It has been over 50 years since the world was introduced to the characters of Little House on the Prairie, and 41 years since viewers bid farewell to them when the last of the several movies, Little House: The Last Farewell, aired.
The beloved NBC series followed the lives of people in the American Midwest in the late 1800s, adapted from Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved books, and turned into over 200 episodes across nine seasons, as well as three TV movies.
Take a trip down memory lane and remember the actors that played the likes of Charles Ingalls, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Harriett Oleson, and more, and catch up on where some of them are now.
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Michael Landon
Michael starred as Charles "Pa" Ingalls, the patriarch of the Ingalls family. He was born Eugene Maurice Orowitz, and prior to his work on Little House on the Prairie, he was already known for roles in I Was a Teenage Werewolf and Bonanza, plus on Prairie, he was also a writer, director, and producer. After the show, he also starred on Highway to Heaven for five seasons.
Michael was married three times, to Dodie Levy-Fraser from 1956 to 1962, to Lynn Noe from 1963 to 1982, and to Cindy Landon from 1983 until his death in 1991 aged 54. He welcomed nine children, Mark, Josh, Cheryl, Leslie, Michael Jr., Shawna, Christopher, Jennifer and Sean.
2/9
Karen Grassle
Karen starred as Caroline "Ma" Ingalls, the Ingalls family matriarch. Before her work on Prairie, she had worked on a handful of TV movies, and afterwards — she left a year before the series ended — she joined the Actors Theatre of Louisville in Kentucky. She last appeared on the screen in 2021.
She was married to Leon Russom from 1966 to 1970, then to J. Allen Radford from 1982 to 1987, with whom she adopted son Zach and daughter Lily, and then to Scott T. Sutherland from 1991 to 1997.
3/9
Melissa Gilbert
Melissa was cast as Laura Ingalls Wilder when she was nine years old, and starred in it for all seasons and subsequent movies. In 1985, when she was 21 years old, she became the youngest actress to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and from 2001 to 2005, she was the president of the Screen Actors Guild.
She has also been married three times, to Bo Brinkman, with whom she shares son Dakota, from 1988 to 1994, to Bruce Boxleitner, with whom she shares son Michael, from 1995 to 2011, and to Timothy Busfield, who she married in 2013 and lives with in the Catskills.
4/9
Melissa Sue Anderson
Melissa starred as Mary Ingalls from seasons one through seven and later returned for three episodes in season eight. She is also known for her roles on Happy Birthday to Me, The Equalizer series, and The Love Boat, among others
She shares children Piper and Griffin with husband Michael Sloan, who he met in 2000, and with whom he has lived in Canada since 2002.
5/9
Rachel & Sidney Greenbush
Sisters Rachel and Sidney starred as Carrie Ingalls and were initially credited as "Lindsay Sidney Greenbush." Though after Prairie ended they had some other TV appearances and commercials, they both eventually left acting.
Sidney has been married twice, to Charles Caraccilo until 1998 and to William "Rocky" Foster from 2000 to 2009, while Rachel has been married to Daniel Sanchez since 2014.
6/9
Richard Bull
Richard starred as Nels Oleson, the husband of Harriet Oleson and father of Nellie and Willie, from 1974 to 1984. He began acting in 1956, and is also known for his roles on the original The Thomas Crown Affair, The Andromeda Strain, and Sugar.
He was married to Barbara Collentine from 1948 until his death aged 89 in 2014.
7/9
Katherine MacGregor
Katherine "Scottie" MacGregor, born Dorlee Deane MacGregor, played Harriet Olesen from 1974 to 1983. She was also known for roles on All in the Family, The Student Nurses, and Ironside, though after Prairie she dedicated herself to theatre and teaching acting.
She was married to Bert Remsen from 1949 to 1950 and to Edward G. Kaye-Martin from 1969 to 1970, and had no children. She died in 2018 aged 93.
8/9
Jonathan Gilbert
Jonathan, Melissa's younger brother, starred as Nellie's brother Willie Oleson for all seasons of Prairie, his first acting job, and two of the movies, before leaving Hollywood and becoming a stockbroker.
9/9
Alison Arngrim
Alison starred as Nellie, Laura's nemesis, for seven seasons. After an acting hiatus in the late 1980s and 1990s, since 2001, she has had a series of minor TV and movie roles, but is also known for her solo show and memoir about her life on Prairie, titled Confessions of a Prairie [Expletive].
She was married to Donald Spencer from 1989 to 1993, and then married Robert Paul Schoonover in 1993.