David's Little House Star Profiles and Trivia

OMG! Marlon Brando's sister? I used to see her name, but I never made the connection! That's very interesting...thanks Dave!!

Bill Zuckert , born in New York in December of 1915, was an American actor. He began his career in 1941 in radio and lent his voice to hundreds of dramas over the next two decades. He served in World War II as a member of the naval construction unit Seabees. He went on to star in television, having many guest and character roles over the next half century, such as playing the sheriff in the Star Trek episode, "Spectre of the Gun."

He is the only one of the actors in the film Tora! Tora! Tora! to have a very noticeable speaking role and not receive any screen credit at all. He is seen near the beginning of the film flying in a plane with Admiral Husband E. Kimmel (played by Martin Balsam) and commenting on the safety measures at Pearl Harbor.

During his 49 year career, he was in over 215 productions both on the big screen and television. A sampling of his performances included five episodes of Bonanza, Dallas, In The Heat of the Night, Batman, The Partridge Family, Maude and Tora! Tora! Tora!.

He died on January 23, 1997 of pneumonia at the age of 81 in Woodland Hills, California.

He Was On One Episode of Little House
100 Mile Walk – Tom Cassidy (Boss) - 1974

Tora! Tora! Tora!

Lawrence Moran, born in August of 1967 in West Covina, California, began his television and film career in 1974 with a guest appearance on The Rockford Files starring James Garner. From there, his career began to take off and after almost 20 years of both commercials, prime-time television, national radio appearances and a mainstay on both the Hollywood and Broadway stage. Later in life Lawrence made the choice to pursue a college education and leave the old life behind.

Larry Moran lives in his hometown of Beverly Hills, California with his wife and canine companions. He is a mid-career-changer e.g. a 1L (first-year law student) after a successful career working with high-risk juveniles as a psychotherapist in St. Louis, Missouri. He hopes to one day very soon practice law in Southern California defending juveniles who have been charged as adults as well as pursuing his love of Civil Rights.

Graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1984.

In December of 2002 he was living in St. Louis, Missouri. Clinical Psychologist. Graduate of Langston University (1993); Capella University (2002); PhD (Clinical Psychology) Candidate (2002). Specializes in working with incarcerated violent juvenile offenders. Responsible for helping develop the City of St. Louis Juvenile Drug Court and is a professional advocate for the utilization of restorative justice in our juvenile justice system.

In January of 2005 he was a clinical psychologist in private practice in Saint Louis, Missouri. He is married to International corporate executive Connie Moran. The two are in the process of building a Christian alternative-sentencing ranch for juvenile offenders.
He appeared in 22 titles in acting career that began in 1970 and ended in 2006.They included The Rockford Files, The Love Boat, How The West Was Won, The Hindenburg, Fantasy Island, The Swarm and After Diff’rent Strokes:When The Laughter Ended.

He Was On Four Little House Episodes and One Movie
A Harvest of Friends – 1974 – Boy
The Lord Is My Shepherd – 1974 – Boy
Founder’s Day – 1975 – Boy
Growin’ Pains – 1981 – Tom

The Last Farewell – 1984 – As Tom (left)

Robin Muir, birthdate unknown was in three television productions. She played Leslie in Queen of the Stardust Ballroom in 1975, did voiceovers in Banjo The Woodpile Cat in 1979 and appeared in two Little House Episodes.

If I Should Wake Before I Die – 1974 – Maureen (Lower Center)

I Remember, I Remember – 1978 – Polly Ingalls ( Charles’ Sister)

Peter Haas was born in October of 1965 in Los Angeles, California. He performed in ten titles from 1972 thru 1978. They included The Waltons as Mark in the episode The Star, two ABC Afternoon Specials, 23 episodes of Emergency + 4 as Randy Aldrich, The Quest as Jed in The Longest Drive, Police Story, Dynasty, and did voice work in I Am The Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammed Ali.

His last work was on Little House on The Prairie in three separate roles.

I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away – 1978 – Paul

His Father’s Son – 1976 – Tad Coty - Before Going Hunting With His Father

The Gift – 1975 - David - Middle Behind Willie Suggesting A Gift

Bing Russell was an American actor and baseball club owner.

