When we think of Melissa Sue Anderson, we often associate her with the popular TV show Little House on the Prairie. This series captivated millions of viewers as they followed the Ingalls family’s life in the early 1900s.
Many of us grew up watching this show and may be curious about what happened to the actors once it ended. Melissa Sue Anderson is one of those actors, and you might be interested to know what she is up to these days.
Melissa Sue Anderson portrayed the character of Mary Ingalls on the TV series. Once the show ended, she quickly made the choice to step away from Hollywood and avoid the public eye.
Born in Berkeley, California on September 26, 1962, she enjoyed reading books in a tree during her childhood. Despite being shy, her striking blue eyes always caught people’s attention.
She excelled in school and started acting as a child. She appeared in shows like the Brady Bunch, Bewitched, and Millicent. Later on, she landed a role as a main character in Little House on the Prairie.
She played a main role in the first seven seasons and then appeared as a guest in the last eight seasons. She received a nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
She said: “I’m lucky that there even was a character to play, because in the book, there isn’t much of one. Laura [Ingalls, author of the Little House novels upon which the series was based and the story was centered] was a quite older woman when she wrote the books. She was remembering the best of her life. The characters of Ma and Mary didn’t factor in a lot. There was a lot of Laura and Pa and Laura and Jack the dog and Laura and Mr. Edwards, but there wasn’t a lot of Mary. I’m fortunate that they discovered that I could act.”
Despite the challenges of high school, she gained widespread recognition throughout the United States.
Many children in school are curious and ask inappropriate questions, such as “How much money do you earn?” It can be embarrassing. I usually give them a look that shows my opinion of the question or simply tell them it’s not their concern.
She reportedly earned around $1.5 million during her time as an actress. Here’s what she had to say- “Everybody thinks actors make a lot of money. But we don’t. At least, not by the time we pay certain costs. Twenty-five of my pay goes into a trust fund. 10 percent to my agent and I spend a lot – too much – on my fan club which has 1,500 members. The initial cost people pay for belonging to the club is one thing, but we spend extra to send out letters, bulletins, Christmas cards. It’s publicity and everything, but it’s costing a lot. Plus, I pay my mom for coming to the set every day, because I’d hire someone to take me here and home anyway.”
The family on television was quite similar to a real family. They spent a great deal of time together, although they did encounter some family issues.
Melissa Gilbert expressed her strong dislike for the actress who portrayed Larry Ingalls, describing her as ‘hateful, horrid, mean, terrible, and difficult.’ Furthermore, she openly admitted her hatred towards her.
Melissa Sue Anderson was in a relationship with Frank Sinatra Junior in the 1980s. She mentioned that he supported her a lot in her career. She also revealed that their relationship was not exactly what people believed it to be.
She referred to him as a close friend and later married TV producer Michael Sloan in 1990. They have two adult children, Griffin and Piper.
In 2002, the family moved to Montréal and in 2007, they were granted citizenship. As a result, the whole family is now Canadian and they had to study diligently before taking the test.
She desired to have more quality time with her kids and avoid the stress of being constantly in the public eye. Consequently, she took a break during her children’s early years. Ultimately, she remained away for an extended period.
Her kids are not interested in acting, but she has accepted a few small roles in TV shows and movies.
It was nice reconnecting with her and reminiscing about all the memories we shared.
