'Little House on the Prairie' Cast: Where Are They Now?

'Little House on the Prairie'

Little House on the Prairie was released in 1974 and became a major success for NBC. The show, set in Minnesota in the 1800s, tells the story of the Ingalls family, led by Charles and Caroline Ingalls, who are known by their children as Pa and Ma.

Michael Landon and Karen Grassle starred as the patriarch and matriarch of the family. Sadly, Landon died of pancreatic cancer in 1991.

After the show's finale in 1983, all the cast members went on to star in films, stage productions and other TV shows. Keep reading for a look at where the cast of Little House on the Prairie is now.

Related: What Happened to the 'Bonanza' Cast After the Show? Who's Still Alive Now?

'Little House on the Prairie' Cast: Where Are They Now?

Melissa Gilbert (Laura Ingalls Wilder)

Gilbert began her career as a child actress early in life. While Little House is her best-known work, she also went on to appear in more than 80 projects after the show's conclusion. These include roles on 7th Heaven and Stand by Your Man. Gilbert also appeared on the 14th season of Dancing with the Stars.

Off screen, Gilbert launched Modern Prairie, described as home decor and apparel for mature women. The brand features several Little House-themed items, such as nightgowns named after both Mary and Laura.

Michael Landon (Charles Ingalls)

Landon was already a successful actor before he took on the role of the Ingalls family patriarch, but he soon became synonymous with Charles Ingalls. In addition to Little House, he was also well known for his years on Bonanza, which he filmed before the series, and Highway to Heaven, which would be his final project.

The actor was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1991 and died in July of the same year, at the age of 52. His final appearance was on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, which he attended weeks before his death.

Related: Michael Landon Died Only Weeks After This Final 'Carson' Appearance

Karen Grassle (Caroline Ingalls)

Grassle studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and originally got her start as an actress on Broadway. She went back to the theatre after the conclusion of Little House and founded the Resource Theater Company in Santa Fe, California, and Louisville, Kentucky.

Grassle has continued to perform onstage and screen. Her most recent film credit was in 2021's Not to Forget.

Melissa Sue Anderson (Mary Ingalls)

Anderson's career began when she was cast as Mary Ingalls at the age of 11. After the show ended, she wrote about what it was like on set in her book The Way I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House. She eventually moved to Canada, where she raised her children.

Anderson's post-Little House roles included stints on Veronica Mars as well as in The Equalizer and The Con is On.

Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush (Carrie Ingalls)

Twins Lindsay and Sidney began their careers as Carrie Ingalls. Each girl took turns playing the young member of the Ingalls family.

The two girls had a connection to Michael Landon before taking the part: their father, Billy Green Bush (different spelling intentional!), co-starred in Bonanza.

Neither twin acted after the show ended.

Matthew Labyorteaux (Albert Quinn Ingalls)

Labyorteaux's first acting role was in Little House, and he quickly moved on to roles in Here's Boomer, Most Wanted and the teen series Special Treat. He has also worked as a voice actor for video games such as Star Wars: The Old Republic and Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links.

Alison Arngrim (Nellie Olsen Dalton)

Since her time as Nellie Olsen, Arngrim enjoyed roles on The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. She has also worked as a stand-up comic.

Jason Bateman (James Cooper Ingalls)

Many Jason Bateman fans may not realize he was on Little House, but he got his start at the age of 11 as a member of the Ingalls family before he went on to enjoy the successful career he has today. Since the show he's worked in both TV and films in projects such as Arrested Development, Teen Wolf Too, Zootopia and Ozark. He also cohosts the hit podcast SmartLess with Will Arnett and Sean Hayes.

Dean Butler (Almanzo Wilder)

Butler, who played Almanzo Wilder, the husband of Laura Ingalls Wilder, in later seasons of the show, went on to star many years later as Hank Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In June 2024, he'll release his memoir Prairie Man: My Little House Life & Beyond, which focuses on his time on the show.

“Prairie Man, based on the title, is very centered around the Little House experience, and I draw from life experience that I got from Little House,” he's said of the book, which includes forwards by costars Melissa Gilbert and Alison Arngrim. “And there's talk about different relationships with different people that I had on the show. My sense of those people. There is a lot of gratitude in the book.”

The memoir will also confront “some hurt feelings, some disappointments, some of things that maybe didn't go the way I would've dreamed that they could go,” Butler told People. “But in an experience that satisfied and has satisfied so many dreams in my life. Little House has been this massive gift.”

Charlotte Stewart (Miss Beadle)

Stewart portrayed school-teacher Miss Beadle for the show's first four seasons. In a recent interview with The Sun, she remembered making a bold move in her audition: "I looked at the producer who was sitting behind this big desk with all these executives around him, and I said, ‘May I sit behind your desk?'" she recalled.

"So he got up and moved, and I went around and sat in his chair and all the men were kind of [talking], and I went, ‘Quiet!'” she shared. "I don’t think you do that to studio executives. I don’t know why I did that; it just came out of me. And I got the part."

After Little House, she went on to star in a number of projects, including the original Twin Peaks and the 2017 revival, in which she played Betty Briggs.

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