David's Little House Star Profiles and Trivia

I didn't know that until recently. He was the voice of Anne Sullivan's brother Jimmy.

I knew that but never could find a picture of him in it.
He wasn't a bad actor, but he definitely had his fill when he left.

Robert Kenneally is one of those actors that came and went and left no info behind.
He was in 18 titles between 1960 and 1979. Some of them included Wanted Dead or Alive, Burke's Law, Perry Mason, Lassie, Dear Heart, Mission:Impossible, The Bob Newhart Show, and the movie Gas Pump Girls. He had one appearance after Little House ( Gas Pump Girls) and then gave up acting.

He Was In One Little House Episode
I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away Pt. 1 - 1978 - Seth Barton

When Mary Went Blind, He Went South!

Dave, that was an amazing video of the kids of LHOP. It was so nice to see all of their smiling faces all in one place. Thanks for sharing.

These were a great read! I finished most of the pages. There's one that I couldn't find (or maybe somehow I didn't see it). Do you know whatever happened to Alban Branton, the boy who played 'Daniel' in Season 6's "Silent Promises?" Also, Lou Fant, who played Daniel's father? Again, if they are in this, let me know and I'll look for them again! Thank you!

Louie Judson Fant, Jr., a renowned actor and advocate for the deaf community, was born in Greenville, South Carolina in December of 1931 to deaf parents.

Fant was well known for his work as cofounder of the Registry of Interpreters of the Deaf and the National Theater of the Deaf, and for his acting roles in more than 30 movies and television programs, including 'General Hospital' and 'Little House on the Prairie.' But he also gained acclaim for his work as an educator, a sign language interpreter trainer, and as an author on topics related to deafness.

At age 16 he decided to become a minister for deaf people, and after graduating from high school he entered Baylor University in Waco, Texas, to pursue this career. He soon realized, however, that his true calling was as an educator. After graduating from Baylor he worked at the New York School for the Deaf in White Plains for three years, then came to Washington, D.C., to work for the next nine years at Gallaudet, training teachers to work with deaf students.

A long and distinguished career in acting began for Fant when NTD was formed in 1967. After three years with the pioneering theater company, he went out on his own, acting for almost 20 years. In 1989, Fant gave up his acting career and moved to Seattle to train interpreter students at Seattle Central Community College.

When speaking of his theatrical work, he stated “That whenever National Theatre of the Deaf performs, 60% of the audience is hearing," he told a reporter for The Times some years ago. "You see, they make a point of saying it's theatre OF the deaf, not FOR the deaf. And hearing people who don't know what to expect -- they think they're going to watch a bunch of handicapped people on stage -- suddenly, they forget the handicap and realize they're just watching actors working in a different medium. And they love it...”
He died June 11 at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle of complications from pulmonary fibrosis. He was 69 years old. During his life, he made marvelous contributions to deaf people.

He acted in thirty titles starting in 1971, with his last television performance occurring in 1987 in an episode of Highway to Heaven entitled “All The Colors of The Heart” as “Dr. Wade”. Other titles in his career included In Love and War, Cheers, Cagney and Lacey, Trapper John, M.D., Amy, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Cannon, Airport 75, Kojak, and The Bionic Woman to name a few.

You would best remember him on Little House as the father of the deaf boy ( Alaban Branton) that Laura teaches sign language to. He also played the minister that began the marriage ceremony of Mary and Adam in Winoka before Reverend Alden shows up.

He Was In Two Episodes of Little House
Silent Promises – 1980 – “Nathan Page”
The Wedding – 1978 – "Reverend Collins"

Nathan Page, Father of Daniel "Silent Promises"


Reverend Corliss - About to Marry Adam and Mary
In "The Wedding" Before Rev. Alden Arrived.

Wow, I never made the connection of him being the same man who almost married Mary & Adam!

Very interesting! I'm about half way through.

That really interesting about Louie Fant and the deaf theater company. I never realized he was the same guy who played the minister either.

