All the Actors You Forgot Were on 'Little House on the Prairie'
From Melora Hardin to Johnny Cash, see all the famous faces who made brief appearances on the long running series
As Little House on the Prairie became a fan favorite for audiences in 1970s and 1980s, it was also home to some A-list cameos and breakout performances from a variety of big names.
From up-and-coming actors like Jason Bateman, Shannen Doherty or Melora Hardin to already-established stars like Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash or Patricia Neal, Little House on the Prairie housed a lot of talent.
So as you watch the onscreen adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books, keep an eye out for these familiar faces.
01 of 10
Melora Hardin.
NBC
The Office's Melora Hardin has been working since the '70s and '80s and in 1981, she appeared on Little House as a character named Belinda â 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.
âI played his love interest and, actually, Matthew and I had our first screen kiss together,â Hardin said recently. âAnd he's still a very good friend of mine and the godfather of my second daughter.â
02 of 10
Jason Bateman.
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
While many know Jason Bateman for his roles in hit series like Arrested Development and Ozark, when he was just 11-years-old he made his onscreen debut as James Cooper Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie.
03 of 10
Shannen Doherty.
Frank Carroll/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty
Like Bateman, Shannen Doherty had a recurring character on the long-running series as Jenny Wilder. She was just 11 when she landed the role.
âThere just was something about her â Shannen knew where she was going,â Dean Butler, who played Doherty's onscreen uncle Almanzo Wilder, told PEOPLE following the actress' death in 2024. âShe was a very determined, and you just knew that she was going to succeed. You just knew she had something.â
04 of 10
Johnny Cash.
United Archives GmbH/Alamy
Both Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter Cash appeared on the season 3 premiere of Little House, playing husband and wife Caleb and Mattie Hodgekiss.
05 of 10
Todd Bridges.
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.
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With his dad as the director, Sean Penn made his first TV appearance with an uncredited role on Little House â look at that blonde mop of hair!
07 of 10
Louis Gossett Jr.
NBC
Back in the 1970s, Louis Gossett Jr. appeared in one episode of Little House during season 2. The actor, who had a decade-spanning 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.
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
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.
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via GettyÂ
Kyle Richards landed the role of Alicia on Little House when she hadn't even hit double digits. Amid her time on the series, she also nabbed her role in 1978's Halloween as Lindsey.
10 of 10
Patricia Neal.
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via GettyÂ
While Patricia Neal had a decade-spanning career as a Tony and Oscar-winning actress, in the 1970s she had a brief stint on Little House in a two-part episode.
 "It was a sad episode, but Patricia played Julia so well!" the Little House Instagram account said of the role in a tribute to the actress, who died in 2010.