Latest news with #NellieOleson
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Little House' Icon, 63, is Unrecognizable Without her Trademark Curls While Out in Los Angeles
'Little House' Icon, 63, is Unrecognizable Without her Trademark Curls While Out in Los Angeles originally appeared on Parade. We may miss her notorious curls, but Alison Arngrim is doing just fine in adulthood! The beloved actress, 63, who rose to stardom as mean 'ol Nellie Oleson on Little House on the Prairie, was spotted out and about in Los Angeles by the Daily Mail. Known for her snobby attitude and barrel curls, Nellie made life hard for our girl Laura Ingalls. But in real life, Arngrim is a real gem. Dressed in jeans and a blue blouse, the actress and author of Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated, pumped her own gas and ran errands. Two things we doubt Nellie would ever do! Click here to see the photos of the icon out and about in Los Angeles. In her fascinating book, Arngrim opened up about working on the set of the beloved frontier show. She also discussed how Michael Landon was both a respectful and stern boss to the child actors. 'He respected me,' Arngrim wrote. 'Respect is something very hard to come by for child actors. They are often treated as dumb animals or props, objects to be moved about in service of the plot or the other actors.' 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 Arngrim has even parlayed her experience on Little House into a one-woman show, appropriately titled Confessions of a Prairie Bitch. In a recent interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, she explained why people are so eager for her to bring back the character. 'It started because Nellie and Mrs. Oleson (her mom on the show) are high camp,' Arngrim said. 'You cannot get campier than Mrs. Oleson.' For a delicious moment of Little House camp, here's one of the show's best moments:'Little House' Icon, 63, is Unrecognizable Without her Trademark Curls While Out in Los Angeles first appeared on Parade on Jun 29, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE America's favorite frilly-haired villain on frontier drama is rocking blue nails on LA run…can you guess who?
She became a household name in the 1970s for playing one of television's most iconic bratty blondes – a petticoat-clad bully with bouncing curls and a sharp tongue. For nearly a decade, she tormented her onscreen classmates with snide remarks and conniving schemes on a beloved frontier-era drama that won hearts across America. While her co-stars were often seen as paragons of kindness and Christian values, her character was anything but – and fans couldn't get enough of it. Since stepping away from her most famous role in the early '80s, the actress has dabbled in comedy, spoken-word, and advocacy - while always embracing her legacy as TV's original mean girl. These days, she tends to keep a relatively low profile, popping up occasionally at fan conventions or retro TV specials. But earlier this month, she was spotted enjoying a solo afternoon in sunny Los Angeles, running errands in the upscale Westwood neighborhood. Can you guess who it is? It's Alison Arngrim! The 63-year-old, best known for playing Nellie Oleson on Little House on the Prairie, made a rare public appearance as she stopped by an apartment complex where she remained for over an hour. She looked vibrant and cheerful in a white-and-blue patterned top, relaxed jeans, red sneakers – and bright blue fingernails that added a pop of flair. The outing comes amid renewed interest in the classic series, thanks to Netflix's announcement of a Little House reboot slated to bring the Ingalls family's story to a new generation. The former child star appeared in good spirits as she filled up her tank, her signature blonde hair now styled in a natural bob, with a few fans reportedly recognizing her despite the low-key ensemble But don't expect to see any familiar faces in the new version - at least not yet. 'None of us, as far as I know, our gang, are in at this point,' Arngrim confirmed in a January interview with ReMIND, dashing fan hopes for OG cameos. Born in New York City, Arngrim was just 12 when she first appeared on the hit series in 1974. Her portrayal of Nellie – with her golden ringlets and wicked grin – quickly made her a standout. Arngrim has leaned into her iconic role over the years, frequently appearing at fan conventions and nostalgia events to celebrate Little House's enduring legacy While the show aired until 1983, she left after seven seasons but remained closely associated with the character for decades. Over the years, she's spoken candidly about the challenges of being a child star, her battles with illness, and her advocacy work around AIDS and child abuse awareness. Arngrim has leaned into her cult fame with good humor, even releasing a memoir titled Confessions of a Prairie Bitch in 2010. She remains active on the fan convention circuit and regularly appears on retro TV panels, delighting longtime viewers who still recall her delightfully devious days in Walnut Grove.
