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Karen Grassle is an American actress from Berkeley, California. She is primarily known for portraying the historical figure of Caroline Ingalls (1839 -1924) in the long-running Western television series "Little House on the Prairie" (1974-1983). Caroline was the mother of the novelist Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957), whose works had inspired the series.

In 1942, Grassle was born in Berkeley, California. The city is located on the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay, named after Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkeley (1685 -1753), and well-known for its branch of the University of California, a public land-grant research university.

Grassle's parents were realty business owner Eugene Frederick "Gene" Grassle (1906-1977) and the school teacher Frae Ella Berry (1907-2002).

Grassle received ballet lessons as a child. She was interested in acting, and she took part in several school plays. She also sang in a Baptist choir. During her senior year of high school, Grassle was the vice president of the student body. She received a "Girl of the Year" award from her high school. In 1959, Grassle graduated from the Ventura High School.

In 1959, Grassle started her college education at the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College, a women's college located in New Orleans established by the philanthropist Josephine Louise Newcomb (1816-1901), as a memorial for her deceased daughter Sophie Newcomb (1855-1870).

In 1960, Grassle transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, returning her to her home state of California. In 1965, Grassle graduated, receiving Bachelor of Arts degrees in both English and Dramatic Art. She received a Fulbright Fellowship which allowed her to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, located in Hammersmith, London.

Grassle started her professional acting career with summer performances at the Stanford Contemporary Workshop and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. After returning from her studies in London, she performed for a season at the Front Street Theatre of Memphis, Tennessee.

She next moved to New York City, but she worked at resident and stock theaters throughout the country. In 1968, Grassle made her Broadway debut. She performed in the play "The Gingham Dog" (1968) by Lanford Wilson (1937-2011), which depicted the breakup of an interracial couple.

Grassle was one of several replacement actresses who were hired to perform in the play "Butterflies Are Free" (1969) by Leonard Gershe, following departures from members of the original cast. The play was loosely based on the life of the blind American lawyer Harold Krents (c. 1944-1987).

In the summer of 1972, she was performing at the Elitch Theatre in Denver, Colorado. Her co-star Brandon deWilde (1942-1972) was tragically killed in a traffic accident in the suburbs of Denver.

Grassle remained a theatrical actress until she decided to audition for television. She won a leading role, Caroline Ingalls, in the hit series "Little House on the Prairie". During the series' production, Grassle made a guest appearance in "Gunsmoke". She depicted the saloon girl Fran, in a story about kidnapped women. During the late 1970s, Grassle started performing in various television films.

Grassle made her film debut in the comedy-drama film "Harry's War" (1981), portraying the protagonist's wife. In the film, a man inherits a family dispute with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). His actions against the IRS escalate to violence. The film only received a limited theatrical release for two weeks.

Along with several of the original stars, a year before the conclusion of the series (1982), Grassle left the cast of "Little House on the Prairie. She subsequently moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she served as the artistic director of the local Resource Theater Company. She eventually left the city to perform with the Actors Theatre of Louisville, a Kentucky-based performing arts theatre.

Grassle portrayed a minor character in the Western film "Wyatt Earp" (1994), her first film role since the early 1980s. The film only earned 55.9 million dollars at the worldwide box office, and was considered a box office failure.

Grassle continued performing in theatrical plays into the 2000s. She performed regularly at both the San Francisco Playhouse and the Manitoba Theatre Centre. She started regularly appearing in television commercials. She became the promotional face for Premier Bathrooms, a supplier of bathing products for the elderly and infirm.

In 2021, Grassle had one of the main roles in the feature film "Not to Forget," her first film role in several years. The film primarily depicted the "ravages and emotional toll of Alzheimer's disease." The production's purpose was to raise awareness for the effects of the disease as well as funds for medical research.

Also in 2021, Grassle published her memoir, "Bright Lights, Prairie Dust: Reflections on Life, Loss, and Love by House's Ma". The book explained her long struggle with alcoholism, and her troubled relationship with her television co-star Michael Landon. Their relationship was strained after he denied her request for a raise, and he reportedly kept making humiliating comments about her in the presence of various members of the cast and crew of "Little House on the Prairie."

As of 2022, Grassle is 80-years-old. She is fondly recalled by generations of viewers of her popular Western series. She also has a decent reputation as a theatrical actress. She has never retired from acting, though her lengthy career has had few highlights in recent years.

Awards

Karen Grassle

Photoplay Awards

Western Heritage Awards

Fort Myers Beach Film Festival

TP de Oro, Spain

Film Arts and Hearts Film Festival

International Moving Film Festival

Bridge Fest, Canada

Long Key International Film Awards

International World Film Awards

MegaFlix Movie Awards

Filmmakers United International Film Festival (FUIFF)

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