There are many Little House on the Prairie characters, appearing in various forms of media in the Little House on the Prairie media franchise.
Television series characters
Cast timeline ActorCharacterPilotmovieLittle House on the PrairieA NewBeginningMoviespecials 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9Michael LandonCharles Ingalls colspan="9" colspan="2" Karen GrassleCaroline Ingalls colspan="9" colspan="1" Melissa GilbertLaura Ingalls Wildercolspan="11" Melissa Sue AndersonMary Ingalls Kendall colspan="8" colspan="2" Lindsay Sidney GreenbushCarrie Ingallscolspan="9" colspan="2" Dean Butler Almanzo Wildercolspan="6" colspan="3" colspan="2" Katherine MacGregorHarriet Olesoncolspan="1" colspan="8" colspan="1" colspan="1" Richard BullNels Olesoncolspan="1" colspan="8" colspan="2" Victor FrenchIsaiah Edwardscolspan="1" colspan="3" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" Kevin HagenDr. Hiram Bakercolspan="1" colspan="10" Karl SwensonLars Hansoncolspan="1" colspan="4" colspan="1" colspan="5" Dabbs GreerRev. Robert Aldencolspan="1" colspan="10" Charlotte StewartEva Beadle Simmscolspan="1" colspan="4" colspan="6" Ted GehringEbenezer Spraguecolspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" colspan="7" Jim JeterHans Dorflercolspan="1" colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="4" Alison ArngrimNellie Oleson Daltoncolspan="1" colspan="4" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" Jonathan GilbertWillie Olesoncolspan="1" colspan="4" colspan="6" Merlin OlsenJonathan Garveycolspan="4" colspan="1" colspan="3" colspan="3" Hersha ParadyAlice Garveycolspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" colspan="4" Patrick LabyorteauxAndy Garveycolspan="4" colspan="1" colspan="3" colspan="3" Matthew LabyorteauxAlbert Quinn Ingallscolspan="3" colspan="2" colspan="4" colspan="2" Linwood BoomerAdam Kendallcolspan="4" colspan="1" colspan="4" colspan="2" Lucy Lee Flippin Eliza Jane Wildercolspan="6" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" Steve TracyPercival Daltoncolspan="6" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="3" Allison BalsonNancy Olesoncolspan="8" colspan="3" Jason BatemanJames Cooper Ingallscolspan="7" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" Missy FrancisCassandra Cooper Ingallscolspan="7" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" Wendi & Brenda Turnbaugh Grace Ingallscolspan="5" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="2" Ketty LesterHester-Sue Terhunecolspan="4" colspan="1" colspan="3" colspan="2" colspan="1" Stan IvarJohn Cartercolspan="9" colspan="2" Pamela RoylanceSarah Reed Cartercolspan="9" colspan="2" Lindsay KennedyJeb Cartercolspan="9" colspan="2" David FriedmanJason Cartercolspan="9" colspan="2" Shannen DohertyJenny Wildercolspan="9" colspan="2" Leslie LandonEtta Plumcolspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" Robert CasperSherwood Montaguecolspan="9" colspan="1" colspan="1" Sherri StonerRachel Brown Olesoncolspan="9" colspan="1" colspan="1"
Cast notes
The Ingalls family
Name Seasons No. ofepisodes Portrayer Character summary Charles Ingalls 1–9 161 Michael Landon Farmer; husband, father and grandfather Caroline Ingalls 1–8 172 Karen Grassle Wife, mother, teacher and grandmother Laura Ingalls Wilder 1–9 190 Melissa Gilbert Daughter; became teacher, later Almanzo's wife and Rose's mother; nicknamed "Half-Pint" by Charles and "Beth" by Almanzo Mary Ingalls 1–8 133 Melissa Sue Anderson Daughter, eldest child; later Adam's wife and Adam Jr.'s mother Carrie Ingalls 1–8 164 Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush Daughter, youngest child at the beginning of the series Charles Ingalls Jr. 1 2 Unknown Son, died as an infant Grace Ingalls 5–8 60 Wendi and Brenda Turnbaugh Daughter, youngest child Albert (Quinn) Ingalls 5–9 89 Matthew Labyorteaux Son, adopted after spending many years in orphanages and on the streets Jack The dog of the family James (Cooper) Ingalls 7–8 21 Jason Bateman Son, adopted after birth parents were killed in a wagon accident Cassandra (Cooper) Ingalls 7–8 21 Missy Francis Daughter, adopted after birth parents were killed in a wagon accident Rose Wilder 8–9 17 Sarah and Jennifer Coleman Granddaughter, daughter of Laura and AlmanzoBandit The dog of the family
