Melissa Sue Anderson, star of ‘Little House on the Prairie,’ speaks of her decision to leave Hollywood for Canada

How many times have you thought about an old show you used to love watching and wondered what the actors are up to after so many years? If you’re someone who fondly remembers Little House on the Prairie and eagerly waited for each new adventure of the family living on the farm in Plum Creek near Walnut Grove, Minnesota, you might be curious to know what the actors are doing today.

For those fans who were fond of the actress who played Mary Ingalls, the beautiful and talented Melissa Sue Anderson, it may come as a surprise to learn that she had different plans than continuing her career in Hollywood. Today, she speaks openly about her decision to leave the bright lights of Hollywood behind and move to Canada, where she would start a new chapter in her life.

Anderson’s acting career began with guest roles, but it was her role as Mary Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie that made her a household name. The show ran for nearly a decade, and she quickly became one of its central figures. Her performances earned her several nominations for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and her fans were convinced that she would continue to be a staple in the entertainment industry for years to come.

Those fans who were fond of the actress playing Mary Ingalls, beautiful Melissa Sue Anderson, were convinced she would continue being part of their life through the small screens, but she had other plans.

Today, she speaks of her decision to leave Hollywood behind and move to Canada.

This actress started her acting career playing guest roles, and had her way into the showbiz when she became one of the central figures of “Little House on the Prairie.” Her acting brought her several nominations for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and her fans knew she deserved it.

Speaking of her experience filming this drama that made her famous, back in 2010, Anderson told Pop Entertainment, “I’m lucky that there even was a character to play, because in the book, there isn’t much of one. Laura [Ingalls, author of the Little House novels upon which the series was based and the story was centered] was a quite older woman when she wrote the books. She was remembering the best of her life. The characters of Ma and Mary didn’t factor in a lot. There was a lot of Laura and Pa and Laura and Jack the dog and Laura and Mr. Edwards, but there wasn’t a lot of Mary. I’m fortunate that they discovered that I could act.”

She tried herself in other minor roles after Mary Ingalls, but then in 1990 she got married to television producer Michael Sloan and moved to Montreal in 2002 with her husband and their two children, daughter Piper and son Griffin.

In 2007, the family became Canadian citizens and with the new life came new commitments, so Anderson decided to let go of the showbiz because she wanted to spend more time with her kids and didn’t want them to feel pressured to pursue acting careers themselves.

In an interview with E-Talk, Anderson said, “I really stepped away for a long time. That was really for the kids so they would have their own sense of who they were as opposed to being with me.”

However, Anderson didn’t step back from acting completely, but took small roles over the recent years. Her life-changing experience of being part in a series like “Little House on the Prairie” encouraged her to write a memoir titled The Way I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House.

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