ENDED TV SERIES

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Adapted from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s series of books of the same name, Little House on the Prairie follows the fortunes of the Ingalls, a family living and working in the frontier town of Walnut Grove, Minnesota, during the late 1800’s.

Charles Ingalls (Michael Landon) – Charles is the head of the Ingalls family, a hardworking and religious man who wants the best for his loved ones. He is a loving husband to Caroline (Karen Grassle) and a wonderful father to his three girls, Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson), Laura (Melissa Gilbert) and Carrie (Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush), and later to a fourth daughter, Grace (Wendi and Brenda Turnbaugh). He works his fingers to the bone to make a success of frontier life, raising crops and tending animals, taking odd jobs and working part time at Hanson’s Lumber Mill in town. A pillar of the community, Charles can be relied on to help anyone in need.

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Caroline Ingalls (Karen Grassle) – Caroline is the wife of Charles and mother of their four daughters. Every bit as hardworking as her husband, she often helps on the farm as well as taking care of the house and children. At a time when women were expected to obey their husbands without question, Caroline also knows how and when to stand her ground, and Charles has the greatest respect for her. Caroline is both a mother and a teacher to her girls, providing their schooling and lessons in life. Strong and beautiful, Caroline can handle whatever life throws at her.

Mary Ingalls (Melissa Sue Anderson) – The oldest daughter of Charles and Caroline, Mary is both pretty and intelligent. Her dream is to be a teacher like her mother, and she spends her time studying or helping with chores around the house and farm. Mary is Ma’s favorite child, and often cooks or sews with her. She loses her sight in her early teens and though she finds it difficult at first, she overcomes her disability to live a full life.

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Laura Ingalls (Melissa Gilbert) – Laura, or “half-pint”, as Pa calls her, is the middle child. She wears her red hair in braids and is always anxious to get through with her chores so that she can go fishing or play baseball. Pa’s favorite child, she is more of a tomboy than her sisters, and is often seen playing with her dog, Jack, watching her father work in the barn, or going with him to catch fish for dinner. As sisters often do, she and Mary argue now and then but they always stick up for one another and are ready to join forces to solve any problem. Laura’s main rival is Nellie Oleson, the daughter of the town’s mercantile owners and the meanest girl in school.

Carrie Ingalls (Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush) – Until the arrival of Grace late in the series, Carrie is the baby of the family. Quiet and sweet, she is most often seen holding Ma’s hand or tagging along after her older sisters. Carrie is able to lighten anyone’s mood with her endearing smile.

Albert Ingalls (Matthew Laborteaux) – Albert is the adopted son of Charles and Caroline. Living on the streets and shining shoes for a living when they first meet, he quickly became attached to the Ingalls family. When Charles and Caroline try to adopt him, Albert’s biological father appears and says he wants Albert to come and live with him – but what he really wants is the extra labor on his farm. Albert comes up with a simple plan that allows him to live with Charles and Caroline for good, a permanent member of the Ingalls clan.

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Nels Oleson (Richard Bull) – Nels is the owner of Oleson’s Mercantile, husband of Harriet and father of their two children, Nellie and Willie. Harriet is one nineteenth century woman who has the upper hand in her marriage, although from time to time Nels reminds her who’s boss. Nels tries to have a say in his children’s upbringing – though in this, as in so many things, he is often overruled by Harriet. A kind and charitable man, he is always ready to help out a friend or neighbor and is well respected in the town.

Harriet Oleson (Katherine MacGregor) – Town gossip Harriet is Nels’s wife and the mother of Willie and Nellie. She has a head for business and won’t let anyone get the better of her, not even her husband. She loves him despite their arguments and – like many parents – believes her children, and especially daughter Nellie, can do no wrong. Having more money than most in Walnut Grove, Harriet considers her family a cut above the other townspeople, but she’ll rise to the occasion if someone is in serious trouble. She and Caroline Ingalls share moments of both friendship and rivalry.

