David's Little House Star Profiles and Trivia

Guess that shows what a great actor he was. He made a great impression. Loved him in The Karate Kid movies.

Davetucson wrote:

I emailed Clint [Lilly] and asked him for a comment on his experience on Little House. Here is his reply:
"Hey Dave, I can't tell you enough how Mike has affected me in the business, a very talented man who could write , produce, act, and direct all at one time...thats amazing especially in episodic tv...
Best, Clint"

Cool that you got a repy from Clint, Dave. Thanks for sharing it!

Charles Cyphers (born July 28, 1939) is an American actor who has starred in many films and on television. He is known in the horror movie community for his work in the films of John Carpenter, especially his role as Sheriff Leigh Brackett in Carpenter's 1978 hit horror movie Halloween.He reprised this role in the 1981 sequel Halloween II. He is not related to actor Jon Cypher, alongside whom he played in Hill Street Blues.

Cyphers's first feature film was the 1974 movie Truck Turner, and he first worked with Carpenter in the 1976 action film Assault on Precinct 13, in which he played Starker, one of the ill-fated police officers gunned down by gang members.

After appearing in Halloween in 1978, Cyphers worked with Carpenter two years later, playing Dan O'Bannon in The Fog, a 1980 horror film which also starred Tom Atkins, Cyphers's fellow Halloween cast member Jamie Lee Curtis, his Assault on Precinct 13 co-star Darwin Joston, and Nancy Kyes, who worked with Cyphers in both Assault on Precinct 13 and Halloween. He then played the Secretary of State in Carpenter's popular 1981 film Escape from New York, in which he appeared with Atkins and Halloween actress Nancy Stephens.

In 2005, he appeared in the movie Dead Calling, and in 2007 he appeared as a Sheriff in Ethan Dettenmaier's forthcoming film, Sin-Jin Smyth, and in the film Methodic in a role which paid homage to his character in Halloween.

Cyphers has appeared in numerous television productions. During the 1970s, he had a recurring role, as Hugo Muncy, in The Betty White Show. In addition, he had guest roles in popular television series such as Barnaby Jones and The Dukes of Hazzard, and he played Drake in the 1977 mini series Roots.

More recently, he has appeared in Sliders, ER, Seinfeld, JAG, and Any Day Now. From 1996 to 1998, Cyphers played Al Yaroker in the 1990s series Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher. He has also acted in various made-for-television movies. Over 92 appearances from 1972 – 2007.
• Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) ....Starker
• MacArthur (1977) ....Brig. Gen. Forest Harding
• Halloween (1978) ....Sheriff Brackett
• Elvis (1979)....Sam Phillips
• The Onion Field (1979) ....Chaplain
• Borderline (1980) ....Ski
• The Fog (1980)....Dan O'Bannon
• Escape from New York (1981) ....Secretary of State
• Halloween II (1981) ....Sheriff Brackett
• Death Wish II (1982) ....Donald Kay
• Honkytonk Man (1982) ....Stubbs
• Big Bad Mama II (1987) ....Stark
• Gleaming the Cube (1989) ....Harvey McGill
• Major League (1989) ....Charlie Donovan
• Loaded Weapon 1 (1993) ....Interrogator
• Mach 2 (2001) ....Harry Olson
• Dead Calling (2006) ....Chuck Walker
• Sin-Jin Smyth (2006)
• Methodic (2007) ....Chief Sperranza
• Legend of the Mountain Witch (2009) ....Ben Maddock

His One Appearance On Little House
Look Back to Yesterday TV Movie (1983)
As Zack Taylor

Telling Albert To "Come Back In Ten Years When You're a Man"


Albert Afterwards

Ted Gehring (April 6, 1929—September 28, 2000)
His portrayal of Ebeneezer Sprague was one of my favorite of all time. I loved the part where Charles asks him to dinner and Sprague rudely refuses and ends the conversation with "Good day." I saw him on MASH once. Truly a fine actor. Wish we saw more of him.

