Editing Melissa Sue Anderson

{{Short description|American-Canadian actress (born 1962)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name         = Melissa Sue Anderson
| image        = 1974 Melissa Sue Anderson Little House on the Prairie.jpg
| caption      = Anderson as Mary Ingalls in ''[[Little House on the Prairie (TV series)|Little House on the Prairie]]'', 1974
| birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1962|9|26}}
| birth_place  = [[Berkeley, California]], U.S.
| citizenship  = {{Hlist | American | Canadian}}
| known_for    = {{Plain list|
* ''[[Little House on the Prairie (TV series)|Little House on the Prairie]]''
* ''[[Midnight Offerings]]''
* ''[[Happy Birthday to Me (film)|Happy Birthday to Me]]''
* ''[[ABC Afterschool Special#Season Eight (1979-80)|Which Mother Is Mine?]]''
}}
| occupation   = Actress
| years_active = 1972–present
| spouse       = {{marriage|Michael Sloan|1990}}
| children     = 2
}}

'''Melissa Sue Anderson''' (born September 26, 1962) is an American-Canadian actress. She began her career as a [[child actress]] after appearing in several commercials in Los Angeles. Anderson is known for her role as [[Mary Ingalls]] in the [[NBC]] drama series ''[[Little House on the Prairie (TV series)|Little House on the Prairie]]'' (1974–1983), for which she received a nomination for the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series]].

She is also known for film roles that include Vivian in ''[[Midnight Offerings]]'' (1981),<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Conner |first=John |title='Offerings' show tackles burning issue of witches |work=Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel |date=February 28, 1981}}</ref> Ginny in the [[slasher film]] ''[[Happy Birthday to Me (film)|Happy Birthday to Me]]'' (1981),<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Malcolm L. |title='Happy Birthday to Me' Plot Lacking, but Gore Plentiful |newspaper=[[Hartford Courant]] |date=May 19, 1981}}</ref> and Alex in the ''[[ABC Afterschool Special]]'', ''[[ABC Afterschool Special#Season Eight (1979-80)|Which Mother Is Mine?]]'' (1979).<ref>{{cite news |last=Rosenberg |first=Howard |title=Donahue Tops Daytime Emmys |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=June 5, 1980}}</ref>

Anderson became a naturalized citizen of Canada in 2007. In 2010, she published ''The Way I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House'', an autobiographical account of her years acting in ''Little House on the Prairie''.

==Early life==
Anderson was born on September 26, 1962, in [[Berkeley, California]],<ref>{{cite book |page=[https://archive.org/details/screenworldvol530000unse/page/321 321] |title=Screen World 2002 |author=Lynch, Tom |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-557-83598-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/screenworldvol530000unse/page/321}}</ref> the second of two daughters, to James and Marion Anderson.<ref name=gritten/> Her sister Maureen is 12 years her senior.<ref name="gritten">{{cite web |last=Gritten |first=David |title=With Dates Like Sinatra Junior Melissa Sue Anderson Is Outgrowing Her 'little House' |url=http://people.com/archive/with-dates-like-sinatra-junior-melissa-sue-anderson-is-outgrowing-her-little-house-vol-15-no-21/ |website=[[People (magazine)|People]] |volume=15 |number=21 |date=June 1, 1981 |access-date=February 11, 2018 |archive-date=February 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212084104/http://people.com/archive/with-dates-like-sinatra-junior-melissa-sue-anderson-is-outgrowing-her-little-house-vol-15-no-21/ |url-status=live }}</ref> When she was seven years old, Anderson's family relocated from the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] to Los Angeles.<ref name=gritten/> Her parents divorced when she was 13 years old, and she was raised [[Roman Catholic]] by her mother.<ref name=gritten/> As a young child, Anderson appeared in commercials for [[Mattel]] and [[Sears]].<ref name=gritten/>

==Career==
Anderson's show-business career began when a dance teacher urged her parents to find an agent for her.<ref>{{cite news |last=Miley |first=Scott |title=Melissa Anderson's role challenging |work=Anderson Daily Bulletin |date=September 14, 1979}}</ref> After appearing in commercials, she was soon in demand for television roles. Another memorable early role was as Millicent, a girl who kissed Bobby in ''[[The Brady Bunch]]''. She also appeared in an episode of ''[[Shaft (TV series)|Shaft]]'' the same year.<ref name=gritten/>

At the age of 11, Anderson landed the role of Mary Ingalls in ''[[Little House on the Prairie (TV series)|Little House on the Prairie]]''. She would go on to star in the series for eight seasons, beginning in 1974, and leaving after season seven; she later appeared in three episodes of season eight in late 1981.

