- Little House on the Prairie was a very popular series
- Karen Grassle starred on the show
- She played "Ma Ingalls"
Little House on the Prairie delighted an audience of millions beginning in the 1970s. After 10 seasons, the Western series ended in 1983.
In 2021, Karen Grassle, who played the role of "Ma Ingalls," published her memoir Bright Lights, Prairie Dust, and the 81-year-old revealed surprising stories from her Little House days.
Karen Grassle had an affair with Little House guest actor
In her book, Grassle shares behind-the-scenes secrets from Little House. But now the most surprising one has come to light: Karen was having an affair on the set.
The actress revealed that it was guest star Gil Gerard. In a 1977 episode, he slipped into the role of "Chris Nelson" and turned heads on the set — especially Karen's.
Gerard's "irresistible" charisma and charm even caught the attention of the younger actresses, Karen writes in her book.
However, she was warned about Gerard by the show's hairstylist. "He's for playing, not for marrying," Grassle was told.
At the time, Grassle was dating another man, but she couldn't resist Gerard. She admits: "While Caroline's boundaries were firm, my own were not, and Gil was distractingly attractive."
The two had an affair, but it ended with bad news. Grassle recalled that Gerard eventually called her up and told her to take antibiotics because he'd contracted gonorrhea.
Gerard already had acting experience before his guest appearance on Little House. At the end of the '70s, he became known to a wide audience through his role on Buck Rogers.
Gerard has appeared both in TV and the movies. He was before the camera for films like Man on a Swing, Airport '77 and The Nice Guys.
His most recent appearance was in the 2019 film Space Captain and Callista. The 80-year-old also appears in a new film called The Dragons of Melgor.
Along with Grassle's story about Gerard, her troubling memories of working with Michael Landon have also made headlines with her new book.
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