There were some marvelous actors on Little House in supporting roles. They did a great job of casting the right actor for the character portrayed. Susan McCray and Michael knew what they were doing.

Rob wrote:

Cool that you got a repy from Clint, Dave. Thanks for sharing it!

Bill Ewing, born in Houston, Texas in 1951, had a fairly brief acting career. He acted in twelve titles from 1971 through 1984.

Has a son with Susan McIver. Susan was a member of the ‘Golddiggers” on the Dean Martin Show and played ‘Hot Pants” in “Smokey and the Bandit with Burt Reynolds and Sally Fields.

He joined Sony Pictures in 1986 and was named director of production in 1987. Promoted to Vice-President in 1988 and later to Senior Vice President after Sony's acquisition of Columbia Pictures. He left in 2001.

Founder and president of "Every Tribe Entertainment" and the non-profit "Bearing Fruit Entertainment". Maker of Insprational movies.

Below is an excerpt from an interview when he left Columbia Pictures.

Was your wife supportive of you? She didn’t think you were nuts for leaving Columbia?

Ewing: No, no, she was supportive. A year before my contract expired, the Lord put it in my heart that he was getting ready to move me. So this was not me, if you want to know the truth I wanted to stay at least another year because I wanted the Spider Man bonus. That’s the truth. I just wanted the bonus check because I knew it was going to be big, but it wasn’t God’s plan. I had read that scripture, “I will give you my peace that passes all understanding.” That’s great, but I never understood it, until I had it, if that makes sense. I had peace about a situation that I should have been freaking out about. I had peace and I didn’t understand why. It wasn’t like I didn’t need a job. My mother-in-law had been diagnosed with Alzheimer disease and my son was getting ready to go to college. It wasn’t like I didn’t have a mortgage and bills. No, I needed a job. So it was pretty interesting, but one of my accountability partners said “Here’s what you have to keep in mind, God is your provider. He will always provide for you. He may not provide everything you want, but he will provide everything you need. That’s his promise. He is your employer.” So I had this peace, which I had never had before and that was really interesting. I’m dependent on him. I’m not dependent on anyone else to provide for me. God is the one.

Automan (TV series)
Chief Controller
– The Biggest Game in Town(1984)… Chief Controller

1982WKRP in Cincinnati (TV series)
Doctor
– Dear Liar(1982)… Doctor

1979A Man Called Sloane (TV series)
– Samurai(1979)

1979Little House on the Prairie (TV series)
William Hearst

– The Odyssey(1979)… William Hearst
1978The End
Hearse Driver

1976Rich Man, Poor Man - Book II (TV series)
Mike
– Chapter VI(1976)… Mike

1976The Blue Knight (TV series)
Freddie

– To Kill a Tank(1976)… Freddie
1974Korg: 70,000 B.C. (TV series)
Bok

1973The Rookies (TV series)
Ricky

– A Matter of Justice(1973)… Ricky
1972Deathmaster
Pico

1972The Hoax
Cy McCarten

1971Cannon (TV series)
– Girl in the Electric Coffin(1971)

He played William Randolph Hearst in one Little House Episode
“The Odyssey” - 1979 - Gave The Kids a Ride To The Ocean


How Could He Say No??

Sorrell Booke was born in Buffalo New York in in 1930, the son of a local physician. He found his calling early in life, like most actors, when his family encouraged him to entertain relatives by doing impressions and telling jokes. He went on to study at Yale and Columbia University, and mastered five languages. During the Korean War, Booke worked in counter-intelligence where his lingual talents served him well. His intelligence and subtlety are often overlooked when considering his signature role as Jefferson Davis "Boss" Hogg during his run on "The Dukes of Hazzard" (1979), 166 episodes.. He died of cancer in 1994 just after his 64th birthday.
He was in over 112 productions (mostly television) from 1954 -1994.

Little House on the Prairie - One Episode
Mr. Watson - Teacher
I Remember, I Remember (1978)

Whipping Charles


That Hurts! Charles Had an Uncanny Resemblance to Albert, Don't You Think?