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Nellie Oleson (Alison Arngrim) – Nellie is a spoiled brat. The daughter of Nels and Harriet, she tortures and threatens her little brother Willie to get him to do what she wants. She’ll use any weapon in her arsenal to get her way, and while she has no real friends she does have one sworn enemy: Laura Ingalls. The two girls fight over animals, boys and everything in between and are often to be found pushing and shoving each other, or just rolling around on the ground.

Willie Oleson (Jonathan Gilbert) – Willie is Nellie’s younger brother and just as spoiled as she is. As a young boy he too has no real friends. A source of frustration to his father, Willie’s great love is candy and he is always getting into trouble at school. As he grows older and Nellie’s influence lessens, though, Willie finally starts to make friends – including with Albert Ingalls, the adopted son of Charles and Caroline.

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Doctor Hiram Baker (Kevin Hagen) – Doc is, of course, the town physician, a kind man with a knowing smile and a touch of humor. He has no wife or children but is held in great affection by the townsfolk, to whose health and well-being he is dedicated.

Isaiah Edwards (Victor French) – Mr. Edwards, as he is usually referred to, is a close friend of the Ingalls, whom he first met when they were living in Kansas. Before arriving in Walnut Grove, he was married with a little girl but lost both wife and daughter to small pox, a tragedy that has driven him to drink. On one of Charles’s trips from Walnut Grove, he finds Mr. Edwards involved in a scuffle in a bar and brings him back to the town where the whole family, especially Laura, is thrilled to see him. Caroline sets about acting as matchmaker and is successful in seeing him paired up with Miss Grace Snider (Bonnie Bartlett).

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Reverend Alden (Dabbs Greer) – The Reverend Alden is an older man, responsible for the spiritual health of Walnut Grove. A good and dedicated man of God, he is always there when someone needs him.

Grace Snider (Bonnie Bartlett) – Grace is a widow and the local postmistress of Walnut Grove. A friend of Caroline’s, she is at first unsure of Mr. Edwards but eventually comes to love him. They later marry and adopt three children.

Almanzo Wilder (Dean Butler) – Almanzo is a farmer who works at the Seed & Feed, and for a while he lives with his sister, Eliza Jane Wilder (Lucy Flippin). When he arrives in town, it’s love at first sight for Laura Ingalls, but he sees her only as a friend. Undeterred, Laura eventually gets her man, and in time they marry.

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The Garvey Family (Merlin Olsen, Hersha Parady and Patrick Laborteaux) – Jonathan is a farmer and a good friend of Charles, and works with him at Hanson’s Lumber Mill. He is married to Alice Garvey, a friend of Caroline’s, and they have a son named Andy who is close friends with both Laura and Albert.

Eva Beadle (Charlotte Stewart) – Pretty Miss Beadle is the schoolteacher, a kind woman who cares for her students. She spends most of the series single, but eventually falls in love with and marries the father of one of her students. She later becomes pregnant and quits teaching.

Lars Hanson (Karl Swenson) – Lars is one of the founders of Walnut Grove. He owns the lumber mill where Charles and several others work for him throughout the years. Unmarried Lars is kind to everyone and ready to help where he can.

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Adam Kendall (Linwood Boomer) – Adam is the teacher at the school for blind children attended by Mary. Blind himself, he and Mary fall in love and get married. He later regains his sight and takes up his former profession as a lawyer.

Percival Dalton (Steve Tracy) – Percival is hired by Harriet to help Nellie learn to cook at her new restaurant. An unwilling student until she meets Percival, Harriet’s whole approach to life is changed by his influence. Despite Harriet’s objections that he is not the man for her daughter, the two fall in love and get married, later having twins.

