10 Actors You Forgot Were on “Little House on the Prairie”,“ ”from Johnny Cash to Jason Bateman
- - 10 Actors You Forgot Were on “Little House on the Prairie”,“ ”from Johnny Cash to Jason Bateman
Alexandra Schonfeld, Nicole PomaricoDecember 14, 2025 at 2:15 PM
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Jason Bateman as James Cooper Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie ; Bonnie Bartlett as Grace Snider, Radames Pera as John Sanderson, Brian Part as Carl Sanderson, Victor French as Isaiah Edwards, and Kyle Richards as Alicia Sanderson in Little House on the Prairie. -
Little House on the Prairie premiered in 1974
The series was based on the books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Throughout the series' nine seasons, several future and established celebrities guest starred on the show
Decades after its initial run in the 1970s and 1980s, Little House on the Prairie continues to be beloved by fans.
During the show's nine seasons, it featured some seriously impressive A-list cameos and breakout performances from a variety of big names, even though some of them hadn't made it big in Hollywood quite yet.
From up-and-coming actors like Jason Bateman, Shannen Doherty and Melora Hardin to already-established stars like Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash and Patricia Neal, Little House on the Prairie was home to a lot of talent.
So as you watch the on-screen adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books, keep an eye out for these familiar faces. Here are 10 actors you forgot were on Little House on the Prairie.
01 of 10
Melora Hardin
Melora Hardin.
The Office's Melora Hardin has been working since the '70s and in 1981, she appeared on Little House as a character named Belinda — one of Albert Ingalls' classmates.
Not long after, Hardin played a new character, Michele, in the 1983 TV movie Little House: Look Back to Yesterday.
“I played his love interest and, actually, [the actor who played Albert] and I had our first screen kiss together,” Hardin said on the Still Here Hollywood podcast in January 2025. “And he's still a very good friend of mine and the godfather of my second daughter.”
02 of 10
Jason Bateman
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Jason Bateman.
While many know Jason Bateman for his roles in hit series like Arrested Development and Ozark, when he was just 11-years-old he made his on-screen debut as James Cooper Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie.
03 of 10
Shannen Doherty
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Shannen Doherty.
Like Bateman, Shannen Doherty had a recurring role on the long-running series as Jenny Wilder. She was just 11 when she landed the role.
“There just was something about her — Shannen knew where she was going,” Dean Butler, who played Doherty's on-screen uncle Almanzo Wilder, told PEOPLE following the actress' death in 2024. “She was very determined, and you just knew that she was going to succeed. You just knew she had something.”
04 of 10
Johnny Cash
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Johnny Cash.
Both Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter Cash appeared on the season 3 premiere of Little House, playing husband and wife Caleb and Mattie Hodgekiss.
05 of 10
Todd Bridges
Todd Bridges.
Just before landing his breakout role on Diff'rent Strokes, Todd Bridges played Solomon Henry on a season 3 episode of the series.
06 of 10
Sean Penn
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Sean Penn.
With his dad as the director, Sean Penn made his first TV appearance with an uncredited role on Little House — look at that blonde mop of hair!
07 of 10
Louis Gossett Jr.
Louis Gossett Jr.
Back in the 1970s, Louis Gossett Jr. appeared in one episode of Little House during season 2. The actor, who had a decade-spanning career in Hollywood with impactful roles in Roots, An Officer and a Gentleman and A Raisin in the Sun on Broadway, died in 2024.
08 of 10
Ernest Borgnine
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Ernest Borgnine.
Ernest Borgnine, whose Hollywood career dated back to the 1950s, made a brief appearance in Little House on the Prairie in 1974. The actor, who was known for his roles in films like From Here to Eternity and Marty, died in 2012.
09 of 10
Kyle Richards
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Bonnie Bartlett as Grace Snider Edwards, Radames Pera as John Sanderson Edwards, Kyle Richards as Alicia Sanderson Edwards, Victor French as Isaiah Edwards and Brian Part as Carl Sanderson Edwards.
Kyle Richards landed the role of Alicia on Little House when she hadn't even hit double digits. Amid her time on the series, she also nabbed her role in 1978's Halloween as Lindsey.
10 of 10
Patricia Neal
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Patricia Neal.
While Patricia Neal had a decade-spanning career as a Tony and Oscar-winning actress, in the 1970s she had a brief stint on Little House in a two-part episode.
"It was a sad episode, but Patricia played Julia so well!" the Little House Instagram account wrote of the role in a tribute to the actress, who died in 2010.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