Boss Hogg - Dukes of Hazzard

He will just always be Boss Hogg to me. I loved to watch him run with that big fat cigar in his hand.

Philip Abbott (March 21, 1923; Lincoln, Nebraska – February 23, 1998; Tarzana, California) was an American character actor and occasional voice actor.
Abbott was a secondary lead in several films of the 1950s and 1960s. Miracle of the White Stallions (1963). He made more than one hundred guest appearances on various television programs from 1952–1995, including NBC's Justice about the Legal Aid Societ of New York and The Eleventh Hour, a medical drama about psychiatry. He appeared on the CBS anthology series Appointment with Adventure and The Lloyd Bridges Show. In 1965, he appeared in Dennis Weaver's NBC sitcom, Kentucky Jones, in the episode "The Music Kids Make".
His son is actor David Abbott.
Abbott is best remembered as Assistant Director Arthur Ward on the TV series The F.B.I. He died of cancer in 1998.
Movie Appearances
• Bachelor Party (1957) as Arnold (film debut)
• Sweet Bird of Youth (1962) as Dr. George Scudder
• Those Calloways (1965) as Dell Fraser
• Savannah Smiles (1982) as Chief Pruitt
Television Appearances
• Schlitz Playhouse of Stars episode Make Way for Teddy (1952)
• Producers' Showcase 2 episodes Dateline (1954) & Yellow Jack (1955)
• Diagnosis: Unknown as Peter Loper in "Final Performance" (1960)
• The Twilight Zone episode Long Distance Call (1961)
• The F.B.I. (1965–73) (TV-Series)
• The Bionic Woman episode Escape from Love as Dr. Kelso (1977)
• The Young and The Restless 18 episodes as Grant Stevens (1986)
• Highway To Heaven episode Birds of a Feather as Mr. Drake (1985)

He appeared in one episode of Little House
The Sound of Children – 1979 – Giles Kendall (Adam's Father)

Gil Gerard was born on January 23, 1943 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA and did a good deal of acting in high school. He attended the University of Arkansas but dropped out before graduation. He landed a job as an industrial chemist. He became regional manager of a large chemical company, headed by Governor Wynn Rockefeller, in a few years. His employers said they would name him the firm's vice-president if he went for his master's degree so he quit rather than tell everyone that he didn't have a college diploma. He went to New York where he studied drama by day and drove a cab at night. Gil Gerard picked up a fare who showed a lively interest in the problems of unknown, unemployed actors. Before he left the cab, he told Gil to report in a few days to the set of Love Story (1970), which was being filmed on location in New York. When Gil Gerard arrived on the "Love Story" set, he was hired as an extra. Later that day, he was singled out for a "bit" role, which eventually wound up on the cutting room floor, but he now had his first professional credit.

During the next few years, he did most of his acting in television commercials, some four hundred of them, including a stint as spokesman for the Ford Motor Company. Then came a leading role in the daytime TV series, "The Doctors" (1963). He formed his own production company in partnership with a writer-producer, co-authored a screenplay called "Hooch" and filmed it as a starring vehicle for himself. With "Hooch" completed, he was summoned to California to co-star with Yvette Mimieux in Ransom for Alice! (1977) (TV) and to play Lee Grant's youthful lover in Universal's Airport '77 (1977). A guest shot on "Little House on the Prairie" (1977) impressed producer-star Michael Landon, who cast him in the leading role in an ambitious TV movie of the week, Killing Stone (1978) (TV). He signed to play "Captain Buck Rogers" in the television series, "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" (1979).
Is good friends with fellow Arkansas native and former US President Bill Clinton. They have known each other for nearly 30 years.

