Little House on the Prairie NBC TV Cast Information
Best known for her performance as the nasty,
gossiping, greedy and arrogant Mrs. Harriet Oleson on the TV series
"Little House on the Prairie" (1974). Katherine (Scottie) MacGregor
could not appear in the final feature length episode "The Last
Farewell" because she was on a pilgrimage in India.
Before moving to Los Angeles in 1970 Ms. MacGregor worked as a stage
actress on Broadway, off Broadway and in regional theatre in and
around New York City.
Katherine currently lives in the Hollywood Hills, occasionally
writes, directs, and produces plays for "The Wee Hollywood Vedanta
Players" a Children's Theater Group.
In the Spring of 2006 Katherine MacGregor gave Co-Star Dean Butler
(Almanzo Wilder) an exclusive interview for the bonus features for
the TV movies to be released on DVD by Imavision.
* Here's what TV daughter Alison Arngrim had to say about
Katherine's current status. This was posted on Alison's Web site.
Attention Mrs. Oleson Fans!!
There have been a series of bizarre rumors circulating about the
woman who played my dear mother, Harriet, veteran stage and
television actress Katherine MacGregor. Let's settle this right
here: Katherine is alive and well, in excellent health and living in
Hollywood. She does not and has not had cancer, or so much as a cold
in the entire time I've known her. She is a strict vegetarian and an
avid devotee of health foods and clean living. She does not smoke or
drink. She does indeed meditate and belong to an ashram. She has
long been a follower of eastern religion, (Vedanta and the teachings
of the late Swami Vivekananda) but she is not and never has been
married to her Swami. (Frankly, that's just not even the sort of
thing one would do in her religion!)
She's also not married to her doctor. Or any doctor. She's never
been a big fan of doctors or western medicine in general. (Even her
dog prefers acupuncture.)
The truth is, Ma Oleson is single and loving it! She was married
(and divorced) a very, very long time ago, but has decided there are
simply better ways to spend her time, than as she puts it, "chasing
after some man!" She considers herself retired, enjoys mediation,
reading, cooking healthy food, traveling (trips to India and such),
quiet evenings with friends and taking care of her dog.
She say she's very happy and really doesn't care what people think
about what she does with her life, but she loves her fans and would
not want them to worry.
She doesn't do interviews, but does occasionally answers fan mail.
She doesn't send out 8" x 10" glossy photos, but has been known to
draw a caricature of herself as Mrs. Oleson and sign it.
She thinks of all of us kids from "Little House" as her own dear,
wayward children and is never without advice on what we should all
be doing, who we should or shouldn't be marrying, etc. (OK, so it's
a little like the show. But she loves us.)
If you are interested in knowing more about Katherine's spiritual
pursuits, check out the Vedanta society at their website
www.vedanta.org and read all about their fascinating history,
including such followers as Christopher Isherwood and Aldous Huxley.
You can also visit their Hollywood Temple and bookstore at: 1946
Vedanta Place, Hollywood, CA 90068-3996
So there you are. Not what one would expect to find at the
Mercantile is it?