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Main Cast

Character	Actor
Charles Ingalls	Michael Landon
Caroline Ingalls	Karen Grassle
Laura Ingalls	Melissa Gilbert
Mary Ingalls	Melissa Sue Anderson
Carrie Ingalls	Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush
Nels Oleson	Richard Bull
Harriet Oleson	Katherine MacGregor
Nellie Oleson	Alison Arngrim
Willie Oleson	Jonathan Gilbert
Dr. Hiram Baker	Kevin Hagen
Reverend Robert Alden	Dabbs Greer
Grace Ingalls	Wendi and Brenda Turnbaugh
Isaiah Edwards	Victor French
Eva Beadle	Charlotte Stewart
Lars Hanson	Karl Swenson
Grace Snider	Bonnie Bartlett
Almanzo Wilder	Dean Butler
Albert Ingalls	Matthew Laborteaux

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Additional Cast

Character	Actor
Mrs. Foster	Ruth Foster
Jonathan Garvey	Merlin Olsen
Andrew Garvey	Patrick Laborteaux
Hester-Sue Terhune	Ketty Lester
Adam Kendall	Linwood Boomer
Alice Garvey	Hersha Parady
Nancy Oleson	Allison Balson
James Cooper Ingalls	Jason Bateman
Cassandra Cooper Ingalls	Melissa Francis
Carl	Carl Pitti
Tall Schoolgirl	Cindy Moore
John Carter	Stan Ivar
Carl Sanderson Edwards	Brian Part
Etta Plum	Leslie Landon
Alicia Sanderson Edwards	Kyle Richards
Susan Goodspeed	Michelle Downey
Jeb Carter	Lindsay Kennedy
Jason Carter	David Friedman
Jenny Wilder	Shannon Doherty
Eliza Jane Wilder	Lucy Lee Flippin
Stage Driver	Jack Lilley
Rose Wilder	Jennifer and Michelle Steffin
Sarah Carter	Pamelya Roylance
Customer #1	Dan McBride
Percival Dalton	Steve Tracy
Student	Maggie Munro
Christy Kennedy	Tracie Savage
Hans Dorfler	James Jeter
School Kid	Clay Greenbush
John Sanderson Edwards	Radames Pera
Jed Cooper	E.J. Andre
Buffalo Bill	Eddie Quillan
Bill Anderson	Sam Edwards
Mr. Ames	David Hooks
Thomas	Ivan Wideman
Mr. Case	Ivan Bonar
Jud Larabee	Don ‘Red’ Barry
Conductor	Dan Priest
James	De’voreaux White
Floyd	Elmore Vincent
Ebenezer Sprague	Ted Gehring
Mrs. Whipple	Queenie Smith
Boy	Bryce Berg
Reverend Phillips	Larry Golden
Driver	Hal Burton
Driver	Sunshine Parker
Joe Kagan	Moses Gunn
Fred	Donald Elson
Standish	Leon Charles
Thomas	Vince Tortell
Boy #1	Dago Dimster
Cindy	Gillian Grant
Matthew Rogers	Jonathan Hall Kovacs
Townsman	Richard Lilley

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Trivia

Melissa Gilbert dated actor Rob Lowe in the 80’s and is now married to actor Timothy Busfield. Lowe and Busfield both starred in the popular series The West Wing.

Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson) is now a stand-up comedian, performing her one-woman act Confessions of a Prairie Bitch.

Matthew Laborteaux was born with a hole in his heart, as well as autism.

In Collingswood, New Jersey, where Michael Landon spent most of his adolescent years, there is a playground called the “Little Treehouse on the Prairie”. A plaque was put there as well, but in 2011 it was removed in an apparent mix-up by the borough, and given to a local paper. According to the Collingswood, New Jersey website, the plaque was removed during a fall cleanup and the plan had been to put it in a safer place. Eventually, it was returned to the park and erected next to a bench.

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Melissa Sue Anderson (Mary Ingalls) has been married since 1990 and has two children.

Karen Grassle (Caroline Ingalls) graduated from her high school as class valedictorian.

