Katherine "Scottie" MacGregor

Katherine MacGregor
Born Dorlee Deane MacGregor
(1925-01-12) January 12, 1925
Glendale, California, U.S.
Other names Scottie MacGregor
Occupation Actress
Years active 1951–1983

Katherine "Scottie" MacGregor (born Dorlee Deane MacGregor; January 12, 1925, Glendale, California) is a retired American actress, best known for her role as Harriet Oleson in Little House on the Prairie.[1]

Biography

She is best known for her comedic performance as Harriet Oleson from 1974-83 on Little House on the Prairie.[2] As a child, her mother moved them to Fort Collins, Colorado, where she lived most of her early life. She graduated from Northwestern University with a major in drama and moved to New York in 1949.[3] After arriving in New York, she was hired by the Arthur Murray Dance Studios in New York City as a dance instructor. She studied acting under N. Richard Nash, Sanford Meisner and Stella Adler.[3][4]

In 1974 she began her role as the general store owner's wife, Harriet Oleson on NBC's Little House on the Prairie. MacGregor's favorite description of her character in Little House came in a fan letter from Minnesota in the 1970s, in which Mrs. Oleson was described as "the touch of pepper in the sweetness of the show". In 1979, thanks to the popularity of Little House in Spain, MacGregor was invited to Madrid, Spain and appeared on RTVE's 625 Lineas program. After Little House on the Prairie, she withdrew from screen productions in favor of local theater. She dedicated herself to the Hindu religion, and to teaching acting to children at the Wee Hollywood Vedanta Players, before finally retiring in the early 2000s.

Beginning in the 1950s, as Scottie MacGregor, she worked in theatre on and off Broadway in New York and other states in plays such as The Seven Year Itch and Handful of Fire,[3][4] and won such uncredited parts as "a longshoreman's mother" (On the Waterfront); "Alice Thorn" (The Traveling Executioner) and "Miss Boswell" (The Student Nurses). She appeared in numerous episodes of various television series: Love of Life (1956), The Secret Storm, The Nurses,[5] Play of the Week (1959), East Side/West Side (1963), Mannix (1970–71), Emergency! (1972), Ironside (1972, 1974), and All in the Family (1973), as well as the two 1981 "Heroes vs. Villains" episodes of Family Feud hosted by Richard Dawson. She had roles in the TV movies, The Death of Me Yet (1971), The Girls of Huntington House (1973), and Tell Me Where It Hurts (1974).

Personal life

She was briefly married to actor Bert Remsen, one month her junior, in 1949-50, and to actor, director and teacher Edward G. Kaye-Martin, 14 years her junior, from August 1969 to October 1970.

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1954On the WaterfrontLongshoreman's MotherUncredited
1956Love of LifeTammy Forrest #1Unknown episodes
1959Play of the WeekMariaEpisode - "The Power and the Glory"
1963East Side/West SideGrace MorrisonEpisode - "Go Fight City Hall"
1970The Traveling ExecutionerAlice ThornUncredited
1970MannixNurse EvansEpisode - "The World Between"
1970The Student NursesMiss Boswell
1971The Young LawyersMrs. BradyEpisode - "The Bradbury War"
1971The Death of Me YetNora QueenTV movie
1971MannixNurseEpisode - "Run Till Dark"
1972IronsideMrs. PyleEpisode - "Programmed for Panic"
1972Emergency!Myrna ScudderEpisode - "Musical Mania"
1973The Girls of Huntington HouseRose BeckwithTV movie
1973All in the FamilyNurseEpisode - "Edith's Christmas Story"
1974Tell Me Where It HurtsMargeTV movie
1974IronsideIrmaEpisode - "Amy Prentiss" (Parts 1 & 2)
1974–1983Little House on the PrairieHarriet Oleson153 episodes

References

  1. ↑ "Katherine MacGregor profile". The New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  2. ↑ Luchina Fisher (2011-08-26). "Melissa Gilbert Files for Divorce from Bruce Boxleitner". ABC News.
  3. 1 2 3 "Miss MacGregor To Portray Mrs. FDR at Casino". Springfield Sunday Republican. 22 May 1960. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  4. 1 2 Buck, Jerry (11 June 1981). "Katherine MacGregor Plots Her Own Downfall". Greenville Daily Advocate. Associated Press. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  5. ↑ Peet, Creighton (22 December 1963). "Scottie has 7 roles in 1 play". Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
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