However, according to Karen Grassle, things weren’t all as rosy as they might have appeared.

In an upcoming memoir, Grassle claims that Michael Landon lashed out at her several times, mocking her and telling “disgusting” jokes. Furthermore, the actress explained how Landon was of the belief that she shouldn’t get paid more than the child actors on the show.

Little House on the Prairie is a legendary show that is still aired in over 100 countries. In fact, the show has never been completely off the air since it premiered way back in 1974.

The historical western drama – about the Ingalls family and their farm in Plum Creek, near Walnut Grove, Minnesota – helped some of its actors become household names.

Karen Grassle – Caroline Ingalls

Michael Landon is the figure most people associate with the show. Sadly, he passed away in 1991.

Among the other actors, Melissa Gilbert and Karen Grassle both became icons through Little House. For me, it’s hard to choose a favorite from so many great performances.

Grassle’s life changed completely when she got the part of Caroline Ingalls, AKA “Ma”, on Little House on the Prairie.

Born February 25, 1942 in California, Grassle completed her college education at the University of California. She then traveled to London to study at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

She did plenty of theater work with the Shakespeare company, but unfortunately things didn’t quite add up when it came to her finances.

“I had spent a year in England, working with a Shakespeare company and teaching, and came back to the States flat broke,” she told Closer Weekly.

Yet some of the greatest happenings in life can be coincidences. It just might be that one is in the right place at the right time to get that shot they desperately need in life.

At the time Little House on the Prairie was casting for the show, Grassle was actually involved in another project. As everyone knows, she ended up being cast in Little House, all thanks to a happy coincidence.

“I was asked to fly to LA to play the lead in an independent movie, but when I got to the airport, there was no ticket!” Grassle recalled.

“I’d sublet my apartment and my boyfriend was [with me], so I wrote a bad check to get one. But when I got to LA, the movie fell through.”