Katherine MacGregor Of 'Little House On The Prairie' Fame Dies

WOODLAND HILLS, CA —Actress Katherine "Scottie" MacGregor, who rose to fame as Walnut Grove's town gossip on "Little House on the Prairie," died Tuesday in Woodland Hills. She was 93.

The popular show played an outsized role as America’s moral compass during its heyday, and MacGregor was recognizable across the country thanks to her role as Harriet Oleson. It was a character she brought to life with a delicious combination of petty cruelty, genuine vulnerability, and a touch of farce. It was the role that would come to define her long career in television and theater, and make her one of TV’s all-time great supporting actresses.

The secret to making such a dislikeable character watchable was to add a playful element, MacGregor said of her famous role.

“Anyone that mean has to be a fool,” she told NBC. “So I began mixing farce into it.”

The Glendale native was born Dorlee Deane MacGregor in 1925, but she changed her name to “Scottie,” when she set out for New York to pursue theater. After years of meaty stage roles, she headed west to try her hand on the big and small screens. MacGregor nearly missed her shot at the role that would make her an indelible part of American television during the 70s and 80s. Unable to land the roles she wanted, she was ready to quit Hollywood when she got her big break on "Little House on the Prairie."

"I was getting ready to go back to New York and my agent called and said, 'Could you go see somebody this afternoon?'" she said, according to Today. "And I said, 'Who did you say I'm supposed to meet?' She said, 'Michael Landon.' And I said, 'Well, who's he?'"

MacGregor passed away at the Motion Picture Fund Long Term Nursing Care facility in Woodland Hills. The actor who played her husband on the show, Richard Bull, also lived at the home until his death. MacGregor famously told his widow "they both had lost a wonderful husband,” according to Today.

On Wednesday, MacGregor’s co-stars shared their memories and their sorrow.

“This woman taught me so much,” Melissa Gilbert wrote on Instagram.

“She was outspoken and hilariously funny. A truly gifted actress as she was able to play a despicable character but with so much heart. Her Harriet Oleson was the woman our fans loved to hate. A perfect antagonist. The thing people outside of our prairie family didn’t know, was how loving and nurturing she was with the younger cast.”

McGregor learned her craft from the greats, studying under Sanford Meisner, Stella Adler and N. Richard Nash, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She appeared in Broadway’s Handful of Fire and had a small role in On the Waterfront. She practiced Hinduism, which she studied abroad. She was briefly married twice to Edward G. Kaye-Martin and Bert Remsen.

“She had an EXTREMELY long, full life and is at peace,” Alison Arngrim, who played her daughter Nellie wrote on Twitter. “But yes, we will all miss her.”

Photo: Youtube screengrab