Fox News
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
'Little House on the Prairie' star says controversial storyline 'would not happen today' due to age gap
Alison Arngrim, who starred as Nellie Oleson in "Little House on the Prairie," believes there's one episode from the series that wouldn't be made today. On a recent episode of the "Little House 50" podcast, Arngrim spoke to host Pamela Bob, as well as "Little House" co-star Dean Butler, about an episode from the show's fourth season titled "Here Come the Brides," which aired in 1977. The episode tells the tale of how Oleson is wooed by Luke Simms, a teen boy in town. The two eloped after a brief romance. However, after their parents found out, they were taken back to the Justice of the Peace to be unmarried. Olesen said she had just turned 15 when they shot the episode. Her character was supposed to be 13. "I was super… teenage [with] puberty insanity happening," Arngrim explained. "She's just barely 13. This cat is, he's playing I guess 16, 17. He's in his late 20s." Bob Marsic, who played Simms, was 22. "It's young girls — children — accosting a grown man who they have not been introduced to," said Arngrim about how the characters reacted to Simms' appearance. "That would not happen today, right?" Bob asked. "That casting a full-grown adult to play or even kiss — and it was an innocent kiss, but it's a kiss — a minor." Filming was awkward from the start, Arngrim recalled, noting that she hadn't met her on-screen love interest before they started filming. "I think we were like kissing on the first day or something," she said. "Maybe the second — day two? It was pretty quick, it was like, 'Hi, introduce yourself, now you're in love.''" Arngrim noted that if a similar scene were filmed today, there wouldn't be a significant age gap between the young actors. An intimacy coordinator, which didn't exist at the time, would also be on set. The former child star described how at one point, Marsic brought his girlfriend to the set while the episode was filmed. "That was another of the weird moments," said Arngrim on the podcast. "His girlfriend shows up, and it was weird because it was like … there was this vague thing of her wanting to be there for the romantic scenes." "I was like, does this woman think that I am a threat?" she chuckled. "Really? This 15-year-old pimply girl? No. No. I am not a threat to your relationship. I am not stealing your man." Back in June 2024, Butler spoke to Fox News Digital about how he had struggled with anxiety after discovering that he would be giving his co-star, 15-year-old Melissa Gilbert, her first kiss – both on-screen and in real life. WATCH: 'LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE' CHILD STAR SAYS SET WAS LIKE 'MAD MEN' Butler was 23 when he was cast in the popular TV show, which aired from 1974 to 1983. "You just couldn't do it today," the actor, who played Almanzo Wilder in "Little House," told Fox News Digital. "There would be way too much blowback. It's remarkable that we didn't get more blowback than we did. . . . But I think it was handled so tastefully that people … forgot about the age difference." "I think the audience had been watching Melissa for years and loved her incredibly," Butler shared. "They wanted to see when she, so honestly and innocently, declared her love for this young man. She fell in love from the first time she laid eyes on him. The audience was prepared to go right along with that." According to Butler, the characters from the original book series were supposed to have a 10-year age difference. He noted that Gilbert had "complete trust" in her TV dad, who carefully supervised the scene. "That was a very powerful relationship Melissa had in her life, the one she had with Michael Landon," said Butler. "When Michael said, 'This is the guy for you,' she was prepared to suspend all of her anxieties and just step into it. And Michael never led anyone wrong in the series. He really had it down. He knew what he was doing. He believed very strongly in his creative instincts. He trusted that it would work." "I'm just really grateful that I was the guy that he felt he could trust with this," Butler added. Still, both Butler and Gilbert had to overcome their fears in attempting to bring the scene to life. "I think a lot of young actresses might've folded under the pressure," said Butler. "Melissa had no experience. She'd never been on a date. Never kissed anyone. Never did anything like that. That was still all ahead of her. So to ask her to step into that when she had no real life experience? It does speak to Melissa's gumption and her courage. She just did it. She put all of her anxieties aside and just stepped in. She knew what she had to do to be the Laura that she was supposed to be." The pair smooched in the episode titled "Sweet Sixteen." Butler said that nearly 100 people surrounded them on set to make sure the shot was perfect. "My job was to make it as easy for her as possible by really being the gentleman I was raised to be," Butler shared. "There's been no casting pairing like what they did with us since then. That casting could simply never happen today. Certainly not on a mainstream television show."
