Melissa Sue Anderson

Starlet Information Page

Name:	Melissa Sue Anderson
Birthday:	September 16, 1962

Comments:	Picture is from the pilot of "Little House on the Prairie".

Movies: (click on a movie title to see information on that movie)

Year	SE	Title
1974	2	Little House on the Prairie (TV Pilot movie for series) #4 on credited cast - played Mary Ingalls. Very little character development. In several scenes, but generally as a background character.
1974	4	Little House on the Prairie (TV Series 1974-1983) #3 on credited cast - plays Mary Ingalls, the eldest daughter. Is in nearly all episodes in the early seasons, but only a few in the later seasons. Excellent character development.
1974	3	Little House on the Prairie (Episode: The Lord is My Shepherd) Plays Mary Ingalls. This is a 2-part episode made into a movie. Has good on-screen time in the first part, but has only a couple of short scenes near the beginning of he second part. Good character development.
1975	5	Little House on the Prairie (Episode: The Camp Out) Plays Mary Amelia Ingalls, one of the main characters of the story. Good on-screen time and good character development.
1976	0	Loneliest Runner, The (TV) Top billing.
1976	4	Little House on the Prairie (Episode: The Collection) Plays Mary Ingalls. First appearance is about 10 minutes into the story. Has several good scenes after this, but total on-screen time is somewhat limited.
1977	2	James at 15 (TV) #5 on credited cast - plays Lacey Stevens, James' (Lance Kerwin) girlfriend. Good on screen in the first half of the story. Good character development during this time.
1977	5	Beat The Turtle Drum Top billing - played Kate, the older sister (Katy Kurtzman is the younger sister). Excellent character development - story is told from her perspective. Most of the on-screen time is devoted to her.
1977	1	Little House on the Prairie (Episode: The Creeper Of Walnut Grove) Played Mary Ingalls. Has a supporting role in this episode (available on video). Very little on-screen time.
1979	0	Skatetown, U.S.A.
1979	0	Survival of Dana (TV)
1981	0	Midnight Offerings (TV) Top billing - played Vivian Sotherland.
1981	6	Happy Birthday to Me Top billing - plays Virginia 'Ginny' Wainwright, the main character. Nearly all of the on-screen time is devoted to this character. Superb character development.

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SE: (Screen Exposure Index):
The SE (screen exposure) index is a way to rate how much of the movie is devoted to this star. There are two factors involved - on-screen time and character development. On-screen time is time that the star appears on the screen, either as a lead character or a supporting character. Character development is how well we get to know this character's thoughts, feelings, likes, dislikes, actions, etc. Note that personal like or dislike of the movie or of the character is not a factor.

0 - Unknown.

1 - Token appearance, 1 or 2 short scenes, no real character development.

2 - Minimal exposure. May be in multiple scenes, but generally as a background character. Minimal character development.

3 - Has several appearances as lead or supporting role, but total on-screen time is limited. Fair character development.

4 - Is in many scenes as a lead character, but total on-screen time is limited. Good character development.

5 - One of several main characters, story is about this person and others. High on-screen time and excellent character development.

6 - The primary character of the story. This character dominates the on-screen time. Superb character development.

Note that the total amount of on-screen time affects the rating. For example, the star may be a lead character in the movie, but may be on the screen for a limited time. This usually occurs where the star plays the younger character of the star in the movie. In cases like this, even though the star would technically rate a SE level 5 or 6, if the total amount of time on the screen is limited, then the SE rating is lowered accordingly. Thus, for example, if only 20% of the movie includes the star, then the SE rating would probably rate only 2 or 3.