- 'The Waltons' was a classic American TV show
- Judy Norton was one of the stars of the show
- HERE is how her career changed
Even though four decades have passed since the airing of its last episode on June 4, 1981, the show and its beloved family remain ingrained in the collective memory of all television fans. In Hollywood, one of the things that tends to happen is that many actors and actresses who start in childhood can get labeled to play a particular type of character early on. So, when 'The Waltons' ended, Norton wanted to continue acting and expand her role and image beyond Mary Ellen Walton.
Judy surprised everyone with THIS
Judy decided it was time for a change. And desperate times can call for desperate measures. In order to break free from the frustration and limits of being typecast, she decided to make a then-controversial appearance in 'Playboy' magazine. At the time, the magazine had a reputation as a sleezy male magazine. This could have been a big risk for Judy. Even though she was 27 years old at the time, the world was shocked and upset to discover the pictures, as she was still a child in everyone's eyes. "I was getting a lot of advice from people who were representing me at the time," Norton once said in an interview with Fox News.
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As with many actresses that do something similar, the reason ends up being the team of advisors around them. "They felt it would be a good, positive career move. I wouldn’t say that was the case and it’s one of those things that if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t have made the choice." At the time, she didn’t see it as a big deal. It was simply a career move. Now, she’s said she regrets the decision now but accepts what happened. It has taught her a lot in her public journey and career moving forward!
Her career went on to other projects as well. These days, you can find her on her YouTube channel and Instagram page, where she constantly posts videos to answer fans’ questions about her days on the screen as "Mary Ellen Walton." Judy shares fascinating anecdotes about her time on the show including encounters with fellow actors from other Warner Brothers productions...that sounds like a great time!