[[File:James at 15 Lance Kerwin Melissa Sue Anderson 1977.jpg|thumb|left|Anderson with [[Lance Kerwin]] in the television film ''[[James at 15]]'' (1977)]]
In 1976, [[Michael Landon]] asked Anderson if she would appear in his autobiographical film ''[[The Loneliest Runner]]''. Anderson agreed to play Nancy Rizzi, the first girlfriend of John Curtis (based on Landon and played by [[Lance Kerwin]]), saying she was very thrilled to have been asked.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bed-wetting is a problem for 'The Lonliest Runner' |work=The Tampa Times |date=December 26, 1980}}</ref> In 1977, she once again co-starred as the love interest opposite Kerwin in the television film ''[[James at 15]]''.

She 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'' and won the Emmy Award for her performance in ''[[ABC Afterschool Special#Season Eight (1979-80)|Which Mother Is Mine?]]'', which aired as an ''[[ABC Afterschool Special]]'' in 1979. Also in 1979, she played the title role of Dana Lee Gilbert, a [[North Dakota]] [[transfer student]] to Los Angeles' [[San Fernando Valley]], in [[CBS]]'s [[television film]] ''[[Survival of Dana]]''.

In 1980, Anderson earned a '[[TP de Oro]]' Award (considered to be Spain's most prestigious award for television) for 'Best Foreign Actress' for her role in ''Little House on the Prairie''. This followed a successful visit to Spain in 1979 to appear as a guest on {{lang|es|[[Televisión Española]]|i=no}}'s program, ''[[625 Lineas]]''. In 1981, she earned a [[Young Artist Award]] nomination for her performance in the Canadian slasher film ''[[Happy Birthday to Me (film)|Happy Birthday to Me]]''.<ref name="Young Artist Awards 3">{{cite web |url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms3.htm |title=3rd Youth In Film Awards |access-date=March 31, 2011 |work=YoungArtistAwards.org |archive-date=April 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110402060410/http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms3.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> After leaving ''Little House'', she continued acting in television series like ''[[The Equalizer (1985 TV series)|The Equalizer]]'', ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985 TV series)|Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'', ''[[CHiPs]]'', and ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'', and was the associate producer for the penultimate television project Michael Landon made before dying: ''[[Where Pigeons Go to Die]]'' (1990).<ref>{{cite news |last=Hill |first=Michael E. |title=Michael Landon |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1990/01/28/michael-landon/9dc41b8b-a6bb-4e4c-b35d-bc05715526f7/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=January 28, 1990 |access-date=February 10, 2018 |archive-date=March 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316214618/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1990/01/28/michael-landon/9dc41b8b-a6bb-4e4c-b35d-bc05715526f7/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1998, she was inducted into the [[Western Performers Hall of Fame]] at the [[National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum]] in [[Oklahoma City, Oklahoma]]. In 1999, she starred alongside [[Heather Langenkamp]] in the short-lived television series ''Partners''. In 2014, Anderson had an uncredited appearance as Stosh's mother in the [[neo-noir]] [[Mystery film|mystery]] [[comedy drama]] film ''[[Veronica Mars (film)|Veronica Mars]]'' (2014).<ref name=yahoo>{{cite web |last=Potts |first=Kimberly |title='Little House on the Prairie' Cast: Where Are They Now? |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/little-house-prairie-cast-where-140127358/photo-melissa-sue-anderson-as-mary-1444920045222.html |website=Yahoo! Entertainment |date=October 15, 2015 |access-date=March 16, 2018 |archive-date=August 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802041034/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/little-house-prairie-cast-where-140127358/photo-melissa-sue-anderson-as-mary-1444920045222.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Book==
In 2010, Anderson released an autobiography titled ''The Way I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House''.<ref name=yahoo/> The book, which is primarily based on her life during her years as a child star in ''Little House on the Prairie'', contains behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes about the show itself, its stars, guest stars, and crew members. The autobiography also covers her pre– and post–''Little House'' career, her side-projects during the ''Little House'' years and how her personal life was affected by her career.{{Citation needed |date=September 2024}}

