Little House on the Prairie NBC TV Cast Information
Karen Grassle was born on February 25th, 1944 in
Berkeley, California.
Karen was known as the miracle baby in her family because, previous
to her birth, her mother had 4 miscarriages. Her father, Gene
Grassle, ran a gas station and her mother managed a restaurant.
By the time Karen graduated high school in 1960, Karen was the vice
president of the student body. Karen Grassle entered the University
of California-Berkeley as an English major, but later added Theatre
to her studies.
Karen then attended a San Francisco acting workshop, received a
scholarship and went to London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art,
where Karen later became the head of the Voice Department. Her first
New York break was the play "The Gingham Tree." Karen had to borrow
a dollar from a friend to go to the audition!
Karen changed her name to Gabriel Tree, which was the name under
which Karen auditioned for "Little House on the Prairie", but
Michael Landon convinced her to change it back.
Karen Grassle was one of 48 actresses vying for the part of "Ma".
After the series, Karen was featured as a guest star on various
television shows and toured the country performing in numerous
plays.
Later on, Karen moved to Louisville, Kentucky, to continue her work
in the theatre. Karen was the co-founder and artistic director of
Sante Fe’s Resource Theatre Company and recently starred in “Wit” at
the Arizona Theater Company.
Karen was married twice, first to Leon Russom, then to J. Alan
Radford in 1982.
Karen now lives in Pacific Palisades, California, with her adopted
daughter, Lily.
