Karen Trust Grassle Wiki Biography
Karen Trust Grassle (born February 25, 1942) is an American actress, best known for her role as Caroline Ingalls, the wife of Michael Landon’s character and the mother of Melissa Gilbert’s character, in the NBC television drama series Little House on the Prairie.
| Full Name | Karen Grassle |
| Net Worth | $500 Thousand |
| Date Of Birth | February 25, 1942 |
| Died | April 20, 1924, De Smet, South Dakota, United States |
| Place Of Birth | Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Height | 5′ 6″ (1.68 m) |
| Profession | Actress, Writer |
| Education | Ventura High School, University of California, Berkeley |
| Nationality | American, American |
| Spouse | Scott T. Sutherland, Charles Ingalls |
| Children | Lily Radford, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Mary Ingalls, Carrie Ingalls, Grace Ingalls, Freddy Ingalls |
| Parents | Gene Grassle, Charlotte Quiner, Henry Quiner |
| IMDB | http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002111 |
| Movies | Wyatt Earp, Cocaine: One Man’s Seduction, Harry’s War, Crisis in Mid-Air, Little House on the Prairie |
| TV Shows | Little House on the Prairie |
| Quote | |
|---|---|
| 1 | No. I never tell people how old I am. As an actor, it’s not in my interest. |
| 2 | [on the importance of having the right chemistry of either a series’ or a co-star]: No. Of course, it’s more fun if you and the other person work well together, but it’s not a requirement. I mean, you’re acting. You can have difficulties with each other because of ego or insecurity or advertising and billing, things that can annoy people or hurt their feelings, but you don’t let it get in the way of the work. That’s the thing. |
| 3 | Well, yes! But you have to put the work first. It can be quite painful if you don’t feel appreciated by your partner, or if you’re supposed to be wildly attracted to them and you’re not. But so what? We get to be actors. We are lucky to be able to work. |
| Fact | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Good friend of Michael Landon. |
| 2 | She now lives in Pacific Palisades, California, with her adopted daughter, Lily. [2005] |
| 3 | Appearing in a commercial for “Premier” bathrooms. [January 2009] |
| 4 | She is a staunch liberal Democrat. |
| 5 | Played the mother of 5 children on Little House on the Prairie (1974), but never had any biological children of her own. |
| 6 | When she came to LA in 1973 for a never-completed movie project, she was calling herself “Gabriel Tree”, and it was under this name that she beat out 47 other actresses for the role of “Caroline Ingalls” in the long-running TV drama Little House on the Prairie (1974) (co-star Michael Landon convinced her to revert back to her given name of Karen Grassle). |
| 7 | In the late 1960s – hoping to boost her career, briefly changed her professional name to Kay Dillinger, claiming to be the illegitimate offspring of the notorious 1930s bank robber (who died ten years before she was born!). |
| 8 | She was known as the miracle baby in her family because, previous to her birth, her mother had 4 miscarriages. |
| 9 | Her father, Gene Grassle, ran a gas station and her mother managed a restaurant. |
| 10 | Her first New York break was the play “The Gingham Tree.” She had to borrow a dollar from a friend to go to the audition! |
| 11 | After Little House on the Prairie (1974) ended, she was featured as a guest star on various television shows and toured the country performing in numerous plays. Later on, she moved to Louisville, Kentucky, to continue her work in the theater. She was the co-founder and artistic director of Santa Fe’s Resource Theatre Company and starred in “Wit” at the Arizona Theater Company. |
| 12 | Won the role of Caroline Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie (1974) out of 47 other actresses who also auditioned. |
| 13 | Inducted (as a cast member of Little House on the Prairie (1974)) into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1998. |