==Personal life==
Anderson married television writer and producer Michael Sloan in 1990.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ho |first=Rodney |title=Interview with Melissa Sue Anderson, Mary on 'Little House on the&nbsp;Prairie' |url=http://radiotvtalk.blog.ajc.com/2010/05/05/interview-with-melissa-sue-anderson-mary-on-little-house-on-the-prairie-coming-to-atlanta-510-511/ |work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |date=November 1, 2016 |access-date=November 24, 2017 |archive-date=May 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504120858/http://radiotvtalk.blog.ajc.com/2010/05/05/interview-with-melissa-sue-anderson-mary-on-little-house-on-the-prairie-coming-to-atlanta-510-511/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> They have two children, daughter Piper and son Griffin.<ref name=MSAA&E>{{cite web |title=Melissa Sue Anderson |url=https://www.biography.com/people/melissa-sue-anderson |website=[[Biography.com]] |publisher=[[A&E Television Networks]] |orig-year=Original Published Date: April 28, 2015 |date=April 17, 2019 |access-date=May 9, 2019 |archive-date=March 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323150158/https://www.biography.com/people/melissa-sue-anderson |url-status=live }}</ref> The family moved to [[Montreal]] in 2002 and became [[Canadian nationality law|naturalized Canadians]] on [[Canada Day]] in 2007.<ref name=MSAA&E/><ref>{{cite news |title=Big day for newest Canadians: Citizenship Ceremonies 'Multicultural village' shows off diversity |url=https://www.pressreader.com/canada/montreal-gazette/20070702/281526516643514 |last1=Magder |first1=Jason |last2=Hashmi |first2=Sikander |work=[[Montreal Gazette]] |date=July 2, 2007 |access-date=November 24, 2017 |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201042701/https://www.pressreader.com/canada/montreal-gazette/20070702/281526516643514 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Filmography==

