Mary Elizabeth McDonough | |
|---|---|
 McDonough at The Waltons 40th Anniversary in September 2012 | |
| Born | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, writer |
| Years active | 1963–present |
| Spouses | Rob Wickstrom (m. 1988–1996)Don Couch (m. 2011) |
| Children | 3 |
Mary Elizabeth McDonough, sometimes credited as Mary Beth McDonough, is an American actress and writer, best known for her role as Erin Walton on The Waltons from 1972 to 1981.
McDonough was born in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles, California, the third of four children to Lawrence and Elizabeth (née Murray) McDonough. [1] Her father was an Irish American ex-marine from Nebraska, while her mother was from La Junta, Colorado. [2] McDonough was raised Catholic, in what she described as a working-class family. [3] She and her siblings were raised in Northridge, and attended Our Lady of Lourdes School in Los Angeles. [4] McDonough was an active theater student, and became interested in acting in elementary school. [5]
McDonough began her career as a child actor, portraying Erin Walton in the series The Waltons beginning in 1972, a role which she would portray until the series' finale in 1981. [6] She made her feature film debut with a minor part in the action film Lovely But Deadly (1981) before co-starring with Melissa Sue Anderson in the television horror film Midnight Offerings (1981). [7] McDonough was subsequently cast in a lead role in the slasher film Mortuary (1983), opposite Lynda Day George and Bill Paxton. [8] She later reprised her role of Erin Walton in the Waltons television reunion films A Wedding on Walton's Mountain, Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain, and A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain (all released in 1982). In 1987, she had a lead role in the dark comedy Funland , about an unhinged amusement park operator.
In the 1990s, McDonough appeared as Erin Walton in a further three Waltons films: A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion (1993), A Walton Wedding (1995), and A Walton Easter (1997). [9] [10]
In the 2000s, she returned to television acting, guest-starring on Boston Legal and The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–2009). McDonough was a radio guest and has been on international and syndicated shows such as Get Focused Radio with Kate Hennessy. She can be seen on the internet in the show McDougall M.D. as part of the broadcasts on the TBN network.
In 2018, McDonough's book Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane was adapted into the Hallmark Channel film of the same name starring Alicia Witt and Colin Ferguson. [11] McDonough appeared in the film in a minor supporting role.
McDonough suffers from lupus erythematosus, which, she claimed on her In the Know plastic surgery awareness website, stemmed from leaking silicone from her breast implants. [12]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Lovely But Deadly | Denise | |
| 1982 | Mortuary | Christie Parson | |
| 1984 | Snowballing | Karen Reed | |
| 1985 | Impure Thoughts | Sister Juliet | |
| Waiting to Act | Linda | ||
| 1987 | Funland | Kristin Cumming | |
| 1989 | The Making of Me | Wife / Mother of newborn | Short film |
| 1991 | Mom | Alice | |
| 1994 | Heaven Sent | Kathy Chandler | |
| 1997 | One of Those Nights | Andrea Harris | |
| 2014 | The Costume Shop | Jessica's Mom | |
| Monster Hunters USA And Day Care Center | Mom Daily | Short film | |
| 2018 | Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane | Caroline Reynolds | Hallmark television film |
| Amateur | Math Teacher | ||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | General Hospital | Heidi Hopkins | TV series |
| 1971 | The Homecoming: A Christmas Story | Erin Walton | TV pilot for The Waltons |
| 1972-1981 | The Waltons | Main role (213 episodes) | |
| 1979 | Beat The Clock | Herself (contestant) | Game show (5 episodes) |
| 1980 | The Waltons: A Decade of the Waltons | Erin Walton | TV film |
| 1981 | Midnight Offerings | Robin Prentiss | Television film |
| 1982 | A Wedding on Walton's Mountain | Erin Walton | |
| Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain | |||
| A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain | |||
| The Love Boat | Laura Barber | 1 episode | |
| 1983 | Abby Foster | Episode: "Abby's Maiden Voyage" | |
| 1989 | Hunter | Vera Donovan | Episode: "A Girl Named Hunter" |
| 1993 | Bodies of Evidence | Sarah Gentry | Episode: "The Formula" |
| A Walton Thanksgiving | Erin Walton | TV film | |
| 1995 | A Walton Wedding | ||
| The Secret World of Alex Mack | Betsy Phillips | Episode: "Suspect" | |
| 1996 | Promised Land | Claire's Mother | Episode: "Christmas" |
| 1997 | A Walton Easter | Erin Walton | TV film |
| ER | Jean Twomey | Episode: "Random Acts" | |
| 1998 | Diagnosis: Murder | Colleen Akins | Episode: "Baby Boom" |
| The Pretender | Mrs. Falk | Episode: "Crash" | |
| 1999 | Ally McBeal | Attorney Gloria Stepp | Episode: "Only the Lonely" |
| Walker, Texas Ranger | Jill Allen | Episode: "Safe House" | |
| 2001 | The Division | Mrs. Berwin | Episode: "Secrets and Lies" |
| 2002 | The West Wing | Beth | Episode: "Game On" |
| Will & Grace | Mom | Episodes: "Humongous Growth", "All About Christmas Eve" | |
| 2006 | Boston Legal | Janice Warner | Episode: "Smile" |
| Where There's a Will | Dr. Burton | TV film | |
| 2006-2009 | The New Adventures of Old Christine | Mrs. Wilhoite | Recurring role (8 episodes) |
| 2007 | Christmas at Cadillac Jack's | Madge | TV film |
| 2012 | Lake Effects | Elizabeth |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Creampuff | Associate producer |
| 2000 | For the Love of May | Director & writer |
The Waltons is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book Spencer's Mountain and the 1963 film of the same name. The series aired from 1972 to 1981.