With several explanations circulating as to why the fictional town of Walnut Grove was blown up in 1984 in the last movie, Little House: The Last Farewell, producer Kent McCray gave an interview to set the record straight. He revealed that when the series was set to start filming, he made a deal with a company called Newhall Land and Development, located in Newhall, California, which used the location for the town as feedlot for their cattle. They agreed that after the series was over all the acreage would be returned to its previous state. Discussions about how to do this were underway when Michael Landon walked into the office and overhead the conversation. He settled the question by writing a script where all the buildings except the church and the little house were blown to pieces. Both Michael Landon and Kent McCray were apparently in tears as the town was destroyed.

Richard Bull (Nels Oleson) kept in touch with both his former TV wife, Katherine MacGregor and his television daughter, Alison Arngrim.

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Sadly, Michael Landon died of pancreatic cancer in July 1991, at the age of only 54.

Victor French (Isaiah Edwards) starred in both Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven with close friend Michael Landon.

Kevin Hagen (Doc Baker) has been married four times and has one son.

Merlin Olsen and his brother, Phil, were inducted into the Sigma Chi Fraternity’s highest honor, the Order of Constantine.

Michael Landon was so certain that Melissa Gilbert was the perfect choice to play Laura Ingalls that hers was the only screen test he sent to the producers at NBC.

Alison Arngrim auditioned for the role of not only Nellie Oleson, but also Laura and Mary. She was passed over for both of the Ingalls sisters but won the role of nasty Nellie immediately.

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Katherine MacGregor (Harriet Oleson) was also known by the nickname “Scottie”.

In addition to his well-known character in Little House, Dean Butler (Almanzo Wilder) played the role of the father, Jeff “Moondoggie” Griffin in The New Gidget. He has also guest-starred in series including Who’s The Boss, Murder She Wrote, Love Boat and JAG.

Karen Grassle’s mother had four miscarriages before she was born and Karen was known by her family as the “miracle baby”.

Hersha Parady (Alice Garvey) became friends with Katherine MacGregor (Harriet Oleson) before she ever began working on Little House. She and Katherine both looked after a stray dog, Lightning, who roamed the streets of Hollywood. MacGregor and co-star Richard Bull (Nels Oleson) later came to see Hersha in a play and were so impressed by her performance that they recommended her to the casting director of Little House.

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Dabbs Greer (Rev. Alden) was born Robert William Greer. His stage name of Dabbs was actually his grandmother’s maiden name.

Matthew Laborteaux (Albert Ingalls), like the character he plays in Little House, is adopted.

Melissa Gilbert is the adopted half-sister of actress Sara Gilbert, who appeared in Roseanne and The Big Bang Theory.

In a startling coincidence, Karl Swenson (Lars Hanson) died shortly after filming the episode where his character, Mr. Hanson, died of a stroke. In real life, his death was the result of a heart attack. He was 70 years old.

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The character of Charles Ingalls was ranked #4 in TV Guide’s 2004 list of “50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time”. In 2005, Nellie Oleson was #3 in its list of “TV’s 10 Biggest Brats”.

Bonnie Bartlett (Grace Snider) and her real-life husband, actor William Daniels, both won Emmy Awards on the same night in 1986. Bonnie won for her part as Ellen Craig in the series St. Elsewhere, and William for playing Dr. Mark Craig, her husband. They were the first married couple to achieve a double win since 1965, when Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne accomplished the feat for the very first time.

Jonathan Gilbert (Willie Oleson) attained a BA and an MBA in Finance after leaving acting and is now a stockbroker.

The series was an instant hit but during its second season its ratings dropped out of the top thirty, prompting NBC to move it from Wednesday to Monday nights. The ratings recovered and the show stayed in the top thirty for the rest of its run.

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Charlotte Stewart (Eva Beadle) is a breast cancer survivor.

