Mary Elizabeth McDonough
Actress
Mary Elizabeth McDonough, known for her role as Erin on The Waltons, shares insights into her early life and career. She recounts growing up in the San Fernando Valley and her initial steps into the acting world, including her first audition for The Homecoming.
Mary Elizabeth McDonough
Erin Walton on
“The Waltons”
About Mary Elizabeth McDonough
Mary Elizabeth McDonough is an actress and writer best known for portraying Erin Walton on The Waltons from 1972 to 1981, spanning nine seasons. She reprised the role in multiple reunion television films throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Beyond acting, she authored the memoir Lessons from the Mountain: What I Learned from Erin Walton and wrote the novel Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane, which was adapted into a Hallmark movie. She also wrote and directed the award-winning film For the Love of May.
In this interview
- Recalls growing up as a valley girl in the San Fernando Valley
- Describes taking dance classes and wanting to do commercials on TV
- Explains her mother put her off after encounters with phony agents
- Shares her first audition was for The Homecoming, the Waltons pilot
“I am a born and raised valley girl. So, I was born and raised in San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles.”— Mary Elizabeth McDonough, in this interview