===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Melissa Sue Anderson film credits<!-- Per [[WP:ACCESSIBILITY]] & [[MOS:TABLECAPTION]], data tables should always include a descriptive caption. -->
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1981
|''[[Happy Birthday to Me (film)|Happy Birthday to Me]]''
|Virginia Wainwright
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1984
|''Goma-2''
|Kukki
|Uncredited{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}
|-
|''[[Chattanooga Choo Choo (film)|Chattanooga Choo Choo]]''
|Jennie
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1988
|data-sort-value="Suicide Club, The" | ''The Suicide Club''
|Laura Donovan on TV
|
|-
|''[[Far North (1988 film)|Far North]]''
|Young Nurse
|
|-
|1989
|''Looking Your Best''
|
|
|-
|1990
|''[[Dead Men Don't Die]]''
|Dulcie Niles
|
|-
|1991
|''Manuel''
|
|
|-
|1994
|''Animated Stories from the Bible: Music Video – Volume 1''
|Snake
|Video; voice role
|-
|1995
|''Killer Lady''
|American Lady
|
|-
|2006
|''Crazy Eights''
|Hospital Patient
|Uncredited{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}
|-
|2010
|''Marker 187''
|
|Short film
|-
|2014
|''[[Veronica Mars (film)|Veronica Mars]]''
|Stosh's Mother
|Uncredited<ref name=yahoo/>
|-
|2018
|data-sort-value="Con Is On, The" | ''[[The Con Is On]]''
|Guest Two
|
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Melissa Sue Anderson television credits<!-- Per [[WP:ACCESSIBILITY]] & [[MOS:TABLECAPTION]], data tables should always include a descriptive caption. -->
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|rowspan=2|1973
| ''[[The Brady Bunch]]''
|Millicent
|Episode: "Never Too Young"
|-
|''[[Shaft (TV series)|Shaft]]''
|Cathy Muder (uncredited)
|Episode: "The Enforcers"
|-
|1974–1981
|''[[Little House on the Prairie (TV series)|Little House on the Prairie]]''
|[[Mary Ingalls]]
|Main role
|-
|1976
|data-sort-value="Loneliest Runner, The" | ''[[The Loneliest Runner]]''
|Nancy Rizzi
|TV movie
|-
|rowspan=2|1977
|''[[James at 15]]''
|Lacey Stevens
|Episode: "Pilot"
|-
|''[[ABC Afterschool Special]]''
|Kate
|Episode: "Very Good Friends"
|-
|1978
|data-sort-value="Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour, The" | ''[[The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour]]''
|Director of the musical
|Episode No. 2
|-
|1978–1980 & 1986
|data-sort-value="Love Boat, The" | ''[[The Love Boat]]''
|Jennifer 'Chubs' Smith / Cindy Jerome / Cathy Cummings / Dana Colton
|4 episodes
|-
|rowspan=4|1979
|''[[Survival of Dana]]''
|Dana Lee Gilbert
|TV movie
|-
|''[[ABC Afterschool Special]]''
|Alexandria 'Alex' Benton
|Episode: "Which Mother Is Mine?"
|-
|data-sort-value="New Kind of Family, A" | ''[[A New Kind of Family]]''
|Lisa
|Episode: "The Overcharge"
|-
|''[[CHiPs]]''
|Herself
|Episode: "Roller Disco" (Part 2)
|-
|rowspan=2|1980
|''[[Fantasy Island]]''
|Amy Marson
|Episode: "Rogues to Riches/Stark Terror"
|-
|''[[Insight (American TV series)|Insight]]''
|Mary Beth
|Episode: "Princess"
|-
|rowspan=2|1981
|''[[Midnight Offerings]]''
|Vivian Sotherland
|rowspan=3|TV movie
|-
|''Advice to the Lovelorn''
|Maureen Tyler
|-
|1982
|''[[An Innocent Love]]''
|Molly Rush
|-
|1982–1983
|''[[Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends]]''
|[[Kitty Pryde]] / Sprite
|Voice, 2 episodes
|-
|1983
|''[[First Affair (film)|First Affair]]''
|Toby King
|TV movie
|-
|rowspan=3|1984
|''[[Finder of Lost Loves]]''
|Nikki Gatos
|Episode: "Pilot"
|-
|''[[Murder, She Wrote]]''
|Eve Crystal
|Episode: "Hooray for Homicide"
|-
|''[[Glitter (American TV series)|Glitter]]''
|Elizabeth
|Episode: "A Minor Miracle"
|-
|1984–1985
|''[[Hotel (American TV series)|Hotel]]''
|Cassie Ray / Anne Goldman
|2 episodes
|-
|1986
|''[[Dark Mansions]]''
|Noelle Drake
|TV movie
|-
|1987
|data-sort-value="Equalizer, The" | ''[[The Equalizer (1985 TV series)|The Equalizer]]''
|[[The Equalizer (1985 TV series)#Recurring|Yvette Marcel]]
|2 Episodes: "[[The Equalizer (1985 TV series) season 2#ep37|Memories of Manon: Parts 1 & 2]]"<ref name="MemMan">Also released as a 96-minute TV movie, ''Memories of Manon''</ref>
|-
|1988–1989
|''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985 TV series)|Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]''
|Laura Donovan / Julie Fenton
|2 episodes
|-
|1988
|data-sort-value="Equalizer, The" | ''The Equalizer''
|Yvette Marcel
|2 Episodes: "[[The Equalizer (1985 TV series) season 3#ep60|The Mystery of Manon: Parts 1 & 2]]"<ref name="MysMan">Also released as a 90-minute TV movie, ''The Equalizer: The Mystery of Manon''</ref>
|-
|1989
|data-sort-value="Return of Sam McCloud, The" | ''[[McCloud (TV series)|The Return of Sam McCloud]]''
|Colleen McCloud
|-
|1993–1994
|''[[X-Men: The Animated Series]]''
|[[Snowbird (character)|Snowbird]]
|Voice, 2 episodes
|-
|1994
|''[[Burke's Law (1994 TV series)|Burke's Law]]''
|Michelle Ryder
|Episode: "Who Killed Alexander the Great?"
|-
|1998
|''[[Earthquake in New York]]''
|Dr. Marilyn Blake
|TV movie
|-
|1999
|''Partners''
|Cheryl Darrin
|3 episodes
|-
|2000
|''Thin Ice''
|Tanya Ferguson
|TV movie
|-
|2006
|''[[10.5: Apocalypse]]''
|First Lady Megan Hollister
|Miniseries
|-
|2007
|''[[Marco Polo (2007 film)|Marco Polo]]''
|Mother
|Voice, uncredited{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Dye, David. ''Child and Youth Actors: Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914–1985''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1988, p.&nbsp;5–6.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Melissa Sue Anderson}}
* {{IMDb name|757}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iF-eS-8LGQ Melissa Sue Anderson] interview on [[YouTube]]
*[http://littlehouseontheprairie.com/about-melissa-sue-anderson/ About Melissa Sue Anderson]

{{Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Melissa Sue}}
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century American actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century American memoirists]]
[[Category:21st-century American women writers]]
[[Category:Actresses from Berkeley, California]]
[[Category:Actresses from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Actresses from Montreal]]
[[Category:American child actresses]]
[[Category:American emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:American people of Swedish descent]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:American voice actresses]]
[[Category:American women television producers]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate actresses in the United States]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Naturalized citizens of Canada]]
[[Category:Television producers from California]]
[[Category:Western (genre) film actresses]]