Had been battling obesity his entire life and in his later years had maxed out at over 350 pounds, resulting in him suffering from a number of life threatening complications including diabetes and congestive heart failure. However he has recently undergone a form of weight loss surgery known as a mini-gastric bypass, and has since lost over 150 pounds and improved his health dramatically.
His ex wife is Connie Sellecca. She appeared on 41 episodes of “Greatest American Hero” as Pam Hinkley form 1981 to 1986. Also in 115 episodes of “Hotel” as Christine Francis for five years. She has been married to John Tesh since 1992.

He was in one Little House Episode
“The Handyman" – 1977 – As Chris Nelson

Later Years

Joshua Bryant is an actor and author. He has starred, guest-starred and appeared in dozens of television shows and motion pictures. He is most often recognized as Scully from M*A*S*H. He also had a guest performance on the television classic, Little House on the Prairie, playing Ms. Eva Beadle's boyfriend-turned-husband, Adam Simms. He was also on two episodes of Knotts Landing as Larry Wilson in 1982. He is the founder of the Taos Talking Picture Festival.

He appeared in over 89 Television shows from 1968 – 2008. He was on one episode of “Highway To Heaven” in 1989 as “Caz”. He is apparently a very private person. There is no data on his birth or even if he is still alive.

Two Episodes of Little House
A Most Precious Gift – 1978
Here Come The Brides – 1977
Both as Adam Simms

In "Here Come The Brides" Opposite His Future Wife

Gil had those blue eyes I love.

Bob Marsic , birthdate unknown, appeared in 5 programs on television from 1975 - 1979.

Family (TV series)
Dunois

Exits and Entrances
(1979)… Dunois

A Family Upside Down
Dave (1978)

Little House on the Prairie
Luke Simms
– Here Come the Brides (1977)

The Waltons
Samuel Miller
– The Emergence (1975)

There is really no interesting info about Bob Marsic. The only reason I profiled him is that, in my opinion, he was in one of the most hilarious episodes on Little House. If you think Harriet had a problem with Percival marrying Nellie, it was tame compared to how she felt about the pig farming Luke Simms! The dinner table scene in “Here Come The Brides” is classic. I laugh until I cry every time I watch it. It was perfect material for Scottie MacGregor…………..
Taking Half the Roast

Harriet - Watching The Food Disappear

Even Willie Couldn't Believe It!

Ivor Francis (October 26, 1918 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada - October 22, 1986 in Sherman Oaks, California) was a Canadian actor and acting teacher. Francis began his acting career on the radio in his native Canada, but, during World War II, he served in the Royal Air Force. Following the war, he moved to the United States, where he played the son, Joe, in the radio program Ma Perkins.
Francis made several appearances on Broadway, in such plays as The Devil's Advocate, Gideon and J.B.. He also performed frequently in television.

His film debut came in 1964 in The Devil Walks. He also appeared in such films as I Love My Wife, The World's Greatest Athlete, Pieces of Dreams, The Steagle, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, Busting, Alien Zone (previously called House of the Dead) and The North Avenue Irregulars. He also appeared on television in Hawaii Five-O, Dark Shadows, Bright Promise, Room 222, Dusty's Trail and General Hospital, which starred his daughter, Genie Francis. She was in 74 episodes of the Young and The Restless as Genevieve Atkinson, and 170 episodes of General Hospital as Laura Spencer.He was in 61 TV shows from 1961 – 1984. Some of his appearances included The Waltons, Quincy ME, Barney Miller, The Jeffersons, to name a few.

He Was In One Little House Episode
“Here Come The Brides” as The Justice of the Peace (Varnum)

Had no idea he was Genie's dad. I watched her on General Hospital when I was 8!!

Rhonda wrote:

Rob wrote:

Cool that you got a repy from Clint, Dave. Thanks for sharing it!

