'Little House on the Prairie': How the Stars of the Iconic Series Look Now

Almost five decades since "Little House on the Prairie" first aired, most of its iconic stars have taken a bow from the entertainment industry in pursuit of a more peaceful life. Take a trip down memory lane and see how these iconic stars look now.

It's been almost 50 years since the well-loved "Little House on the Prairie" TV series first hit screens. It ran for ten years from 1974 to 1984 and has one of the most loyal fan bases to date.

While some of the cast members remained visible to the public even years later, there were some who chose to shy away and live quiet lives. With many years gone by, the cast members no longer look the way they used to. Here's how members of the beloved "Little House on the Prairie" cast look now.

1. Alison Arngrim as Nellie Oleson

Alison Arngrim played Nellie Oleson, the enemy of Melissa Gilbert's character Laura Ingalls. Although they were always at odds on the show, they were actually best friends in real life and have remained close since the show ended.

Arngrim went on to become a stand-up comedian, even turning her anecdotes as Nellie Oleson into a stand-up routine. She also used her fame to release a memoir in 2010, where she wrote about how she learned to love "being hated," after starring as an antagonist for years.

Despite her fame, Arngrim lives a private life with her family and is a proud stepmother. She also involves herself in advocacies, particularly on child welfare and AIDS awareness.

2. Melissa Sue Anderson as Mary Ingalls

Melissa Sue Anderson's character Mary Ingalls suffered a lot of pain and heartbreak on the show. She turned blind at a young age, and later on, lost her child in a house fire.

Unlike her character, Anderson lives a peaceful family life. She has been married for 30 years and is a proud mother to a son and daughter.

She moved to Montreal, Canada with her husband and two daughters to live life away from Hollywood. Part of the reason for the move was to relieve her daughters from the pressure to pursue acting as she did.

3. Radames Pera as John Sanderson

Radames Pera played John Sanderson, the adopted son of Grace and Isaiah Edwards. He was a talented poet and writer in the series who was once linked to Mary Ingalls.

In real life, Pera's last acting credit was in 1987. He started his own business shortly after that and relocated several times before finally settling in France with his wife and daughter in 2017.

4. Dean Butler as Almanzo Wilder

Dean Butler's character Almanzo Wilder was Laura Ingall's love interest, and the brother of Eliza Wilder. Years after the show ended, Butler served as narrator of the "Little House" documentaries, which were featured in the 40th anniversary Blu-ray releases.

The actor went on to work as a producer for TV programs, particularly in entertainment, sports, and documentaries. Butler is married to Katherine Cannon, best known for her role on "Beverly Hills 90210" as Donna Martin's overly critical mother.

5. Melissa Gilbert as Laura Ingalls

Melissa Gilbert, who played the character Laura Ingalls from when she was 9 until she was 19, went on to have a successful career in the entertainment industry. Aside from being an actress, she also became an author, writing an autobiography and a children's book.

Gilbder spent years acting, writing, and gracing red-carpet events. Having been in the industry since she was a child, she was used to getting all glammed up.

Despite this, going from glamorous celebrity to simple homemaker was no problem for Gilbert, who has chosen to take a step back from her career to focus on family.

She is happily married to actor Timothy Busfield and is contented with the life they've built, which now greatly revolves around their granddaughter Romy. In fact, she took a selfie with two gummy teeth, showing how she isn't afraid to look silly when it comes to entertaining little Romy.

6. Twins Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush as Carrie Ingalls

Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush shared playing the role of Carrie Ingalls. They were only four years old when they began portraying the role. Although they had acting credits aside from "Little House on the Prairie," they retired from acting as pre-teens and went on to lead normal lives.

Sidney married horse breeder William "Rocky" Foster until his death in 2009, while Lindsay married Daniel Sanchez in 2014. Lindsay and Daniel initially met on the "Little House" set in Simi Valley when she was a young girl and he was a teenager who lived nearby.

At the time, Michael Landon allowed Daniel to watch the filming at Big Sky Ranch, where they'd shoot the show's exterior scenes. Decades later, Lindsay and Daniel met again, and they decided to get married in the same spot where they first met.

7. Karen Grassle as Caroline "Ma" Ingalls

Karen Grassle starred as the family matriarch Caroline Ingalls. She was the glue that held their family together, exhibiting a wide range of emotions throughout her time on the show, mimicking that of a true mother off-screen.

Grassle ultimately became known as "ma" both on-screen and off-screen, as after playing a mother in the hit series, she had a daughter of her own named Lily Radford.

With theater as her first love, she started to juggle being a movie star and a Broadway star through the years. Aside from acting on screen, Grassle pursued her passion for theatre. She opened Santa Fe's Resource Theater Company in New Mexico, serving as artistic director. She also worked with the Actors Theatre of Louisville in Kentucky.

8. Shannen Doherty as Jenny Wilder

Years after starring in "Little House," Shannen Doherty became known for her role in "90210" and "Charmed." She was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2015, got better, and relapsed. Through it all, her husband Kurt Iswarienko cried by her side, begging her not to leave him.

Doherty credits her husband for being her strength. She still battles cancer and will battle the disease for the rest of her life. However, through it all, she faces her reality with optimism and has chosen to live life to the fullest.

9. Matthew Labyorteaux as Albert Ingalls

Matthew Labyorteaux played the Ingalls' adopted son, Albert. After the show, he never left the industry but took on a completely different role as a voice actor for video games, commercials, and animated series.