The in-laws
Name Seasons No. ofepisodes Portrayer Character summary Almanzo Wilder 6–9 65 Dean Butler Farmer; Laura's husband (season 7); Rose's father; his friends called him Manly. Jenny Wilder 9 18 Shannen Doherty Almanzo's niece, whom he gets custody of after his brother/her father Royal dies Eliza Jane Wilder 6–8 14 Lucy Lee Flippin Teacher; Almanzo's older sisterPerley Day Wilder61Charles BloomAlmanzo and Eliza Jane's youngest brother; gambler Adam Kendall 4–8 35 Linwood Boomer Teacher/Lawyer; Mary's husband (season 5)
Townsfolk
Name Seasons No. ofepisodes Portrayer Character summary Nels Oleson 1–9 147 Richard Bull Mercantile proprietor; husband and father Harriet Oleson 1–9 153 Katherine MacGregor Mercantile proprietor; wife and mother Nellie Oleson 1–7, 9 104 Alison Arngrim Oldest child of Nels and Harriet Willie Oleson 1–9 140 Jonathan Gilbert Son of Nels and Harriet Nancy Oleson 8–9 33 Allison Balson Daughter of Nels and Harriet, adopted from orphanage Percival Dalton/Isaac Cohen 6–7 11 Steve Tracy Nellie's husband Rachel Brown Oleson 9 2 Sherri Stoner Willie's wife Dr. Hiram Baker 1–9 113 Kevin Hagen Town physician Reverend Robert Alden 1–9 76 Dabbs Greer Church minister Melinda Foster 1–9 61 Ruth Foster Post office manager Isaiah Edwards 1–3, 6, 8–9 52 Victor French Charles's best friend Grace Snider Edwards 1–3, 6, 8 23 Bonnie Bartlett / Corinne Camacho Wife of Isaiah Edwards John Sanderson Edwards 2–4 8 Radames Pera Oldest child of Isaiah & Grace Edwards, adopted after first mother died Alicia Sanderson Edwards 2–3, 6, 8 19 Kyle Richards Youngest child of Isaiah & Grace Edwards, adopted after first mother died Carl Sanderson Edwards 2–3, 8 19 Brian Part / David R. Kaufman Middle child of Isaiah & Grace Edwards, adopted after first mother died Matthew Rogers 9 5 Jonathan Hall Kovacs Young boy that is taken care of by Isaiah Edwards (season 9) Jonathan Garvey 4–7 51 Merlin Olsen Farmer; husband and father Alice Garvey 4–6 33 Hersha Parady Wife and mother; teacher; dies in fire with Adam Kendall Jr. Andy Garvey 4–7 43 Patrick Labyorteaux Son of Jonathan and Alice Eva Beadle Simms 1–4 45 Charlotte Stewart School teacher Adam Simms 4 2 Joshua Bryant Miss Beadle's husband Lars Hanson 1–5 41 Karl Swenson Lumber mill owner; a founder of Walnut Grove Hester-Sue Terhune 5–9 40 Ketty Lester Head of the school for the blind John Carter 9 19 Stan Ivar Blacksmith; husband and father Sarah Carter 9 15 Pamela Roylance Starts a newspaper; wife and mother Jeb Carter 9 18 Lindsay Kennedy Older son of John and Sarah Jason Carter 9 18 David Friedman Younger son of John and Sarah Susan Goodspeed 4–7 16 Michelle Downey Student at the school for the blind Etta Plum 9 15 Leslie Landon School teacher Christy Kennedy 1–2 10 Tracie Savage Schoolgirl Sandy Kennedy 1 4 Robert Hoffman Schoolboy; Christy's brother Hans Dorfler 1–4, 6 9 James Jeter Resident of Walnut Grove; a stable-owner Bill Anderson 6–9 6 Sam Edwards Banker of Walnut Grove Joe Kagan 4–5, 7 5 Moses Gunn Aging boxer who retires to farm life in Walnut Grove Judd Larrabee 4–5 5 Don "Red" Barry Resident of Walnut Grove Mrs. Amanda "May" Whipple 1–4 5 Queenie Smith Resident of Walnut Grove; local seamstress Mr. Kennedy 1 4 Wayne Heffley Resident of Walnut Grove; father of Christy and Sandy Mrs. Kennedy 1–2 3 Eileen Ryan (season 1),Janice Carroll (season 2) Resident of Walnut Grove; mother of Christy and Sandy Ebenezer Sprague 2–3 4 Ted Gehring Banker of Walnut Grove Houston Lamb 6–7 4 Dub Taylor Works and lives at the school for the blind in Sleepy Eye Henry Riley 4–9 15 Dan McBride recurring role - customer in Nellie's Restaurant arguing Kezia Horn 4–5 3 Hermione Baddeley Resident of Walnut Grove and friend of Laura and AlbertJohnny Johnson12Mitch VogelSchoolboy love interest of Laura