Russell was born Neil Oliver Russell in Brattleboro, Vermont on May 5th, 1926. He was the son of Ruth Stewart (née Vogel) and Warren Oliver Russell. Russell and always wanted to become an actor; he took drama at Brattleboro Middletown High School. As a boy, he was dubbed an unofficial mascot of the New York Yankees, becoming good friends with the likes Lefty Gomez and Joe DiMaggio.

Russell made his debut in Cavalry Patrol, and had some uncredited roles in his early career. Best known as Deputy Clem Foster on Bonanza (1959) and Robert in The Magnificent Seven (1960), he also played Vernon Presley, father of Elvis Presley, played bt Kurt Russell, in the 1979 TV movie Elvis. Russell was the owner of the Portland Mavericks Baseball Club. Helming was the only independent team in the Class A Northwest League. Russell kept a 30-man roster because he believed that some of the players deserved to have one last season. His motto was fun.

Russell created a park that kept all corporate sponsorship outside the gates, hired the first female general manager in professional baseball, and hired the first Asian American GM/Manager. His team set a record for the highest attendance in Minor league history, and went on to win the pennant that year. Ex-major leaguers and never-weres who could not stop playing the game flocked to his June try-outs, which were always open to anyone who showed up.

Bing Russell was a very prolific actor. Along with playing the Sherriff in 56 episodes of Bonanza, he also appeared in Gunsmoke, Emergency, The Streets of San Francisco, The Virginian, Death Valley, The Big Valley and Ironside to name a few. 159 titles in total, in a career that lasted over forty years.

He died from complications of cancer on April 8, 2003 in Thousand Oaks, California. He was 77 years old.

He was the Father of Kurt Russell and Grandfather of ex major league baseball player Matt Franco.

He Appeared in One Little House Episode
His Father’s Son – 1976 – Len Coty (Right)

Bing's Son Kurt Russell with Goldie Hawn

Bing's Grandson, Matt Franco

Orville Sherman was born in Lexington, Oklahoma in January of 1916, his great-grandfather buying land there in 1894. He appeared in numerous television episodes, many of them westerns. Being born in the frontier may have given him an edge to playing cowboys. Although most of his screen time can be counted in seconds, he was good at his craft. Orville started tap dancing at age nine and left home at 19 to pursue his career. In 1973 he added the occupation of minister to his life, teaching speech at the church of Religious Science in Downey, CA.

His 27 year acting career began in 1958 and he went on to appear in 72 productions. They included Lassie, The Legend of Wyatt Earp, Lawman, Rawhide, Wagon Train, Dr. Kildare, Perry Mason, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Father Murphy and Cagney and Lacey to name a few. He even appeared as a villan in The Adventures of Superman in the 1950's.

Sadly, he died alone in October of 1984 in Los Angeles, California, forgotten with apparently no relatives near and his marriage long since ended. He was 68 years old.

Not only did Orville share the same ancestor as Civil War general W.T.Sherman, he is also a collateral cousin of Orson Welles, Perry King, Treat Williams, Janis Joplin, Lillian Russell, Andy Devine and Evelyn Sherman & Hiram Sherman.

He Appeared in One Little House Episode
The Family Tree in 1979
Portrayed The Headmaster at the Orphanage
In Albert’s Flashbacks

Albert Taking a Bath in The Barn and
Flashing Back To Orphanage

Orville Sherman as The Orphanage Headmaster in the Flashback
"Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness"

Caesar Ramirez, birthdate unknown, acted in a total of three productions.
1970 - The Flying Nun – Episode “Hello Columbus” As Sanchez
1973 – Starbird and Sweet William - Uncredited
1977 – Little House – Episode “Injun Kid” as Spotted Eagle / Joseph Stokes

Talk about longevity! Raymond Guth was born in Oil City, Pennsylvania in May of 1924. Not only has he appeared in over 76 titles of television series and motion pictures, he has done numerous commercials and voice overs in his career. A sampling of his work includes Wagon Train, Highway Patrol, Ben Casey, Have Gun – Will Travel, The Rifleman, Laramie, Hazel, Gunsmoke, The Virginian, The High Chaparral, eleven episodes of Bonanza and Highway To Heaven to name a few. His latest work was in the video game BioShock2 in 2010 (voice). He is currently 88 years old and still working.