| 14 | 2002 – Appeared on the “Memorable TV Moms” version of Weakest Link (2001), along with June Lockhart (Lassie (1954), Lost in Space (1965)), Jo Marie Payton (Family Matters (1989)), Pat Crowley (Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (1965)), Janet Hubert (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990)), Alley Mills (The Wonder Years (1988)), Carol Potter (Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990)) and Beverly Garland (My Three Sons (1960)). Potter won. |
| 15 | A long-involved advocate for women’s rights, she wrote and co-starred in the mini-movie Battered (1978), which dealt with the issues of domestic violence. |
| 16 | Best known for her role as Caroline Ingalls, Michael Landon’s ranch wife on the TV series Little House on the Prairie (1974) for eight seasons. |
| 17 | Trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. |
| 18 | Graduated class valedictorian from Ventura High School in 1959. |
| 19 | Graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1964 |
Actress
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lasso | 2017 | post-production | Lillian |
| Where’s Roman? | 2015 | Short completed | Mysterious Woman (rumored) |
| My Greatest Teacher | 2012 | Aunt Dorothy | |
| Tales of Everyday Magic | 2012 | Aunt Dorothy | |
| Wyatt Earp | 1994 | Mrs. Sutherland | |
| Murder, She Wrote | 1987-1988 | TV Series | Fay Hewitt / Christine Stoneham |
| Between the Darkness and the Dawn | 1985 | TV Movie | Ellen Foster Holland |
| Little House: The Last Farewell | 1984 | TV Movie | Caroline Ingalls |
| Hotel | 1983 | TV Series | Susan Walker |
| Cocaine: One Man’s Seduction | 1983 | TV Movie | Barbara Gant |
| Little House on the Prairie | 1974-1982 | TV Series | Caroline Ingalls |
| The Love Boat | 1981 | TV Series | Paula |
| Harry’s War | 1981 | Kathy | |
| Little House Years | 1979 | TV Movie | Caroline Ingalls |
| Crisis in Mid-air | 1979 | TV Movie | Betsy Culver |
| Battered | 1978 | TV Movie | Susannah Hawks |
| The President’s Mistress | 1978 | TV Movie | The President’s Mistress / Donna Morton |
| Emily, Emily | 1977 | TV Movie | Terry |
| Gunsmoke | 1974 | TV Series | Fran |
| Love of Life | 1951 | TV Series | Bonnie Draper (early ’70s) |
Writer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battered | 1978 | TV Movie |
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home & Family | 2015 | TV Series | Herself |
| A Day in the Life of Little House | 2015 | Documentary | Herself |
| Extra | 2014 | TV Series | Herself – Little House on the Prairie / Herself |
| Today | 2014 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Little House Phenomenon: A Place in Television History | 2014 | Documentary | Herself |
| Weekend Today | 2007 | TV Series | Herself – Actress |
| Class of… | 2005 | TV Series | Herself |
| Intimate Portrait | 2002 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck | 2002 | TV Series | Herself |
| Weakest Link | 2002 | TV Series | Herself |
| E! True Hollywood Story | 1997 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| The John Davidson Show | 1980 | TV Series | Herself – Co-Host |
| The Hollywood Squares | 1975-1980 | TV Series | Herself |
| Battle of the Network Stars VIII | 1980 | TV Special | Herself – NBC Team |
| The Mike Douglas Show | 1975-1979 | TV Series | Herself – Actress / Herself – Co-Host |
| Dinah! | 1977 | TV Series | Herself |
| Battle of the Network Stars II | 1977 | TV Special | Herself – NBC Team |
| The Alan Hamel Show | 1977 | TV Series | Herself |
| Battle of the Network Stars | 1976 | TV Special | Herself – NBC Team |
Archive Footage
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¿Cómo están ustedes? | 2006 | TV Movie | Caroline Ingalls |
| Corazón, corazón | 2006 | TV Series | Caroline Ingalls |
| A Little House Conversation | 2006 | Video documentary | Caroline Ingalls |
Won Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | TP de Oro | TP de Oro, Spain | Best Foreign Actress (Mejor Actriz Extranjera) | Little House on the Prairie (1974) |
| 1975 | Bronze Wrangler | Western Heritage Awards | Fictional Television Drama | Little House on the Prairie (1974) |