One-shot characters
Season one Episode 6 Miss Amy Hearn (played by Josephine Hutchinson) Episode 7 Olga Nordstrom (played by Kim Richards) Episode 9 Abel Makay (played by Dirk Blocker) Episode 11 Tinker Jones (played by Chuck McCann) Episode 14 Jonathan (played by Ernest Borgnine) Episode 17 Kate Thorvald (played by Anne Archer) Episode 19 Willie O'Hara (played by Red Buttons) Episode 20 Graham Stewart (played by Johnny Lee) John Stewart (played by Harris Yulin) Episode 21 Trudy Coulter (played by Julie Cobb) Joseph Coulter (played by Alan Fudge) Episode 22 Jack Lame Horse (played by Robert Tessier) Marshal Anders (played by Jack Ging) Episode 23 Hiram Johnson (played by Hal Bokar) Mimi (played by Jane Alice Brandon) Episode 24 Jim Tyler (played by Forrest Tucker) Helen Tyler (played by Ann Doran)
Season two Episode 4 Jebediah Mumfort (played by Karl Lukas) Margaret Mumfort (played by June Dayton) Slick McBurney (played by Gregory Walcott) Episode 5 Amos Pike (played by John Anderson) Episode 7 Julia Sanderson (played by Patricia Neal) Episode 10 Jonah (played by Shane Sinutko) Episode 17 Hannibal Applewood (played by Richard Basehart) Episode 18 Henry Hill (played by Louis Gossett Jr) Episode 19 Elizabeth Thurman (played by Mariette Hartley) Episode 20 Yuli Pyatakov (played by Theodore Bikel) Viktor Pyatakov (played by Ike Eisenmann) Fanya Pyatakov (played by Lisa Pera) Episode 21 Granville Whipple (played by Richard Mulligan)
Season three Episode 1 Caleb Hodgekiss (played by Johnny Cash) Mattie Hodgekiss (played by June Carter Cash) Episode 4 Wendell Loudy (played by John Ireland) Episode 6 Young Charles Ingalls (played by Matthew Labyorteaux) Lansford Ingalls (played by Arthur Hill) Laura Colby Ingalls (played by Jan Sterling) Eliza Ann Ingalls (played by Hersha Parady) Peter Ingalls (played by Mark Lenard) Episode 9 Bubba Galinder (played by Michael LeClair) George Galinder (played by Roy Jenson) Sam Galinder (played by Geoffrey Lewis) Episode 10 Sam Shelby (played by Burl Ives) Ben Shelby (played by Johnny Crawford) Episode 14 Ginny Clark (played by Rachel Longaker) Harold Mayfield (played by Warren Vanders) Della Clark (played by Kay Peters) Episode 15 Joseph Spotted Eagle Stokes (played by Caesar Ramirez) Seth (played by Willie Aames) Jeremy Stokes (played by George Murdock) Episode 18 Solomon Henry (played by Todd Bridges) Mrs. Henry (played by Maidie Norman) Jackson Henry (played by David Downing (actor)) Kramer (played by Frederic Downs) Dr. Tane (played by Don Pedro Colley) Episode 19 Anna Gillberg (played by Katy Kurtzman) Episode 20 Elmer Dobkins (played by Eric Olson) Sam Dobkins (played by Charles Aidman) Ellen Dobkins (played by Mitzi Hoag) Episode 21 Zachariah (played by E.J. Andre) Rev. Phillips (played by Larry Golden) Ben Griffin (played by Larry Pennell)
Season four Episode 2 Patrick - boy on train (played by Mike Lookinland) Episode 3 Ellen Taylor (played by Mia Bendixsen) Eloise Taylor (played by Corinne Michaels) Cal Taylor (played by James Wainwright) Episode 4 Chris Nelson (played by Gil Gerard) Episode 6 Bailey Farrell (played by Bernard Behrens) Timothy Farrell (played by Johnny Doran) Episode 7 Stanley Novack (played by Michael Pataki) Beth Novack (played by Collin Wilcox) Jed Haney (played by Eddie Quillan) Dr. Asa T Logan (played by Burr DeBenning) Episode 8 Mr. Dankworth (played by Dennis Rucker) Mr. Hobbs (played by John Bennett Perry) Bob Ford (played by Tony Marks) Lewis Ford (played by Frank Marth) Episode 9 Judge Picker (played by Eddie Quillan) Episode 14 Samantha Higgins (played by Seeley Ann Thumann) Jimmy Hill (played by Chris Petersen) Episode 15 Nats Rachel Peal (played by Anita Dangler) Caleb Fisher (played by John McLiam) Katie Fisher (played by Linda McMillan) Ellen Fisher (played by Dee Croxton) Episode 16 Jordan Harrison (played by Ronnie Scribner) Young Caroline (played by Katy Kurtzman) Younger Laura Colby Ingalls (played by Sarah Miller) Mr. Watson (played by Sorrell Booke)