Delicately pretty, slender and winsome redhead actress Patricia Pearcy had a regrettably fleeting career acting in both films and television, but nonetheless did make a nice favorable impression in the handful of films and TV shows she graced with her disarmingly sweet and beguiling presence. Born in Austin, Texas, in August of 1947, Pearcy graduated cum laude with a BFA in acting from the University of Texas. She later acquired an MFA in directing from the University of Texas as well. Moreover, Patricia studied acting with Milton Katselas at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Pearcy made her excellent and impressive film debut as Warren Oates' loyal, but neglected and long-suffering girlfriend in Monte Hellman's superbly gritty character study "Cockfighter" (1974). Patricia was equally strong and sympathetic as the fetching heroine in Jeff Lieberman's hugely enjoyable killer worm horror treat "Squirm" (1976). Pearcy was once again solid in a sizable co-starring part in the acclaimed hit comedy "The Goodbye Girl" (1977) and was fine in a substantial leading role as a kindly young nurse who takes care of an ailing elderly Joseph Cotten in the passable psycho thriller "The House Where Death Lives" (1980).

On television Patricia had regular recurring parts on the popular daytime soap operas "One Life to Live" and "All My Children." She also did guest spots on the TV shows "Starsky and Hutch," "Little House on the Prairie," "The Rockford Files," and "T.J. Hooker." On stage Pearcy has performed in such plays as "Othello," "A Streetcar Named Desire," "Sweet Bird of Youth," "Gypsy," and a Broadway production of "Solitaire/Double Solitaire." A longstanding member of both the Actor's Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild, Patricia Pearcy currently teaches acting in Austin, Texas.She was in twelve productions in her brief career.

Legend of Crystania: The Motion Picture (video)
Old Woman (voice: English version)

1995Texas Justice (TV movie)
Kimberly

1984T.J. Hooker (TV series)
Shirley Potter
– The Lipstick Killer(1984)… Shirley Potter

1981Delusion
Meredith Stone

1979Charleston (TV movie)
Valerie Cross

1977The Goodbye Girl
Rhonda

1977The Rockford Files (TV series)
Pavarthi
– Quickie Nirvana(1977)… Pavarthi

1977Starsky and Hutch (TV series)
Gail Harcourt
– Bloodbath(1977)… Gail Harcourt

1976Squirm
Geri Sanders

1974Cockfighter
Mary Elizabeth

1973-1974One Life to Live (TV series)
Melinda Cramer Janssen #1

1984 Bless All the Dear Children
Elsa Norris
She Kidnapped Rose

J.S. ‘Joe’ Young, birthdate unknown, was nominated for a 1977 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play for his performance in "Mert & Phil" at the St. Nicholas Theater Company in Chicago, Illinois.

He had a short career, but appeared in 4 Little House Episodes and one Highway to Heaven episode.

Little House on the Prairie
– The Legacy(1982)… Uriah Cooper
– Darkness Is My Friend(1980)… Head Guard
– The Odyssey(1979)… Zacc McCabe (as J.S. 'Joe' Young)
- Bless All The Dear Children (1984) Beggar

– The Final Affair(1993)… Max Ingle
1990 A Promise to Keep (TV movie)
Hans

1984 Highway to Heaven (TV series)
– Song of the Wild West(1984)… Man

1983 The Dukes of Hazzard (TV series)
Pa Beaudry
– Boss Behind Bars(1983)… Pa Beaudry
– Daisy's Shotgun Wedding(1983)… Pa Beaudry

1977Alice (TV series)
Customer
– 86 the Waitresses(1977)… Customer (as Joe S. Young)

In "Bless All The Dear Children" - Helping Laura Find Rose (Shot In Old Tucson)

In "The Odyssey" Helping The Kids Get To The Train

Todd Bridges, born in May of 1965 in San Francisco, Ca., has seen and done it all. Todd has lived and worked amongst some of the most famous and influential individuals in the world. For over twenty-five years, he has victoriously survived a rapidly changing business. He experienced his second rise to fame, as "Juice" on "The Young and the Restless" (1973). Todd's career began and rocketed when he was only six years of age, forcing his family to relocate from a quiet, friendly neighborhood in San Francisco to the fast-paced stardom of Los Angeles, California in the early 70s. His mother, actress Betty A. Bridges, and father, the late James Bridges, Sr., came to Hollywood in search of the American dream. Betty went on to work quite a bit as an actress while James Sr. became one of the first prominent black Hollywood agents. Betty later became one of Hollywood's greatest managers and acting coaches, whose list of clients (soon to become stars) included her oldest child, Jimmy Bridges, her daughter Verda Bridges, Todd (of course), Nia Long ("The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (1990), Love Jones (1997)), Regina King (Jerry Maguire (1996)), Lamont Bentley ("Moesha" (1996)), and Aaron Meeks ("Soul Food" (2000)).

