Karen Grassle
Biography
Karen Trust Grassle is an American actress born on February 25, 1942, in Berkeley, California. She is best known to television audiences for her portrayal of the pioneer mother Caroline Ingalls on the NBC drama series Little House on the Prairie, a role she held for nearly a decade. With a career spanning 23 known credits, she has established herself as a recognizable figure in American television history. Her professional background includes extensive work in theater, television, and soap operas, reflecting a diverse career that began in the regional theater circuit before transitioning to national television prominence.
Career overview
Karen Grassle began her professional acting career following her return from London, starting with a season at the Front Street Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee. Her early theatrical experience included playing leads at the Stanford Contemporary Workshop and performing classical roles during two summers at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. She made her Broadway debut in 1968 in the play The Gingham Dog. While residing in New York City, she expanded her repertoire by working in resident and stock theaters across the country. Her early television work included appearances in three soap operas and roles in original productions broadcast on PBS.
Grassle gained significant national recognition for her long-running role as Caroline Ingalls on the NBC television series Little House on the Prairie. This performance defined her career for close to a decade, cementing her status as a familiar presence in American households. Beyond this signature role, her professional history demonstrates a consistent commitment to the craft of acting across multiple mediums, including stage and network television.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Little House Homecoming (2025) as Self
- Not to Forget (2021) as Melody
- Lasso (2017) as Lillian
- Where's Roman? (2017) as Mysterious Woman
- Little House on the Prairie: A Merry Ingalls Christmas (2014) as Caroline Ingalls
- Tales of Everyday Magic (2012)
- Wyatt Earp (1994) as Mrs. Sutherland
- Between the Darkness and the Dawn (1985) as Ellen Foster Holland
- Murder, She Wrote (1984) as Christine Stoneham
- Murder, She Wrote (1984) as Fay Hewitt
- Little House: The Last Farewell (1984) as Caroline Ingalls
- Cocaine: One Man's Seduction (1983) as Barbara Gant
- Hotel (1982) as Susan Walker
- Harry's War (1981) as Kathy
- The Little House Years (1979) as Caroline Ingalls
- Crisis in Mid-Air (1979) as Betsy Culver
- The President's Mistress (1978) as Donna Morton
- Battered (1978) as Susannah Hawks
- Battered (1978) Writer
- The Love Boat (1977) as Paula
- Little House on the Prairie (1974) as Caroline Ingalls
- Little House on the Prairie (1974) as Caroline Ingalls
- The Mike Douglas Show (1961) as Self
- Gunsmoke (1955) as Fran
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951)