🌹 16 Beloved Stars of Little House on the Prairie 1974 🏡: What Happened to All of Them?
Step out onto the open prairie of 1974, where Laura Ingalls Wilder's cherished memories of a frontier childhood came to life on NBC in a family drama that ran for nearly a decade and has never quite let go of the hearts it captured. Over fifty years on, the cast who brought Walnut Grove, the Ingalls homestead, the Oleson Mercantile and that little white schoolhouse to life remain etched into the memories of families and period drama lovers around the world.
Michael Landon's warm, tireless Charles "Pa" Ingalls — already a fourteen-season television legend as Little Joe on Bonanza, and later the gentle angel of his own Highway to Heaven. Melissa Gilbert's spirited Laura, who earned her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at just twenty and grew up to lead the Screen Actors Guild.
Melissa Sue Anderson's quietly luminous Mary, who later traded Hollywood for a quieter family life in Canada. Karen Grassle's steadfast Caroline "Ma" Ingalls, now an author and lifelong stage actress in the Bay Area.
Victor French's big-hearted Isaiah Edwards, who reunited with his friend Michael Landon on Highway to Heaven. Katherine MacGregor's gloriously wicked Mrs Oleson, a serious stage actress who became one of television's most beloved villains.
Richard Bull's mild-mannered Nels Oleson, once the ship's doctor on the sci-fi adventure Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and married to actress Barbara Collentine for more than sixty years. Alison Arngrim's deliciously awful Nellie, who turned television's favourite mean girl into a best-selling memoir and a career as a comedian and child-advocacy activist.
Dean Butler's earnest Almanzo Wilder, who stepped behind the camera to produce documentaries preserving the real Laura and Almanzo's story. Jonathan Gilbert's mischievous Willie — Melissa Gilbert's adopted brother in real life — who left acting altogether for a career as a New York stockbroker.
Kevin Hagen's trusted Doc Baker, a lifelong screen villain who finally got to play the good guy. Dabbs Greer's kindly Reverend Alden, a five-decade character actor who would later play the elderly narrator in The Green Mile.
Matthew Labyorteaux's resilient Albert, who found a real father figure in Michael Landon and grew into a busy voice actor. Bonnie Bartlett's warm Grace Snider, who went on to win back-to-back Emmys on St. Elsewhere alongside her real-life husband, William Daniels.
Karl Swenson's stern town founder Lars Hanson, who in the same era played the doomsayer in Hitchcock's The Birds and voiced Merlin in Disney's The Sword in the Stone. And the Greenbush twins, Lindsay and Sidney, who took turns as little Carrie Ingalls — including that unforgettable tumble down the hill in the opening titles — and today live quietly away from the spotlight, still returning for cast reunions.
Some are still beloved screen presences, some have stepped away from the camera entirely, and several we have sadly lost. And with a new generation about to discover Walnut Grove on Netflix this summer, there's never been a warmer time to look back. Join us for a tender then-and-now journey through the cast of one of television's most cherished family dramas.
Chapter Index:
00:00 Dean Butler
00:20 Karl Swenson
00:40 Jonathan Gilbert
01:00 Richard Bull
01:20 Matthew Labyorteaux
01:40 Kevin Hagen
02:00 Bonnie Bartlett
02:20 Lindsay & Sidney Greenbush
02:40 Michael Landon
03:00 Melissa Sue Anderson
03:20 Katherine MacGregor
03:40 Alison Arngrim
04:00 Victor French
04:20 Karen Grassle
04:40 Dabbs Greer
05:00 Melissa Gilbert
05:22 Outro
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