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 on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS-TV network from 1972 to 1981, and several subsequent made-for-television reunion films in later decades.
Mary Elizabeth McDonough | |
|---|---|
.jpg) McDonough at The Waltons 40th Anniversary in September 2012 | |
| Born | Los Angeles, California |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, writer |
| Years active | 1963–present |
| Spouses | Rob Wickstrom (m. 1988–1996)Don Couch (m. 2011) |
Early life
editMcDonough 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-United States Navy from Nebraska, while her mother was from La Junta, Colorado.[2] McDonough was raised in the Roman Catholic Church, in what she described as a working-class family.[3] She and her siblings were raised in the Northridge section of Los Angeles, and attended the Our Lady of Lourdes School on South Eastman Avenue in East Los Angeles.[4] McDonough was an active theater student, and became interested in acting in elementary school.[5]
Career
edit.jpg)
McDonough began her career as a child actor, portraying Erin Walton in the series The Waltons beginning broadcasting in September 1972, a role which she would portray until the series' finale nine years later 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 horror film Mortuary (1983), opposite Lynda Day George and Bill Paxton.[8] She later reprised her role of Erin Walton in several ofThe Waltons subsequent 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 / televised in 1982). In 1987, she had a lead role in the dark comedy Funland, about an unhinged amusement park operator.
In the next decade of the 1990s, McDonough appeared again as Erin Walton in a further three The Waltons reunion made-for-TV films: A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion (1993), A Walton Wedding (1995), and A Walton Easter (1997).[9][10]
In the new 21st century of the 2000s, she returned to other television acting roles, guest-starring on Boston Legal (2004–2008 on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC-TV) and The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–20010 on the Columbia Broadcasting System, CBS-TV). 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 also appeared in the film in a minor supporting role.
Personal life
editMcDonough 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]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| 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 | Amateur | Math Teacher |
Television
edit| 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 | |
| 2018 | Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane | Caroline Reynolds | Hallmark television film |
| 2023 | A Biltmore Christmas | The Director | Hallmark television film |
Other work
edit| Year | Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Creampuff | Associate producer | |
| 2000 | For the Love of May | Director & writer |
References
edit- ^ McDonough 2011, pp. 1–4.
- ^ McDonough 2011, pp. 2–3.
- ^ McDonough 2011, pp. 2–6.
- ^ McDonough 2011, pp. 7–8.
- ^ McDonough 2011, p. 8.
- ^ McDonough 2011, pp. 100–107.
- ^ "Midnight Offerings". Moviefone. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012.
- ^ "Mortuary". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ "Mary McDonough Filmography". AllMovie. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ Collar, Cammila. "Mary McDonough Biography". AllMovie. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ Ng, Philiana (August 15, 2018). "Hallmark Reveals Casts for Two Christmas Movies (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018.
- ^ McDonough, Mary (September 5, 2003). "Our Stories – Mary McDonough". intheknow.org. Archived from the original on April 11, 2004. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
Sources
edit- McDonough, Mary Elizabeth (2011). Lessons from the Mountain, What I Learned from Erin Walton. New York: Kensington Books. ISBN 978-0-7582-6366-7.
Further reading
edit- McDonough, Mary (2016). One Year. New York: Kensington. ISBN 978-1-617-73902-6.
- McDonough, Mary (2018). Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane. New York: Kensington. ISBN 978-1-496-72614-8.
External links
edit