In 2012, Melissa Gilbert (Laura Ingalls) participated in the 14th season of Dancing with the Stars, but not everything went smoothly. Whilst dancing the paso doble with her partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, she hit her head on his leg and suffered mild concussion. She returned after a short period of recuperation and finished 5th overall.

Linwood Boomer (Adam Kendall) is the creator of the popular television series Malcolm in the Middle.

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When NBC executive and television producer Ed Friendly heard about the Little House story he asked Michael Landon to direct the pilot movie. Landon agreed on the condition that he be allowed to play Charles Ingalls.

Alison Arngrim calls her character, Nellie Oleson, “The living embodiment of PMS”.

Steve Tracy (Percival Dalton) died of AIDS in 1986 at the age of only 34. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered under the letter “D” of the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles.

Merlin Olsen (Jonathan Garvey) was one of the original members of the Los Angeles Rams football team’s “Fearsome Foursome”. He spent his entire professional football career with the team, missing only two games in his 15 years as a player. In 1982 he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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In 1995 Lindsay Greenbush (Carrie Ingalls) had a daughter, Katlynn Danae.

In 2010, Melissa Sue Anderson released her autobiography The Way I See It – A Look Back at My Life on Little House. It contained many behind-the-scenes stories, but did not sell well.

The two-part episode “I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away” was ranked #97 in TV Guide’s 1997 list of “100 Greatest Episodes of All Time”.

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When Karen Grassle beat 47 other actresses to win the role of Caroline Ingalls, she was using the name Gabriel Tree. It was Michael Landon who convinced her to go back to her given name.

Melissa Gilbert was taken to her senior prom by Michael Landon, Jr.

Victor French starred in the movie Charro! with legendary singer and actor Elvis Presley.

Alison Arngrim’s friend and co-star Steve Tracy (Percival Dalton) died of AIDS in 1986 and she is now an activist for AIDS awareness.

Sidney Greenbush (Carrie Ingalls) has an associate degree in animal science from Pierce College.

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The young Melissa Gilbert was mightily impressed by chain-smoking Michael Landon’s habit of putting out his many cigarette butts on his glove.

In 1992, Matthew Laborteaux and his brother Patrick (Andrew Garvey) appeared in front of a House sub-committee on behalf of runaways. They raised $11 million for youth shelters all over the United States.

After his retirement from football Merlin Olsen spent several years as a color commentator, teaming up with men like Dick Enberg, Charlie Jones and Dick Stockton.

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Wendi Turnbaugh (Grace Ingalls) has two children, a son and daughter, and now works as a web designer.

Michael Landon featured on the cover of TV Guide a total of 22 times. The only person to have appeared more often was actress Lucille Ball, who appeared on 45 covers.

Michael Landon was born Eugene Maurice Orowitz and was a star javelin thrower in high school. In 1954, he had the longest throw in the United States by a high schooler, at 193′ 4″, earning him an athletic scholarship to the University of Southern California. His career was cut short, however, when he tore the ligaments in his shoulder.

Katherine MacGregor was unable to appear in the final Little House movie, The Last Farewell, as she was on a pilgrimage in India.

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Melissa Gilbert’s father died when she was just a child. She has said of Landon, “He was very much like a ‘second father’ to me. My own father passed away when I was 11, so, without really officially announcing it, Michael really stepped in.”

Although Karen Grassle had played a mother to seven children by the end of the series, she had no biological children of her own. She did adopt one child, however, a daughter named Lily.

Melissa Sue Anderson, her husband and children have lived in Canada since 2002. In 2007, both she and her husband became naturalized Canadians.

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Michael Landon’s mother repeatedly attempted suicide throughout his childhood, including trying to drown herself while the family was on vacation at a beach. Michael saved her but said that it was the worst experience of his life.

