the ensemble had such excellent chemistry that you’d believe they were a genuine family. However, the performers’ relationships were not always harmonious.
Melissa Gilbert once expressed her true feelings towards her co-star, who played Mary Ingalls. She is abhorrent, horrifying, cruel, horrible, and tough. She despised me. When Gilbert was nine, she knocked Gilbert off the wagon, Gilbert recounted.
Anderson’s major roles after Prairie ended were in television movies like Which Mother is Mine? and Survival of Dana.
She continued to work, but, like other child and adolescent stars, she never found a part as prominent as the one she had on Little House.
Melissa Sue Anderson dated Frank Sinatra Jr. briefly in the 1980s. Melissa, who was 17 at the time, met when she appeared as a guest star on The Love Boat. When they met, Frank Sinatra Jr. was 19 years her senior.
However, according to Melissa, the apparent relationship was exaggerated.
Melissa married television producer Michael Sloan in 1990. They have two children: a daughter named Piper (born in 1991) and a son named Griffin (born 1996).
Her family background drove her to make a life-changing choice: she became a Canadian citizen. The family relocated to Montreal in 2002 and became citizens in 2007.
She stated that she intended to break away from show business as her children grew older, not just to spend more time with them, but also to prevent forcing them to become child stars too.
She stated that her children are no longer interested in performing, but she has returned to the limelight, starring in minor TV and film parts.
Melissa, who is now 60 years old, has authored a memoir on her time on Little House on the Prairie called The Way I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House.
Melissa- You still appear youthful, your beauty will never fade, and most essential, you have a nice spirit!
She’s down-to-earth, humble, and grounded. She’s a genuine person! I admire actors who are neither plastic or Hollywood-like.
It’s always interesting to learn what the stars of our favorite classic series are up to these days.