He Appeared in Two Little House Episodes

Quarantine – 1977 – Dixon

The Older Brothers – 1983 – Stage Guard With His Hands Up

In "The Rifleman" - 1963

julmer70 wrote:

OMG! Marlon Brando's sister? I used to see her name, but I never made the connection! That's very interesting...thanks Dave!!

Hey! I've seen this info only tofay! I'm really shocked! Was she Marlon Brando's sister???? I didn't know that! Thanks, Dave!

Vanesa.

Ugh...Orville Sherman's face gives me chills in the pic you posted...Those orphanage images are just awful! Poor Albert!

Vanesa.

I agree Vanesa. I can hear the sound of the ruler just looking at that pic!

oh wow

Hugo Stanger was an American actor born in June of 1901 in Michigan. He appeared in 22 titles in an on and off career from 1958 through 1988. He had character roles in Highway Patrol, Vice Squad, Time Walker, The Twilight Zone and Psycho III. He also played Mr. Winger in an episode of Highway To Heaven titled One Winged Angels in 1985. His last role was in The Seventh Sign in 1988.

Hugo Stanger passed away at the age of 88, in January of 1990 in Los Angeles, California.

He Was In One Episode Of Little House
Home Again Part 2 – 1983 – As Zeb Collie
He Took The Morphine That Albert Switched Out For Sugar

Rod McGaughy was born in Los Angeles, California in December of 1923. Chances are, you have never heard of him. His career began in 1958 as a spectator to a hanging in an episode of the Have Gun – Will Travel television series. During his 26 year career he played character roles such as trail hands, townspeople, stage coach drivers, gang members, barflys, deputy sheriffs and ranch hands. He also performed stunts in the movies Paint Your Wagon, Blazing Saddles and Silverado along with the television shows Cheyenne and Gunsmoke.

He was in 36 titles, mostly in episodic television, but appeared in hundreds of episodes.

He was in Laramie, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Sugarfoot, six episodes of The Rifleman, seven episodes of Cheyenne, six episodes of Wagon Train, 8 episodes of The Virginian, 6 episodes of The Wild Wild West, 23 episodes of Bonanza and 19 episodes of Gunsmoke. And that is just a sampling of his work.

He passed away in October of 2011 in Los Angeles at the age of 87.

His last acting roles were on Little House.
He was in six episodes mostly as a driver or townsman.
They included The Empire Builders, The Return of Nellie,
Olsen vs Olsen, The Angry Heart and The Return of
Mr. Edwards.

He Had One Credited Role as “Jack”
In Back To School – Part One – in 1979
He Was Helping Jonathon Garvey Unload
The Mill Stone That Broke Charles’ Arm

In An Episode of "The Rifleman"

Dave, you just keep shaking the bushes and finding more people! Some really had a lifetime of careers BEFORE Little House. Thanks for all the digging!

It's sad that half of the LH guest stars have already passed away. In fact, I think most of them did.

R. D. Call, born February 16th, 1950 in Ogden, Utah, was an American actor, best known for his roles in films by Walter Hill. He was born in Utah and attended the Utah State University and Weber State University. Call moved to Los Angeles in 1976 and began training with Lee Strasberg. His first Role was in "Barnaby Jones" (1973), a TV series directed by Leo Penn.

Call then took roles in the Walter Hill films 48 Hrs. (1982) and Brewster's Millions (1985). Next came At Close Range (1986) opposite Sean Penn and the Charlie Sheen thriller No Man's Land (1987). Dennis Hopper cast him in Hopper's thriller Colors (1988), again opposite Sean Penn, and he would work with Leo and Sean Penn - and Martin Sheen - in Judgment in Berlin (1988).

