Over its run of more than a decade and nine seasons, ‘Little House on the Prairie’ has featured many future stars who have gone on to become household names. From Academy Award winners to rising young talents, the iconic family drama had a pretty impressive lineup.
But more than four decades later, we have forgotten so many of these familiar faces, and it is all the more surprising to discover they ever visited the beloved Walnut Grove. Here are 10 actors you forgot appeared on ‘Little House on the Prairie’.
10. Patricia Neal
Academy Award-winning actress Patricia Neal had such a remarkable career in Hollywood that many fans forget she also appeared on ‘Little House on the Prairie’. In 1975, Neal guest starred as Julia Sanderson in the heartbreaking two-part episode “Remember Me”.
Julia Sanderson was a widowed mother of three who learns she has terminal cancer. She turns to Charles Ingalls for help to secure a future for her children after she’s gone.
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9. Todd Bridges
Before landing his breakout role on ‘Diff’rent Strokes’, Todd Bridges delivered one of ‘Little House on the Prairie’s most memorable guest performances. He appeared in the season 3 episode “The Wisdom of Solomon” as Solomon Henry.
The young boy runs away after his father’s death and secretly enters Walnut Grove in Charles Ingall’s wagon. Although Bridges appeared in just one episode, Solomon’s story and his performance made it one of the most unforgettable standalone episodes in the entire show.
8. Louis Gossett Jr
Before becoming the first Black person to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Louis Gossett Jr. made an early television appearance on ‘Little House on the Prairie’. He guest-starred in the Season 2 episode “The Long Road Home” as Henry Hill.
He was one of the men hired to transport a dangerously unstable wagon of nitroglycerin alongside Charles Ingalls and Mr Edwards. Though it was just a single episode, we could still see the talent that made Gossett one of Hollywood’s most respected actors.
7. Ernest Borgnine
Long before earning the legendary status in Hollywood, Ernest Borgnine made a touching guest appearance on ‘Little House on the Prairie’ in 1974. The actor played the role of Jonathan, a guardian angel in the two-part episode “The Lord Is My Shepherd”.
He is sent to comfort Laura Ingalls as she struggles with the guilt and grief of losing her baby brother. After getting jealous of the attention he was receiving, Laura wished to God that he would go away, only for the baby to die due to illness. Tormented by guilt, Laura ran away to the mountains where she met Jonathan.
6. Madeleine Stowe
Another memorable guest star on ‘Little House on the Prairie’ was Madeleine Stowe. She starred as Annie Crane in the season 7 episode “Portrait of Love”. We are introduced to Annie as a blind young artist who was abandoned by her birth mother before being adopted by the Crane family.
Despite losing her sight, Annie discovers a remarkable talent for painting, and her artwork catches the attention of a passing art collector in Walnut Grove.
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5. Melora Hardin
We might forever remember Melora Hardin as Jan Levinson on ‘The Office’, but she has been around on TV for a much longer time. Hardin has been building her acting career since the 70s.
In 1981, she appeared on ‘Little House on the Prairie’ as Belinda Stevens, one of Albert Ingall’s classmates. Hardin again returned to Walnut Grove as a completely different character, Michele Pierson, a close friend of Albert’s in the 1983 television movie ‘Little House: Look Back to Yesterday’.
4. Johnny Cash
Country music legend Johnny Cash, alongside his equally iconic wife June Carter Cash, appeared in Season 3, Episode 1, “The Collection”, as Caleb and Mattie Hodgekiss. You might remember the couple taking in an injured Reverend Alden. Caleb, who is a former convict, is tempted to impersonate the pastor for personal gain.
Cash also didn’t back off from bringing his music talents to the episode, performing the traditional folk songs “Black Jack Davey” and “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” in the episode.
3. Shannen Doherty
Before becoming a teen icon because of ‘Heathers’ and ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’, Shannen Doherty was a familiar face in Walnut Grove. At just 11 years old, she joined ‘Little House on the Prairie’ as Jenny Wilder.
Fans might remember her as Almanzo Wilder’s niece, who moves in with Almanzo and Laura after her father’s death. Doherty appeared in nearly every episode of the show’s ninth and final season. She also appeared in the 1983 TV movie ‘Little House: Look Back to Yesterday’.
2. Jason Bateman
Who could have expected Michael Bluth from ‘Arrested Development’ to appear in Walnut Grove? Even though it is hard to believe, Jason Bateman made his on-screen debut on ‘Little House on the Prairie’ at just 11 years old.
He played the role of James Cooper Ingalls, an orphan who, along with his sister Cassandra, is adopted by Charles and Caroline Ingalls. After being introduced in season 7, Bateman appears in 21 episodes across seasons 7 and 8 of the show.
1. Sean Penn
Long before he became a three-time Academy Award winner, Sean Penn made his television debut on ‘Little House on the Prairie’. Apparently, he appeared in several episodes of the show in 1974, and that too when the director was his father, Leo Penn.
You can see him in season 1, episode 111, “The Voice of Tinker Jones”, as a schoolboy in the background. It is so easy to miss him if you aren’t deliberately looking out, but this is where the star got his start.
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