Watching the classic television show “Little House on the Prairie” was pure comfort; the show drew millions of fans worldwide.The classic show, which aired from 1974 to 1983, was based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s best-selling children’s books and depicted the lives of the Ingalls family in 1800s Walnut Grove, Minnesota. Karen Grassle played the family’s mother, or Ma as. She is known to fans around the world and became an American treasure who is still acting at the age of 79.
Caroline Lake Quiner Ingalls is perhaps her most well-known role, but she seemed to vanish from our screens after portraying one of the most iconic American mothers in television history. The California-born actress left our screens but not acting. After graduating from the University of California, she moved to London to study at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
“That was one of the most exciting learning experiences of my life: the school was superb and we could go to the theater in London and see the finest actors and productions in the English language,” Karen told apost.com. She auditioned for a movie part she didn’t get but went on to audition for “Little House on the Prairie” and landed one of the most iconic roles in television history at the age of 32. Despite the fact that the show ended in 1983, Karen left in 1982, and despite producers’ attempts to continue with just the Ingalls children, “Little House on the Prairie” was eventually cancelled.
Karen, who turned 79 on February 25 2020, returned to her first love, Broadway, after she left. After appearing on stage in Kentucky, Boston, and New York City, she founded her own theatre company. After appearing in stage classics such as “Cabaret” and “Driving Miss Daisy,” she returned to screens in 1994 in the film Wyatt Earp, starring Kevin Costner.
She took a risk at 75 years old and starred in the horror film Lasso, which she was unsure about at first. “Finally, my son tells me, “Oh just do it, Mom. You’ll have fun! You’ll run screaming in the night!” So, I said, “Okay, I’ll do it.” It’s a total change for me,” she told Dread Central. Karen Grassle has been cast in the film Not To Forget, which is about a Kentucky grandmother with Alzheimer’s and her young grandson. The film was released in 2021.