Towards the end of the 1980s, roles included Michael Mann's L.A. Takedown (1989) (TV) - the original version of Mann's Heat (1995) - and a cameo appearance in Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July (1989). Call appeared opposite Emilio Estevez and Kiefer Sutherland in Young Guns II (1990) and was back with Sean Penn in State of Grace (1990), conveying a close working relationship with both the Penn and Sheen family.

The mid-1990s were equally kind to Call, with roles in Waterworld (1995) and Walter Hill's Last Man Standing (1996) in which he starred with Bruce Willis. More recent roles include the Sandra Bullock thriller Murder by Numbers (2002), the Brad Pitt drama Babel (2006) and the Sean Penn-directed Into the Wild (2007).

Call has also appeared in numerous TV series, including "The X-Files" (1993) and Stephen King's "Golden Years" (1991). Appeared in over 51 titles of both movies and television since 1979.
Some of them include Babel, JAG, Family Law, Diagnosis Murder, Murder She Wrote, , Trapper John and Barnaby Jones to name a few.  

Update: Died: February 27, 2020 (age 70) in Layton, Utah, USA

Was In One Little House Episode
He Was Only Twelve – 1982 – Dwayne
One of The Robbers When James Was Shot.
He Died Of Gunshot Wounds

Albert About To Toss His Cookies While
Mr. Edwards Was Digging Up Dwayne...

Que bello Alberto!

John Dennis Johnston was born on May 14th, 1950. He began his acting career on Baretta in 1976. He has appeared in 114 productions both on television and on the big screen. He appeared in Roots, Police Woman, Close Encounters of The Third Kind, Knots Landing, The Dukes of Hazzard, The A Team, The Golden Girls, Wyatt Earp, A Walk In The Clouds, JAG and In Plain Sight to name a few.

He Was In One Little House Episode
He Was Only Twelve – 1982 – Lawrence
Brother of Dwayne - Profiled Above
Looking Down At Dwayne Being Buried

Recent Photo of John

Lovin' Sam Theard served most of his lengthy professional existence as an actor and a comedian in theaters, movies, and television. Those who study and specialize in old-time hokum, dirty blues, and novelty swing records associate his name with delectable ditties like "She Skuffles That Ruff," "You Can't Get That Stuff No More," "Rubbin' on That Darned Old Thing," and "I Wonder Who's Boogiein' My Woogie Now." Here in the glorious information glut of the 21st century, Sam Theard is likely to be remembered and referenced now and then as the man who wrote "(I'll Be Glad When You're Dead) You Rascal You," a rambunctious number made famous by Louis Armstrong. Most importantly, any search engine armed with his name will uncover multiple references to his magnum opus, "Let the Good Times Roll," which was one of Louis Jordan's major hits as well as a primary staple of rhythm & blues and early rock & roll.

Born in New Orleans, LA on October 10, 1904, he began working with a circus in 1923 and spent many years on the road, performing in theaters and nightclubs. Most of his recordings were made in or near Chicago. In 1929 and 1930 he recorded as Lovin' Sam from Down in 'Bam for the Brunswick record company under the supervision of A&R director Mayo Williams. Focusing almost exclusively upon human sexuality, Theard sang bawdily humorous songs backed by guitarist Tampa Red and pianists Cow Cow Davenport and H. Benton Overstreet. After a brief dalliance with the Gennett label in 1930 using the name Sam Tarpley, Theard engaged in a bit of label hopping. He cut records for Decca in 1934 (backed by pianist Albert Ammons), for Vocalion in 1937 and Victor's budget line Bluebird series in 1938. His voice can also be heard on records issued under the names of pianist Tiny Parham and trumpeter Hot Lips Page.

