10 Actors You Forgot Were on “Little House on the Prairie”,“ ”from Jason Bateman to Sean Penn

Alexandra Schonfeld, Nicole PomaricoSun, July 12, 2026 at 10:00 AM UTC

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Jason Bateman in ‘Little House on the Prairie’; Kyle Richards in ‘Little House on the Prairie’Credit: Getty(2) -

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

The cast of Little House on the Prairiewas joined by several surprising guest stars over the years.

Over the course of nine seasons, the show featured cameos from both established A-listers like Johnny Cash and up-and-coming stars like Jason Bateman and Shannen Doherty.

The series served as a springboard for many of its child actors, who went on to have impressive careers in Hollywood.

Now, 43 years after the original TV show aired its final episode, a new adaptation of author Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved books has landed on Netflix.

Here are 10 actors you may have forgotten were on Little House on the Prairie.

01 of 10

Melora Hardin

Melora Hardin.Credit: NBC

The Office’s Melora Hardin has been a working actress since the ‘70s, and in 1981, she appeared on Little House as a character named Belinda Stevens — 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, [Matthew Labyorteaux, 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

Jason Bateman.Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

While many know Bateman for his roles in hit series like Arrested Development and Ozark, the actor actually made his on-screen debut as James Cooper Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie. He was 11 years old at the time.

03 of 10

Shannen Doherty

Shannen Doherty.Credit: Frank Carroll/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty

Like Bateman, Doherty had a recurring role on the long-running series as Jenny Wilder. She was also 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

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Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash.Credit: United Archives GmbH/Alamy

Both Cash and his wife June Carter Cash appeared on the season 3 premiere of Little House. The couple played husband and wife duo Caleb and Mattie Hodgekiss.

05 of 10

Todd Bridges

Todd Bridges.Credit: NBC

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

Sean Penn.Credit: TCD/Prod.DB/Alamy

With his dad as the director, Sean Penn made his first TV appearance with an uncredited role on season 1 of Little House.

07 of 10

Louis Gossett Jr.

Louis Gossett Jr.Credit: NBC

Back in the 1970s, Louis Gossett Jr. appeared in one episode of Little House during season 2. The actor, who had a decades-long 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

Ernest Borgnine.Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

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

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.Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Kyle Richards played the role of Alicia Sanderson Edwards on Little House from 1975 to 1982. During her time on the series, she also starred in 1978’s Halloween.

10 of 10

Patricia Neal

Patricia Neal.Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Patricia Neal had an award-winning career in Hollywood that included a brief stint playing Julia Sanderson on Little House. The two-part episode aired in 1975.

“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

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”