Labyorteaux resonated with his character in "Little House on the Prairie," because he was adopted as a baby. He was born with a hole in his heart, diagnosed with autism, and ultimately didn't talk until he was five years old. Despite this, the actor lives a happy life with his wife.

10. Wendi and Brenda Turnbaugh

Wendi and Brenda Turnbaugh shared the role of Grace Ingalls, the youngest child of Charles and Caroline Ingalls. Both child actresses ended up with non-show business careers. They are both married and have two kids each.

11. Allison Bolson as Nancy Oleson

Allison Bolson's character Nancy Oleson was the daughter of the town's merchants. She continued on to have a career in the industry, working as an actress and singer/songwriter.

12. Kyle Richards as Alicia Sanderson Edwards

Kyle Richards played the adopted daughter of Grace and Isaiah Edwards, Alicia Sanderson Edwards. She never left the industry, having recently appeared on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

13. Jason Bateman as James Cooper Ingalls

Jason Bateman's big start as an actor came from "Little House on the Prairie." The child star became a successful Hollywood actor, even winning a Golden Globe Award for one of his projects.

14. Jonathan Gilbert as Willie Oleson

Melissa Gilbert's brother Jonathan Gilbert starred as Willie, the troublemaker brother of Nellie Oleson. After his acting stint on "Little House," he quit the industry. He went on to earn an MBA in finance and now works as a stockbroker in New York City.

15. Linwood Boomer as Adam Kendall

Linwood Boomer played Adam Kendall, Melissa Sue Anderson's character Mary Ingalls' husband. Like Mary, he was blind on the show. After his acting stint on the iconic TV show, he decided to stay behind the scenes, working as a producer of several TV movies and TV series until 2013.

16. Hersha Parady as Alice Garvey

Hersha Parady was initially considered to play the role of Caroline Ingalls, but Karen Grassle ultimately got the role. Instead, she played Alice Harvey, whose character was killed in a fire accidentally set by Albert Ingalls.

Parady was once married to Oscar-winning producer John Peverall and they have one child.

17. Patrick Labyorteaux as Andrew Garvey

Patrick Labyorteaux is Matthew Labyorteaux's younger brother. He was adopted at nine months old by Ron and Frankie Labyorteaux, who worked as a talent agent and actress respectively.

Having been exposed to the entertainment industry at a young age because of his parents, he was cast as Andrew Garvey in "Little House on the Prairie." He was on the show for four years until it ended in 1981. Patrick married TV producer Tina Albanese in 1998, and together they share a son named Jeau Bennett Labyorteaux born in 2001.

18. Melissa Francis as Cassandra Cooper Ingalls

Melissa Francis starred as Cassandra Cooper, the adopted daughter of the Ingalls. She continued to have a career in acting, starring in another hit TV series, "Saved by the Bell."

19. Charlotte Stewart as Eva Beadle

Charlotte Stewart played the schoolmarm Miss Beadle. While she was part of such an iconic series, it wasn't until 1977 that she became known for her best works with director David Lynch, who tapped her for the film "Eraserhead" and the series "Twin Peaks."

Nowadays, Stewart is a retired actress. She resides in Napa, California, where she lives a quiet life with her family.

20. Lucy Lee Flippin as Eliza Jane Wilder

Lucy Lee Flippin played Eliza Jane Wilder. She was the sister of Royal, Perley, and Almanzo Wilder, and the sister-in-law of Laura Ingalls. She worked as a teacher in Walnut Grove.

After "The Little House on the Prairie," Flippin appeared on several TV shows and movies until retiring from the industry in 2008. She's chosen to shy away from the spotlight, with not much known about her personal life.

21. Bonnie Bartlett as Grace Snider Edwards

Bonnie Barlett played Grace Snider Edwards, the adoptive mother of Alicia, Carl, and John Sanderson, and was married to Isaiah Edwards before they divorced on the show. In real life, Bonnie Bartlett has been married to William Daniels since 1951, and they have two children together.

22. Ketty Lester as Hester-Sue Terhune

Ketty Lester played Hester-Sue Terhune, a teacher at the blind school. She was also a waitress at Nellie's Restaurant. Outside "Little House on the Prairie," Letty pursued a career not just as an actress, but as a singer as well.

23. Leslie Landon as Etta Plum

Leslie Landon played Etta Plum in the series, a teacher at the Walnut Grove school. Leslie is the real-life daughter of the late Michael Landon, known as the Ingalls family patriarch Charles Ingall on the TV series.

24. Stan Ivar as John Carter

Stan Ivar played John Carter, who moved into the Ingalls family home after they left Walnut Grove. He moved into the home with his wife Sarah and their two sons.

25. Pamela Roylance as Sarah Reed Carter

Pamela Roylance played Mrs. Sarah Reed Carter. She was the wife of John Carter and the mother of Jason and Jeb on the show. Decades after the TV series, Roylance continued to act, with one of her most recent hits being "The Social Network" in 2010.

26. Olivia Barash as Sylvia Webb

Olivia Barash played Sylvia Webb, a new student at the school when she was 15 years old. Her character suffered some bad fate before moving out of town with her father after falling pregnant.

Barash was already a child actress before getting her role on "Little House," and continued acting after leaving the show. Her most recent appearance on-screen was on "21 Jump Street."

"Litlle House on the Prairie" changed the course of many of its cast members' lives. After being exposed to fame so early on in their lives, it inspired many to pursue a career in acting, while it also drove others to shy away from the camera. Regardless, being part of something iconic has left the cast with priceless memories they will take with them until the end of their lives.