MELISSA SUE ANDERSON

Who is Melissa Sue Anderson? Born in 1962, Melissa Sue Anderson had done commercials and television spots before being hired to play Mary Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie. She appeared in the role from 1974 to 1981. After Little House, Anderson continued to act but did not replicate her earlier success. She moved to Canada with her family in 2002. In 2010 Anderson published a memoir called The Way I See It.

Due to her asthma, Anderson was encouraged to participate in activities such as dance classes; it was one of her dance teachers who encouraged her to take acting lessons. After her family contacted an agent, Anderson began working as a child actor. With her golden hair and blue eyes, Anderson has been a hit with casting directors. She landed commercials, then was featured as a Bobby Brady love story on The Brady Bunch in 1973. That same year, she also appeared on television in Shaft, the series based on the hit movie of the same name.