Alban Lavon Branton played Daniel Page in one episode of Little House. His only other acting part was in “Amy” where he played Eugene in 1981. There is very little biographical info on him. I believe he is currently teaching at the California School For The Deaf in Riverside, California. I have included a link for a publication about the school which references him. He was also an alumni of the school. I emailed him and asked for a comment about his experience on Little House, but he has not responded as of this date. If I hear from him, I will certainly include his comments at a later date.

I’m sure you all remember him in “Silent Promises” shot in 1980 where he played Daniel Page, the boy who fell in love with Laura while she was teaching him sign language. Below is the link which references him in a school publication.

Update: Alban passed away on July 5th,2016 in Riverside, California. At the time, he was still teaching at the School for the Deaf.
BIRTH 12 Nov 1962
Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas, USA
DEATH 5 Jul 2016 (aged 53)
Riverside, California, USA

http://csdr-cde.ca.gov/2011/04/22/csdr-museum-tours-at-deafnation-expo-may-6-and-7/

Scenes From "Silent Promises"






Alban Branton Teaching The Deaf in 2011

Any Requests for Bios - Don't Hesitate to PM me...with 300 done, its getting tougher for me to spot them!

Christian Berrigan was born in February of 1966. He was in the acting profession in 1978 and 1979. His roles in included:
Daniel - Walt Disney's Wonderful of Color - Million Dollar Deliverance - 1978
Soup - ABC Weekend Specials - Soup and Me
Elvis - TV Movie - Not Credited
Alexander - CBS Library - Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

He Was In Two Episodes Of Little House
He Played Lem Larrabee in Both (Brother Played By Tony Becker as Zeke Page 8)
They Both Beat Up Albert in "The Craftsman" - 1979
Both Appeared in "Barn Burner" - 1979

Laura Defending Her Brother From Lem in "The Craftsman"

In "Soup and Me" - 1978 ABC Weekend

I like the dress, that Melissa Gilbert is wearing.

Bert Kramer was born in October of 1934 in San Diego. He appeared in many different television shows including Kojak, The Bionic Woman, The Rockford Files, Dallas, Dynasty and Matlock.

He is probably best known for playing Alex Wheeler on the soap opera Texas, a role he played from 1980 to 1981. He also portrayed the same character on Texas's parent show Another World for a short time in 1980.

Prior to his role of Alex Wheeler, he played blue collar patriarch, Mike Fitzpatrick on the 1977 short-lived drama series, The Fitzpatricks, which also starred Clark Brandon, Jimmy McNichol and Helen Hunt. From 1984 to 1985 he played the role of Brent Davis on The Young and the Restless.

In 1986, he starred in a Garry Marshall financed teleplay called Four Stars, alongside actress Julie Paris. The film was directed by Happy Days actress and talent manager, Lynda Goodfriend. During this period, he made a number of national television commercials, including a "Good to the Last Drop" Maxwell House spot.

He was in 58 titles from 1966 thru 2001. Some of them included Mission Impossible, M.A.S.H., General Hospital, 13 episodes of The Fitzpatricks, 26 episodes of Texas, and The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries to Name a few.

Kramer died of cancer in Los Angeles on June 20, 2001, at the age of 66.

He Was In One Little House Episode
Blind Man's Bluff - 1979 - As Tomothy Harrison
Father of Jordan Played By Ronnie Scribner

Talking To Doc Baker


In The Fitzpatricks Opposite Jimmy McNichol (Right)
and Clark Brandon (Teen Idol Left) - 1977

Larry Golden is the perfect example of a guy you saw four times in 4 different episodes of Little House and would never have known it. There is no biographical info on him, but I certainly thought he was due a mention because of the diverse parts he played on LHOTP.

He was in 22 titles from 1972 through 1988. He appeared in Bonanza, Mod Squad, The Rookies, Eight is Enough, Charlie's Angels, Barnaby Jones, CHiPs, and the Edge Of Night to name a few.