It all began one day while watching Redd Foxx display his comic genius on "Sanford and Son" (1972). Todd, then six, realized his dream of becoming an actor. He exclaimed excitedly to his mother, "I want to do that", pointing to the television set. He had asked on his own to enter a business which, during that time, was very limited for black artists. Nevertheless, Todd went on to make some remarkable strides in the industry, pioneering the way for other young, black actors. His first job was a Jell-O commercial, which starred the entire Bridges family. He later accomplished over 60 national commercials. Todd was the first black child actor to become a recurring regular on the hit series, "The Waltons" (1971), and "Little House on the Prairie" (1974) with the late great Michael Landon. He went on to guest star on "Barney Miller" (1974), which eventually gained a spin-off show, starring Abe Vigoda. The spin-off was titled "Fish" (1977) and Todd became a series regular for four years. Norman Lear, who spearheaded the success of Tandem Productions, with such shows under his belt as "The Jeffersons" (1975), "Good Times" (1974), "All in the Family" (1968) and "The Facts of Life" (1979), sought to create a new type of show that would cross the racial boundaries set in Hollywood in the early years of television. He began with the new kid in town, Gary Coleman, and a TV veteran, Conrad Bain, from the hit show, "Maude" (1972). The wheels were spinning and "Diff'rent Strokes" (1978) was born. The show originated with a wealthy white businessman who adopted his housekeeper's black child after she passed away. There was only one problem. Who would the creators find to match wits with the sassy Gary Coleman? Conrad Bain then suggested the creation of an older brother character to keep up with "Arnold's" wisecracks, a strong young actor capable of bouncing the ball back in his court. No one portrayed such qualities as Todd Bridges.

"Diff'rent Strokes" (1978) was introduced to American audience in the fall of 1978. With the new concept of a racially-mixed cast, the producers and creators were unsure how the viewers would react. To their surprise, the show was a complete success and ran strong for eight years. Todd Bridges became an international celebrity and household name by the age of 15. During his success with "Diff'rent Strokes", (159 episodes) Todd guest starred on such shows as "The Love Boat" (1977), "The Facts of Life" (1979), "Hello, Larry" (1979), Battle of the Network Stars VI (1979) (TV), Circus of the Stars #6 (1981) (TV), and many, many more. An even bigger opportunity came when he was chosen to portray the role of Chicken George's grandson in the historical television miniseries, "Roots" (1977), where his performance is still applauded to this day.

After "Diff'rent Strokes" ended its long run in 1986, things became difficult for Todd. All of a sudden, no one would hire him due to his being typecast as "Willis Drummond". He began to experience turbulent times, which would later lead to drug addiction and trouble with the authorities. There would be a pause in his career and his life for nearly ten years.

Todd Bridges has been clean and sober for nine years. He is a working actor, director, and producer and is well on his way to the rebirth of a promising television and motion picture career. Together, Todd and his brother, James Jr., have partnered to establish their own production company, "Little Bridge Productions".

