Mary Ellen from 'The Waltons' Looks 'Wonderful' with Gray Bob at 65 & Lives 'In Nature' with Husband of 20 Years

• Judy Norton, a.k.a. Mary Ellen Walton from "The Waltons," was described as "wonderful" for her look with a gray bob hairstyle at 65.
• The actress made some unsuccessful decisions after starring in "The Waltons."
• The actress is happy with her husband and son and showed photos and videos of the place they call home.

Judy Norton became famous after starring in the 1970s TV drama, "The Waltons." The show ran for nine seasons and experienced enormous popularity worldwide while it was onscreen.

Yet once the show ended and the cast went their separate ways, Norton made career decisions that did not stand her in good stead for the rest of her career. She is now in her mid-60s and still looks great.

Norton shared a video that showed what she now looks like at 65. Fans think she looks terrific, and she shared how she spends her day now with her husband out in nature.

In "The Waltons," Norton appeared as a teenager getting ready to enter nursing school in one season. The following season saw Norton's character get married on the show. This was something that also happened in her personal life the same year.

When Norton got married in 1976, many were shocked that such a young woman would make a significant decision like that and said that a 19-year-old woman getting married was something different.

However, Norton and her then-boyfriend had been seriously dating for two years when he popped the question. Talking about why she and her boyfriend decided to get married, Norton explained:

"Many people think that I'm too young to get married and that Doug and I should have tried living together for a while. But I guess we're both kind of old-fashioned. That sort of arrangement wouldn't have suited us."

Norton and her husband's wedding occurred on his grandparents' ranch, where he spent much of his time growing up. A source said the ranch was unique to the couple and made their wedding what it was.

The wedding happened six months before her wedding in "The Waltons" aired on TV. While many were concerned by Norton's age, she confirmed that she knew how much work it would take to stay happily married and was ready to do it.

Fans became used to seeing Norton and her husband doing everything together and seeing her married on the show, too. Yet, just two short years after the couple got married, they announced their divorce.

By the time the show had ended, and Norton had divorced Doug, she began making career decisions that landed her in hot water. When "The Waltons" ended, Norton found herself typecast because of her role on the show.

She wanted to branch out in terms of her acting career and decided the best course of action would be to pose nude for Playboy to show another side of her to the people who were used to seeing her as sweet and innocent.

While Norton thought this would be the career move that would skyrocket her into more complex roles, the decision earned her infamy and disdain from fans worldwide. When asked if she regretted her decision, she shared:

"I think it was one of those things that, had I known it would never go away, that everybody who ever did an interview with me would bring it up again, I probably would have said it's not worth the trouble. It wasn't that big a deal for me at the time."

Eventually, Norton became a singing and acting teacher. She has a family now and laughs at her Playboy shots. She believes that at least when she is older, she will have something lovely to look back on.

How Does Norton Look Now?

Norton took to her YouTube channel to post a segment of "Behind the Scenes with Judy Norton," in which she talks about episodes of "The Waltons." She spoke of their "A Waltons Easter" episodes in this segment.

While many fans were interested in what she had to say about the episodes and how they were filmed, many others could focus on nothing more than how wonderful Norton still looks at her age.

One fan posted a long comment praising Norton for being so beautiful and even calling her an "angel" before wishing her a lovely Easter weekend and saying they loved and appreciated her from the bottom of their hearts.

Another fan said Norton's joy in discussing the show was palpable, and the smile with which Norton spoke was infectious. One woman wondered:

"How did the producers know you would all turn out to be so nice-looking? Seriously!"

The fan asked if producers had hired them based on their family history or if they had someone come in to draw each cast member as they got older. Norton replied that it was all down to luck.

After her first marriage, Norton tried her hand at holy matrimony twice more. Her current marriage to Robert Graves has been her longest-standing union. She has talked about her life with her husband and son.

Where Does Norton Live and What Marriage Does She Have?

Norton married Graves in 2002 and came into the marriage with a son from her second marriage. Graves and Norton never welcomed any children together. Norton's son is now 26, and she loves to show him off. For his birthday in 2020, she shared a photo of herself and the young man when he was only a child.

She now lives in a home similar to the one seen in "The Waltons." Her home in Glendale, California, is a mountainside sanctuary with rustic finishes. Norton explained that she constantly faces coincidences, so finding the home wasn't shocking. She explained:

"When I got cast on 'The Waltons,' I was living on Mary Ellen Avenue — that was a little weird. Then when we first rented in LA, we were living on Waltonia Avenue. I remember thinking, 'I can't do this.' And when we first house-hunting in Glendale, I heard there was a lovely house for sale in Norton."

Norton believes that in her three-bedroom, three-bathroom home, she lives "in nature" because they have so much wildlife around them. She joked that when her son first saw the house, he told her she had to buy it because it had deer.

Living so close to nature appealed to both Norton and her son, leading her to buy the home. She also said the place was small enough to feel cozy and warm for them. She didn't enjoy too large a space where she didn't use some rooms.

Norton often shares videos from her home, showing glimpses of her life inside the mountainside retreat. In 2018, she shared a photo of another home's front garden and said she loved the "whimsy" of it.

Yet there have also been many glimpses inside her home, like in 2020 when she shared a video of herself discussing the pandemic. Her face takes up most of the frame, but there is a brick fireplace and neutral furniture in the background.

Later in 2020, she shared a glimpse of her garden as she showed off a DIY project she had been working on. The garden has greenery, a pool, a barbecue, a seating area, and shade netting.

In September 2020, she shared yet another photo of her garden. She stood in front of her pool in a denim dress next to some beautiful fuchsia flowers. She mentioned the photo had been taken as part of a "Celebrities at Home" campaign.

She also shared a photo of herself inside her house, but her pool can be seen in the background outside. She appeared happy in the image, wearing a floral top and a blue pendant around her neck.