Four Episodes of Little House
The Long Road Home - 1976 - Bodeen
Gold Country - 1977 - Reverend Phillips
Barn Burner - 1979 - Matt
Darkness Is My Friend - 1980 - Abel

As Abel - Wounded Outlaw
In Darkness is My Friend (Right)

As Matt In Barn Burner - Juror (Left)

As Reverend Phillips - Gold Country

As Bodeen in The Long Road Home (Left)

Jonathan Banks was born in Washington, D.C. on January 31st, 1947. His mother worked for the CIA.Banks attended Indiana University Bloomington where he was a classmate of Kevin Kline. During that time, they participated together in a production of The Threepenny Opera.
Banks dropped out of Indiana University to join a touring company as a stage manager. He went to Australia with the company and stayed on working in theatre there. In 1974, he moved to Los Angeles and performed on stage before picking up bit parts on television. Probably his best-known movie roles are in two films starring Eddie Murphy: 48 Hrs. and Beverly Hills Cop. In 48 Hrs. he plays a character who is a friend of the lead and is killed by the villain, beginning the lead characters' story. In Beverly Hills Cop, he plays a villain who kills the lead characters' friend and begins his story. Other movie roles include appearances in Armed and Dangerous, Buckaroo Banzai. Freejack, Flipper, Airplane!, Gremlins, Murder Me, Murder You, and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. His most recent film to date is the 2007 film Reign Over Me.

His biggest break on television came with the series Wiseguy, in which he played Frank McPike for four years, a role which led to an Emmy award nomination. Although his character was primarily the hero's mentor, stories occasionally featured McPike as hero. In 1981 he appeared as Dutch Schultz on the NBC series the Gangster Chronicles. He also starred on the short-lived science fiction TV series Otherworld, as Kommander Nuveen Kroll and in the sitcom Fired Up.

Banks has also made guest appearances on TV shows including Alias, CSI, Castle, Day Break, Highlander: The Series, Matlock, SeaQuest DSV, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Women of the House, Walker Texas Ranger, Dexter, ER, Cold Case, Shark, Modern Family, CSI:Miami, Lie to me and Two and a Half Men.

In the second season finale of Breaking Bad, Banks appeared as "fixer" Mike Ehrmantraut. His character became a series regular for the third, fourth, and fifth seasons.

Has appeared in 134 titles, mostly TV, since 1974.

One Little House Episode
Darkness Is My Friend - 1980 - Jed The Outlaw
Far Right - One of The Outlaws That Terrorizes  Laura and Mary


As Mike Ehrmantraut in "Breaking Bad"

James McIntire is the actor who played Hali in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Who Watches The Watchers".

McIntire started his career in the early '80s, where he appeared in the television series Little House on the Prairie (1980, with Jonathan Banks) and The Dukes of Hazzard (1980). He continued and played roles in Hill Street Blues (1986, with James B. Sikking and Eric Pierpoint), Stingray (1986, with Steve Vinovich and Gregory J. Barnett), The A-Team (1986, starring Dwight Schultz and with Valerie Wildman and Robert Miano), Sledge Hammer (1987, with Diz White), and Murder She Wrote (1987, with Michael Horton and William Windom).

He also performed in several films, including the adventure film Death Hunt (1981, with Ed Lauter), the drama Walking the Edge (1983, with Terrence Beasor and Ivy Bethune), the television drama Acceptable Risks (1986, featuring Harvey Vernon), the Academy Award nominated war drama Good Morning, Vietnam (1987, with Noble Willingham), and the horror sequel Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988).

McIntire also made two appearances in the drama series Tour of Duty (1989, with Dan Gauthier and John DeMita), a guest stint in Life Goes On (1989, starring Bill Smitrovich and with Louis Giambalvo, Earl Boen, and Glenn Morshower). His last known performances are supporting roles in the science fiction film Class of 1999 (1990, starring Malcolm McDowell and Patrick Kilpatrick) and the comedy Ghost Dad (1990, with Eric Menyuk and Jeanne Mori).

Appeared in 28 titles – Movies and Television from 1980 to 1990.

He Was In One Little House Episode
Darkness is My Friend – 1980 - Jake

As Hali in Star Trek - The Next Generation

Charles Tyner was born on June 8th of 1925 in Danville, Virginia.

