The Way I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House

Few television stars of the 1970s were as high-profile as Melissa Anderson ofLittle House on the Prairie. Melissa's career began when she was only 9. Because she had asthma, her doctor recommended that she strengthen her lungs with activities such as ice skating and dance. A dance instructor, impressed by her talent, urged her parents to find an agent for her, and Melissa was soon appearing on television commercials for Mattel Toys and French's Mustard. Her big break came when her agent landed her an audition for “a pioneer western” that turned out to be Michael Landon’sLittle House on the Prairie.

From more than two hundred young actresses who auditioned for the roles of the sisters, she was selected to play Mary Ingalls. The only requirements were that she lose five pounds, and that she sign a seven-year contract. She agreed, and at age 11, became one of television’s most beloved characters in one of the most watched shows in the history of television. It is still syndicated in practically every country in the world. Michael Landon selected her to play his first girlfriend inThe Loneliest Runner, the 1976 television movie based on his life.

After her contract expired in 1981, Melissa chose to leave the series and continued acting in television shows, such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Murder, She Wrote, Aaron Spelling’s Dark Mansions, An Innocent Love, First Affair,and in a recurring role as Edward Woodward’s daughter in The Equalizer. Her feature films includeDead Men Don’t Die and the horror classic, Happy Birthday to Me.

Melissa was the associate producer for Where Pigeons Go to Die (1990), one of the last two TV projects Michael Landon made before his death. She and her husband,Equalizer creator Michael Sloan, whom she met when she appeared on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, have two children.