Did You Spot These ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Guest Stars? From Johnny Cash to Shannen Doherty!
Do you remember Shannen Doherty or Johnny Cash starring in episodes of the drama series?
Little House On The Prairie warmed our hearts for nearly a decade as Melissa Gilbert starred as the beloved Laura Ingalls Wilder alongside Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls. Set in the Midwest in the 1800s, Little House, based on the books written by the real-life Laura Ingalls Wilder, follows the life of Laura and her family.
While audiences adored seeing Gilbert, Landon and the rest of the Little House cast on their screens, the hit drama also featured quite a few celebrity guest stars that you may have forgotten about. See the guest stars that appeared or had longer stints on the series.
Shannen Doherty
Shannen Doherty starred in the final season of Little House from 1982 to 1983, and her character had a difficult storyline. The Beverly Hills, 90210 star booked the role of Jenny Wilder, Laura and Almanzo Wilder’s niece, at just 11 years old.
Of course, Doherty went on to establish a very successful career, starring as Heather Duke in Heathers (1988), Brenda Walsh on 90210 (1990-1994) and Prue Halliwell on Charmed (1998-2001). Dean Butler, who played Almanzo, spoke about the actress’s success after her untimely death in 2024.
“There just was something about her—Shannen knew where she was going,” Butler said. “She was very determined, and you just knew that she was going to succeed. You just knew she had something.”
Jason Batemen
Little House was the very first acting role for Arrested Development star Jason Batemen. The actor portrayed James Cooper Ingalls, the adopted son of Charles and Caroline Ingalls. Although the Ingalls never actually adopted a son named James in real life, the TV show added the character for the plot.
Batemen starred in 21 episodes of seasons 7 and 8 and scored the role when he was only 11 years old. You may not recognize the actor at first glance, but he became an integral part of the series at the time.
Sean Penn
Sean Penn also scored his first role on Little House on the Prairie, though his small role was an uncredited one. Penn appeared in two episodes of season 1 and if you blink, you’ll miss him. But after his guest role on the show, Penn made a successful career for himself, starring in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Dead Man Walking (1995) and Mystic River (2003).
Johnny Cash
The country singer-songwriter appeared in just one episode of Little House with wife June Carter Cash as Caleb and Mattie Hodgekiss in the premiere of season 3. Michael Landon invited them to star in the episode and they accepted.
Karen Grassle, who portrayed Ma Ingalls, recounted the episode as one of her top moments in show business. “When we worked with Johnny Cash and his wife, June, on Little House,” Grassle said, reflecting on the experience, “I had been listening to his music since I was a kid!”
Kyle Richards
Before she was Lindsey in Halloween (1978) or a real housewife of Beverly Hills, Kyle Richards booked the role as Alicia Sanderson on Little House. The actress began starring on the drama series when she was only six years old and although she was only in 18 episodes, Richards continued to appear until season 8.
Patricia Neal
Patricia Neal, the Oscar-winning actress for the film Hud (1963), appeared in two episodes of Little House in season 2. The actress portrayed Julia Sanderson, a widower and mother of three, one of whom is Alicia (Kyle Richards), who has received the news that she has incurable cancer.
Neal stars in the two-part story in which she must figure out what will happen to her children once she dies and enlists the help of Charles Ingalls.
Todd Bridges
Prior to his hit role on Diff’rent Strokes, actor Todd Bridges booked just one episode of Little House as Solomon Henry.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Woman's World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