Theard was busy as a comedian in Harlem during the 1930s and '40s, regularly treading the boards at the Apollo Theater alongside Dusty Fletcher, Pigmeat Markham, and Jackie "Moms" Mabley. It was during this period that he began calling himself Spo-Dee-O-Dee. While gigging in Chicago in 1942 he and one Fleecie Moore came up with a ditty called "Let the Good Times Roll" and shared it with singing saxophonist Louis Jordan who scored a massive hit with his Tympany Five recording of it in 1946. Theard, who can also be seen in Jordan's film Caldonia, had a bit of a minor comeback towards the end of his life after landing in Hollywood in 1976, sometimes reverting to his old stage name Spo-Dee-O-Dee. He goofed with Redd Fox on the set of Sanford & Son, teamed up with Foxx and Pearl Bailey in Norman, Is That You?, and appeared in Little House on the Prairie. Theard's face became marginally familiar to audiences who had no idea who he was or what his past accomplishments amounted to. He appeared as Cripple in Richard Pryor's Which Way is Up? and as the Wino in an all-black remake of Cinderella called Cindy; as Old Second with Jackie Gleason and Karl Malden in The Sting II and as the Left Hand of God in Motown's biographical salute to Scott Joplin. Accomplished, versatile, and influential but never accorded the kind of recognition that he deserved, Sam Theard passed away at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA on December 7, 1982. He was 78 years old.

He Was In One Little House Episode
He Was Only Twelve Part One - 1982
Played The Clean Up Man At The Wooden Nickel Saloon
Credited Under His Screen Name of Spo-De-Odee

John Johnston is one that I do recognize when I see him. He looks good still....glad he seems to be doing well.
I wish we could get interviews from some of those that stand out like him. It would be interesting to hear his take on LH.

Royce D. Applegate born on Christmas Day, 1939 , in Midwest City, Oklahoma, was an American actor and screenwriter. Born in Oklahoma, his most visible role was that of Chief Petty Officer Manilow Crocker on the first season of the Steven Spielberg-produced television series seaQuest DSV.

In 1985, Applegate played tragic family man-turned-kidnapper Donald Brown, a bereaved father who abducts the character Sam in order to replace his own dead son, on the season premiere of Diff'rent Strokes last season when it moved from NBC to ABC.

Applegate portrayed Confederate General James L. Kemper in two Ronald F. Maxwell movies, Gettysburg (1993) and Gods and Generals (2003).

He appeared in both Television and Movies in 93 titles.

Born on Christmas day, ironically, he died on New Year's day 2003 in his Hollywood Hills home in a fire just one week after his 63rd birthday.

He Was On One Little House Episode
The Legend Of Black Jake – 1981 – Georgie
One Of The Bungling Outlaws That Kidnapped Nels Olsen (Far Left)

As Brig. General James Kemper
In "Gods and Generals" 2003, and "Gettysburg" 1993

Olan Soule, born in La Harpe, Illinois in February of 1909, was a character actor supreme, one who can be seen on reruns of "Dragnet 1967" (1967), "Dragnet" (1951) and "The Andy Griffith Show" (1960) almost any day of the week. Born in La Harpe, Ill. to Elbert and Ann Williams Soule, he descends from three Mayflower passengers. He left Illinois at age 7 moving to Des Moines, Iowa until he was 17, when he launched his theatrical career joining the Jack Brooks tent show out of Sabula, Iowa. After leaving the tent show, he was on stage in Chicago for seven years when he became involved in radio work in 1933. He was in the program Bachelor's Children for 10 years and, when the show moved to California, Olan became involved in film and television work.

Soule was a leading radio actor, and portrayed many TV program and commercial voiceovers and cartoon voices, including Batman in all but the "Galactic Guardians" version of THE SUPER FRIENDS.

Starred on "The First Nighter Program" on Mutual (1943-1944) and CBS Radio (1945-1949).
He was in a whopping 232 shows on television and movies in a career that spanned from 1949 through 1991. They included Bonanza, Dragnet, Gunsmoke, Gomer Pyle:USMC, My Three Sons, Mayberry RFD, Rawhide, Wagon Train and on and on and on.

He passed away in February of 1994 in Los Angeles, California of lung cancer. He was 84.

He Was On Two Little House Episodes
To See The World – 1975 – Ticket Agent

Dearest Albert I’ll Miss You – 1980 – Mr. McGinnis
He Took The Picture Of Albert With the Football Team

As John Masters on The Andy Griffith Show

Dave wrote:

he descends from three Mayflower passengers.

Can a person do that? I know, I know, it was the olden days.