Five sets of real-life siblings were hired by Landon for the Little House series. They were: Melissa and Jonathan Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls and Willie Oleson; Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush, who played Carrie Ingalls; Brenda and Wendi Turnbaugh, who played Grace Ingalls; Matthew and Patrick Laborteaux, who played Albert Ingalls and Andrew Garvey; and Jennifer and Michele Steffin, who played Rose Wilder.

Amazingly, Melissa Sue Anderson was the only actor from The Little House series to receive an Emmy nomination.

Like many of her co-stars, Alison Arngrim has an autobiography – though its title is more striking than most. It’s called Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned To Love Being Hated.

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Brenda Turnbaugh (Grace Ingalls) is married to a youth pastor and has two children.

Bonnie Bartlett has guest starred in many television series including E.R., Home Improvement and Grey’s Anatomy.

Melissa Gilbert has a production company called “Half-Pint Productions” after her nickname in Little House.

Merlin Olsen and his wife, Susan Wakely, were married just a few weeks shy of 48 years and had three children.

While probably the most popular of his series, Little House on the Prairie was by no means Michael Landon’s only television success. He also appeared in Bonanza and Highway to Heaven, and was the creator and executive producer of the series Father Murphy, which starred his former co-star Merlin Olsen.

President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, both attended the memorial service held the day after Landon’s death.

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Melissa Gilbert beat more than 500 other child actresses to win the part of Laura Ingalls.

Karen Grassle has been married and divorced three times.

Melissa Gilbert’s son with Bruce Boxleitner was named Michael in honor of Michael Landon, whom she referred to as a second father.

After the cancellation of Little House and the revelation of his affair with show make-up artist Cindy Clerico, Melissa Gilbert broke contact with Michael Landon for many years. (Cindy Clerico later became Landon’s third wife.) However, after seeing him talking about his fight with pancreatic cancer on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in May 1991, Melissa called him and became his caregiver until he died.

A chain smoker, Victor French died of lung cancer in April 1989. Both he and Michael Landon were diagnosed with their cancers only a few months before their deaths, and both men were only 54 years old. French did, however, leave his friends and loved ones a unique final farewell: an airplane flying a banner reading “Eat Shit, Love Victor” across the sky.

Melissa Gilbert was in more episodes of Little House than anyone else, appearing in 191 of the 205 that were made.

After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley, Karen Grassle trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

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Jonathan Gilbert is one of only six Little House actors to have been in the series for its entire run.

Michael Landon took karate lessons from the legendary Chuck Norris of Walker, Texas Ranger fame.

Melissa Sue Anderson was one of many actresses considered for the role of Emmeline in the 1980 film The Blue Lagoon.

Alison Arngrim wore a wig to play Nellie, and it was attached so tightly to her head that her scalp would actually bleed.

Melissa Gilbert released an autobiography called Prairie Tale: A Memoir.

Although her character was hated, Katherine MacGregor was one of the cast favorites off-screen. Her wild sense of humor made her a particular hit with the child actors.

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By most accounts, Michael Landon was exactly like the sweet, kind and heroic characters he often played.

Michael Landon campaigned for Reagan through both presidential elections and attended his first inauguration as President of the United States.

Merlin Olsen died in March 2010 aged 69 from peritoneal mesothelioma. Before his death, he filed a lawsuit against NBC Studios, NBC Universal and 20th Century Fox for allegedly exposing him to asbestos, which he believed had caused his cancer.

Incredibly, Melissa Gilbert played Caroline Ingalls in the Little House on the Prairie touring musical for several months without being aware that she had a broken back. After it was discovered on a visit to a doctor in 2010, she had surgery to fuse a vertebra in her lower spine and replace a disc. Thankfully, the surgery was successful.

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Dean Butler is married to Katherine Cannon, who used to play the role of Felice Martin in the popular series Beverly Hills 90210.

Alison Arngrim was a victim of sexual abuse when just a child and has said that the perpetrator was her brother, Stefan Arngrim. She has helped lobby for tougher sentences for sexual abusers who victimize members of their own family.