Richard Earl Thomas is an American actor. He is best known for his leading role as budding author John-Boy Walton in the CBS drama series The Waltons for which he won an Emmy Award. He also received another Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe Award nominations for that role.
Marion Ross is an American actress. Her best-known role is that of Marion Cunningham on the ABC television sitcom Happy Days, on which she starred from 1974 to 1984 and for which she received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Before her success on Happy Days, Ross appeared in a variety of film roles, appearing in The Glenn Miller Story (1954), Sabrina (1954), Lust for Life (1956), Teacher's Pet (1958), Some Came Running (1958), Operation Petticoat (1959), and Honky (1971), as well as several minor television roles, one of which was on television's The Lone Ranger (1954). She was also twice nominated successively in 1992 and 1993 for the Primetime Emmy Award for her performance on the CBS television comedy-drama Brooklyn Bridge and later netted another Emmy nomination in 1999 for a two-episode appearance on the popular CBS drama Touched by an Angel. Ross also starred in the high-profile, long-anticipated sequel to Terms of Endearment (1983), The Evening Star (1996), in a turn for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as both a nomination and win for a Lone Star Film and Television Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Cheryl Ladd is an American actress, singer, and author best known for her role as Kris Munroe in the ABC television series Charlie's Angels, whose cast she joined in its second season in 1977 to replace Farrah Fawcett-Majors. Ladd remained on the show until its cancellation in 1981. Her film roles include Purple Hearts (1984), Millennium (1989), Poison Ivy (1992), Permanent Midnight (1998), and Unforgettable (2017).
Michael Learned is an American actress, known for her role as Olivia Walton in the long-running CBS drama series The Waltons (1972–1981). She has won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series four times, which is tied for the record of most wins with Tyne Daly. Three of the wins were for The Waltons, while the other was for Nurse (1982).
Mary Chase was an American journalist, playwright and children's novelist, known primarily for writing the 1944 Broadway play Harvey, which was adapted into the 1950 film starring James Stewart.
Kami Cotler is an American actress. She is best known for her role as young Elizabeth Walton, which she played in the series The Waltons, and the television film The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971) which inspired it, as well as a number of later Waltons reunion productions.
Eric Scott is an American actor whose best known role is as Ben Walton, which he first played in the television film The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971), and in the series it inspired, The Waltons.
Morgan Stevens was an American actor, primarily seen on television.
Patrick William Cassidy is an American actor and singer best known for his roles in musical theatre and television.
Niall Matter is a Canadian actor.
Candace Helaine Cameron Bure is an American actress and talk show panelist. She is known for portraying D.J. Tanner on Full House and its sequel series Fuller House, and a number of roles in Hallmark Channel original productions—including the title character in their adaptations of the Aurora Teagarden novel series.
Barbara Lee Niven is an American actress, writer, and producer, best known for her performances in Hallmark and Lifetime movies, and for television roles in Pensacola: Wings of Gold, One Life to Live, Cedar Cove, and Chesapeake Shores. Niven had the leading role in the independent film A Perfect Ending (2012). She is also a motivational speaker, media trainer and animal rights activist, and a National Ambassador for American Humane.
When Calls the Heart is an American television drama series inspired by Janette Oke's book of the same name from her Canadian West series and developed by Michael Landon Jr. The series began airing on the Hallmark Channel in the United States on January 11, 2014, and on Super Channel in Canada on April 16, 2014.
Erin Krakow is an American actress and producer. She appeared in the Lifetime TV series Army Wives, and stars as Elizabeth Thatcher in the Hallmark TV series When Calls the Heart.
Andrea K. Brooks is a Canadian actress and model best known for portraying Faith Carter on the Hallmark series When Calls the Heart and Eve Teschmacher in The CW series Supergirl.
Leslie Winston is an American actress best known for playing Cindy, wife of Ben Walton, on the television series The Waltons from 1979 to 1981.
Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane is a 2018 American-Canadian television film starring Alicia Witt and Colin Ferguson, based on the novel by Mary Elizabeth McDonough. The film premiered on Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries on November 24, 2018.
"An Easter Story" was the final episode of the first season of The Waltons. It was also the first two-hour show of the series.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
