Melissa Sue Anderson

On March 17, 1990, Melissa Sue Anderson married Michael Sloan, well-known writer, producer and director. The couple has two children; a daughter named Piper, born in 1991 and a son named Griffin, born in 1996.

In 2002, the couple moved to Canada and set up their home in Montreal, where they live till date. On July 1, 2007, they became naturalized citizens of Canada.

In 1998, Anderson was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Melissa Sue Anderson was born on September 26, 1962, in Berkeley, California. Her parents, James and Marion Anderson, divorced when she was thirteen years old and thereafter, she was raised by her mother.

She was born younger of her parents’ two children, having an elder sister named Maureen, who is twelve years her senior. Nothing is known about their life in Berkley.

In 1970, when she was seven years old, the family moved to Los Angeles. Sometime now, she also started suffering from asthma and as an antidote, she was encouraged to take up dancing classes.

Mellissa started taking lessons in ballet when she was in her grade school. She liked dancing so much that very soon she decided to become a dancer. But her dance teacher, Louis DePrine, thought otherwise and persuaded her to take up acting lessons as well.

Shortly after entering an acting class, Melissa Sue Anderson developed a passion for acting and started pestering her mother for engaging an agent for her. In the end, Marion Anderson relented, hoping that if she did a few commercials it would help to get acting out of her system.

In 1972, nine year old Melissa Sue Anderson debuted on the television, bagging a minor role in one episode of ‘Bewitched’. Entitled ‘Tabitha's First Day in School’, the episode was aired on ABC on February 12, 1972.

Continuing to appear in minor roles, Melissa captured viewer’ attention, when she appeared as Millicent in the ‘Never Too Young’ episode of ‘The Brady Bunch’ and gave Bobby his first kiss. It was aired on October 5, 1973. Also in the same year, she appeared in the television movie, ‘Shaft’.

In 1974, Melissa Sue Anderson bagged her first star role when she was cast as Mary Ingalls Kendallin in the western drama television series called ‘Little House on the Prairie ‘. In it, she depicted the role of the well-behaved eldest Ingalls daughter for seven consecutive series (until 1981).

At the end of the fourth series, her character went blind and she received great kudos as well as an Emmy nomination for her authentic depiction of a blind person. Incidentally, this was the only Emmy nomination received by any actor in this series.

In 1976, while working in ‘Little House on the Prairie’, she was asked by Michael Landon, for whom she had great regard, if she was willing to act in his autobiographical film ‘The Loneliest Runner’. Thrilled that she was asked, she agreed immediately.

In 1981, Anderson left ‘Little House on the Prairie’; but later appeared in two episodes of the eighth series. Also in 1981, she appeared in three movies; as Virginia Wainwright in 'Happy Birthday to Me', as Vivian Sotherland in ‘Midnight Offering’ and as Maureen Tyler in ‘Advice to the Lovelorn’.

In 1982, she appeared as Molly Rush in a TV film called ‘An Innocent Love’ and as Katherine 'Kitty' Pryde in one episode of 'Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends'. In the following year, she did only one film, appearing as Toby King in ‘First Affair’.

In 1984, she starred in a comedy film called ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo, appearing in it as Jenny. In addition, she took part in number television series, appearing as Nikki Gatos ‘Finder of Lost Loves’, Eve Crystal in ‘Murder, She Wrote’, Elizabeth in ‘Glitter’ and Cassie Ray in ‘Hotel’.

In 1985, she reappeared in another episode of ‘Hotel’, depicting the role of Anne Goldman in it. In the following year, she starred in one movie, ‘Dark Mansions’. Then in 1987-1988, she appeared as Yvette Marcel in four episodes of ‘The Equalizer’.

In 1988-1989, she appeared in two episodes of ‘The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents’; as Laura Donovan in ‘VCR – Very Careful Rape’ and as Julie Fenton in ‘Murder in Mind’. During this period, she also acted in number of movies; both for small and big screen.