Melissa Sue Anderson Turned 60 She Prioritized Her Family after Seeing Michael Landon's Parentin

Publish date: 2024-05-18

Melissa Sue Anderson | Griffin Sloan, Melissa Sue Anderson, Piper Sloan, Michael Sloan | Melissa Sue Anderson and Piper Sloan | Source: Twitter.com/MelissAnderson | Getty Images

Former child star Melissa Sue Anderson said it was a dream come true to star in the classic American Western drama series "Little House on the Prairie," alongside Michael Landon. However, Anderson shared that once she had kids, she did not want to raise them as Landon did with his children.

Actress Melissa Sue Anderson, most well-known for playing Laura Ingalls' older sister Mary on "Little House on the Prairie," turned 60 on September 26, 2022.

Actress Melissa Sue Anderson attends The Melissa Sue Anderson Photocall at The Grimaldi Forum on June 20, 2022 in Monaco, Monaco | Source: Getty Images

Anderson revealed in her book, "The Way I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House," that having a role in the drama series with actor Michael Landon was "dreamy" for her after auditioning for the part.

She recalled that Landon walked her and her mom out after her audition and admired her car. Anderson thanked the producer for walking them out, who said: "Any time. Take care."

The child prodigy said their conversation could have ended there, and she and her mother "could have died happy. Michael was positively dreamy."

The audition process continued, and she managed to bag the part. During season four of the show, Anderson's character went blind, and she received an Emmy nomination for the role.

Anderson spoke more about her relationship with Landon, which was in good standing, and she even considered him like a big brother.

She told People in 1981 that their lives gradually evolved while filming the TV series. She was "growing up," and Landon's life was "changing," having to make some "personal" and "professional decisions." Anderson added that she saw much less of her co-star.

When asked during an interview with Hollywood Chicago in June 2010 about what Landon taught her about showbiz or television series, the California native revealed that she used to ask the director for pointers:

"Over the years, even as an adult, I went for advice from him. I think I reminded him of himself when he started out. We both wanted to learn so much."

As Anderson did her Mary role justice on the most popular show of the 1970s, her on-screen character began to suffer more than expected. After turning blind, she lost her baby in the fire and became catatonic.

Such challenges influenced the Hollywood starlet to exit the series in 1981, which ran from 1974 to 1983. Anderson's last appearance on "Little House" was in the episode "A Christmas They Never Forgot."

She found other acting opportunities when she starred in her first feature film in the horror movie "Happy Birthday to Me" the same year she bid farewell to her Mary character. Anderson continued to act in films, theaters, and on television and dated Hollywood hunks such as Lorenzo Lamas and Frank Sinatra Jr.

Anderson Left the US to Raise Her Family

The "Midnight Offerings" star married actor Michael Sloan in 1990. The couple welcomed two kids together, son Griffin born in 1996, and daughter Piper who arrived in 1991.

After starting a family, Anderson decided to focus solely on that, and she and her loved ones relocated to Canada in 2002. The TV star and the illustrator received their Canadian citizenship in 2007.

She once revealed during an interview on the Canadian TV show "etalk" that she "completely retired" from show business for nearly seven years so that her children could have their own identities instead of being known for her fame.

Anderson recalled when Landon had his brood around and stopped to sign an autograph at his daughter's birthday party. She said such encounters take away the focus from kids:

"I think that it takes so much of the attention that should be on a child away from them and is on the parent, and it's wrong. The children should be the stars of their little lives, you know."

The mother of two explained that in her case, she did her best to have her kids be "secure in themselves"; hence she decided to raise her brood away from Hollywood and not the same way as Landon. Now that they are all grown up, they encourage her to go back to acting.

When asked why she stopped acting, Anderson shared she was planning a wedding at the time while pregnant with her first child. Moreover, her husband Sloan traveled quite often, and she wanted to stay home and be with her daughter:

"Selfishly speaking, I didn't want to miss out on anything. I wanted to be there, and I also wanted her not to have to be Melissa Anderson's daughter."

Anderson recounted a time when she accompanied Landon and his children to Magic Mountain, and every few minutes while there, he had to sign autographs and speak to fans.

All the while, his kids got no attention amid the said interactions. "It seems to me that when you have kids, the kids are the ones that should be getting the attention," said Anderson adding:

"Oh, aren't you cute? Look at you. What's your name.' And to have a parent there that completely overshadows that is just such an unnatural thing. And I didn't want it to be like that, and so it worked out perfectly, I think."

Anderson and Sloan have been married for 32 years. Their adult children now have regular jobs and do not pursue careers in the entertainment industry.

The couple's daughter Piper is a Senior Manager, Professional Education at Lymphoma Research Foundation and is a married woman. Anderson posted wedding photos of her child on her big day on Twitter, dated November 25, 2016. The bride donned a white lace gown, and her mom wore a champagne-colored dress.

Meanwhile, Sloan and Anderson's son Griffin works at the law firm Haworth Barber & Gerstman.

Anderson's Life with Her Family in Canada

Anderson once shared updates about her life in Canada and said the experience was "nice" and that she and her family had "enjoyed" their time there.

"People are terrific, and my kids speak French very well. They're extremely proficient. I can read it pretty well," the doting mom divulged, adding they did not lose their American citizenship.

When her kids grew older, "The Equalizer" star slowed down with work. In 2006 Anderson appeared in the miniseries "10.5 Apocalypse." By May 2007, she and her family were residing in Montreal, Canada.

In 2010 Anderson wrote a memoir about her years on "Little House" and participated in the show's cast reunion in 2014.

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