His recent film credits (as an actor) include _1210 Camille Street_ with Faizon Love (Friday (1995), The Replacements (2000)), Frat (), _Hollywood Horror (2000)_ with Tia Mowry and 'Tamara Mowry' (_"Sister Sister" (1994)_) and A Testimony. He also recently completed a feature film in Utah called The Climb (2002) for Billy Graham's production company. He directed, produced and starred in the short film about his life, Building Bridges (2000), for TBN. He also directed, along with his brother, a full-length feature film titled Black Ball (2003) (aka Full Circle), starring Lisa Sweat (wife of R&B singer Keith Sweat), Stoney Jackson, De'aundre Bonds, his wife Dori Bridges, and a host of other great names. His directorial credits also include the feature film, Flossin (2001), the life story of his pastor and childhood friend, Pastor Ernest Johnson. On a more personal note, Todd is a proud husband and father. He has been married, since 1998, to his wife, Dori Bridges, and they have one son, Spencir Bridges. Todd has traveled the nation speaking to over 6,000 kids per day in high schools, middle schools, and churches warning about the dangers of drug use, negative peer pressure, and proclaiming Christ Jesus!From 1975 to the present he has appeared in over 77 productions. Still very active today.

He appeared in one of the most touching Little House Episodes ever produced.
“The Wisdom Of Solomon” 1977
As Solomon Henry

Saying Goodbye To The Class
"Y'all are very lucky to be able to come here".


Saying Goodbye To Charles

David Downing was born in July of 1943 in New York City, NY. Appeared in 29 productions from 1969 – 2006.
Quite a whirlwind career for the youthful looking Downing with a career on stage and screen spanning well over thirty years.

Currently residing in Hollywood, Los Angeles, he worked extensively on American TV mostly between the late seventies and late eighties. He has not been away for any extended period of time, peppering his CV with appearances on sitcoms like "Fresh Prince Of Bel Air" and hard hitting action drama "JAG".

While a success on American TV, David has not neglected the theater winning a KATY award for best supporting actor in Ordinary people on Broadway, New York.

He appeared in one episode of “Father Murphy” as Marcus Washington in 1982.

He was on one episode of Little House as Jackson Henry
“The Wisdom of Solomon” 1977

David in 2008

Maidie Norman (October 16, 1912 – May 2, 1998) was an African American actress of stage, screen and television.

She made her film debut late in life in the 1947 film, The Burning Cross. Her other screen credits include parts in Manhandled (1949), The Well (1951), Torch Song (1953), Forever Female (1954), Susan Slept Here (1954), The Opposite Sex (1956), Written on the Wind (1956), 4 for Texas (1963), Sixteen (1973), Airport '77 (1977), Movie Movie (1978), and Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982). During her time in movies and television she had a total of 92 credits. Her most memorable role was as the ill-fated maid Elvira in Robert Aldrich's What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) opposite Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.

Her TV credits include appearances in Hallmark Hall of Fame, Fireside Theatre, Four Star Playhouse, Celebrity Playhouse, The Loretta Young Show, Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Ben Casey, Dr. Kildare, Good Times, The Jeffersons, Little House on the Prairie, and The Streets of San Francisco. In her later years she found herself in more TV roles and only a few film roles. Her last film role was in Terrorist on Trial: The United States vs. Salim Ajami (1988) and that same year she made her last three TV appearances in Amen, Side by Side (a made for TV movie), and Simon & Simon.

She was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1977.
She created and taught a course in black theater history at UCLA; in her honor, the university established the Maidie Norman Research Award for the best student essay on African-American film or theater. Norman was also an artist-in-residence at Stanford University. The Los Angeles Sentinel named her woman of the year in 1964. In 1985, California Educational Theatre Association gave her a professional artist award.
Norman was invited to serve as an official delegate of the Methodist Church for a Conference on Human Relations held Feb. 11-13, 1958 at the First Methodist Church of Glendale and sponsored by the Southern California-Arizona Conference Board of Christian Social Relations and the General Board of Social and Economic Relations.

She died of lung cancer in 1998 at the age of 85 in Georgia. Norman was survived by a son, McHenry "Skip" Norman; a sister, Clarice Herbert; two stepchildren, Veronique and Lescil Wills; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

She was in one Little House Episode
The Wisdom of Solomon 1977 as Mrs. Henry

In Her Younger Years