In 1959, he appeared on Broadway with film star Paul Newman in Sweet Bird of Youth. Duly impressed by Tyner's work, Newman brought his theatrical coworker to Hollywood eight years later to play Boss Higgins, the sadistic prison camp guard in Cool Hand Luke (1967). It was the first of many such roles for Tyner, who spent the next several years playing a variety of tight-lipped, vicious rural authority figures. One of his better roles in this vein was as Unger, the snitching, murderous "trusty" in the Burt Reynolds prison comedy The Longest Yard (1974). Less brutal, but no less inimitable, was Tyner's interpretation of Uncle Victor in the 1971 cult classic Harold and Maude. Charles Tyner went back to the stage in 1977, occasionally stepping before the cameras for such TV movies as The Incredible Journey of Dr. Meg Laurel (1979), theatrical features like Hamburger: The Motion Picture (1985) and Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1991), and his recurring role as Howard Rodman in ten episodes of the weekly television drama Father Murphy (1981).

He was in 82 movies and TV shows from 1959 to 2001.

Update: Charles Tyner passed away on November 8, 2017 at he age of 92.


He Was In One Little House Episode
Home Again – 1983 – Mr. Janes
Charles’s Not So Nice Employer

As Boss Higgins in Cool Hand Luke

Joseph Bonaduce was born in February of 1927 in Jessup, Pennsylvania. He was a moderately-successful television writer, still struggling to make a name for himself, when son Danny became famous on "The Partridge Family" (1970). Fame rubbed off in reverse, and Joseph began picking up writer's work because of Danny's precocious comedic talents. Unfortunately, the upside-down situation led to considerable friction between father and son.
Although mostly a writer or story editor for comedy, he exhibited a talent for drama by writing for such shows as "The Waltons" (1971), "Little House on the Prairie" (1974) and "Bonanza" (1959). He wrote a total of 37 titles for television.

He died in August of 2004 in Northridge, California at the age of 77.

He wrote two episodes of Little House.
The Campout – 1975
The Racoon - 1974


Joseph With Son Danny

Danny On The Partridge Family (Bottom Center)

LEO PENN was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts in August of 1921. He directed over 400 television programs in a career that lasted close to 50 years. He also acted in over 55 titles. He was the father of Sean Penn, actor, who appeared in a role in one of the Little House episodes directed by his father, The Voice of Tinker Jones.

He directed 3 episodes of Little House and 11 episodes of Bonanza.

He died in September of 1998 at the age of 77.

Little House Episodes Directed By Leo Penn
– Money Crop (1975)
– The Voice of Tinker Jones (1974)
– Ma's Holiday (1974)

LEO PENN

Henry Brandon, born in Berlin, Germany as Heinrich von Kleinback in June of 1912, was a character actor in American films, most often seen in villainous roles. His parents emigrated to the US shortly after his birth. His early interest in acting led him to study at the acclaimed Pasadena Community Playhouse. He landed the lead villain role in the Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy film Babes in Toyland (1934), and rapidly became a familiar and reliable heavy in pictures both large and small. In 1936 he adopted the stage name Henry Brandon after several years of being billed as either Henry or Harry Kleinbach. He captivated thriller audiences as the sinister Dr. Fu Manchu in Drums of Fu Manchu (1943), yet balanced things by playing a sizable number of sympathetic roles as well, such as the skilled foreman Joe Dombrowski in Black Legion (1937). He continued to work on stage throughout his film career, playing the villain for many years in the record-length run of the melodrama "The Drunkard". His sharp features led him rather incongruously to be cast as Indian chiefs in two John Ford features, The Searchers (1956) and Two Rode Together (1961). He kept busy in films and occasional television roles, as well as reprising his role in "The Drunkard" onstage in the 1980s, until the end of his life. Brandon was a confirmed bachelor.

Often played Indian, Arab, Persian, Native American and East Asian characters, though his ancestry was German.

Long-time companion of actor Mark Herron, who was Judy Garland's fourth husband.

Attended Stanford University for three years.

He was in 171 titles from 1932 through 1989. He played everything from Nazi soldiers to Indians in a very prolific career. He died in February of 1990 at the age of 77. (Heart Attack)

He Appeared In One Little House Episode
Look Back To Yesterday – 1983 – Otis
The Shipping Agent Who Charles Went
To See About Forming a Co-Op in Walnut Grove