Alison Arngrim - wikipedia Alison Arngrim Alison Arngrim Alison Arngrim, 2017 Alison Margaret Arngrim ( 1962 - 01 - 18 ) January 18, 1962 ( age 55 ) New York City, New York, U.S. Residence Los Angeles, California, U.S. Occupation Actress, stand - up comedian, author Years active 1974 -- present Spouse ( s ) Donald Spencer Robert Paul Schoonover Parent ( s ) Thor Arngrim ( 1928 -- 2009 ) Norma MacMillan ( 1921 -- 2001 ) Relatives Stefan Arngrim ( b. 1955 ), brother Alison Margaret Arngrim ( born January 18, 1962, New York City ) is a Canadian - American actress, comedian and author. Beginning her television career at the age of twelve, Arngrim is a Young Artist Award -- Former Child Star `` Lifetime Achievement '' Award honoree, best known for her portrayal of Nellie Oleson on the NBC television series Little House on the Prairie from 1974 to 1981. Contents 1 Early life 2 Acting career 3 Philanthropy 4 Author 5 Personal life 6 Filmography 7 Awards 7.1 Wins 7.2 Nominations 8 Notes 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links Early life This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. ( November 2016 ) Arngrim 's father, Thor Arngrim, was a Canadian - born Hollywood manager. Her mother, Norma MacMillan of Vancouver, British Columbia, was an actress who provided the voices for characters as Casper on Casper the Friendly Ghost, as Gumby on Gumby, as Davey on Davey and Goliath, and Sweet Polly Purebred on Underdog, as well as other animated children 's programs. Her brother, Stefan ( b. 1955 ) was also a child actor, perhaps best known for his role as Barry Lockridge on the Irwin Allen science fiction television series, Land of the Giants. Arngrim has claimed that her brother sexually molested her from age six until nine. Acting career After beginning a career as a child model and actress in television commercials, Arngrim rose to fame as a child star in 1974, portraying the role of Nellie Oleson on the NBC television series Little House on the Prairie. She originally auditioned for the role of Laura Ingalls, and later, Mary Ingalls, but was instead cast in the role of antagonist, Nellie Oleson. Arngrim would play the role of Nellie for seven seasons and her portrayal became a cultural reference and camp archetype for the spoiled `` bad girl '' throughout the 1970s. Years later, in one of her stand - up routines, Arngrim described playing Nellie on Little House on The Prairie as `` like having PMS for seven years. '' In 2002, she was honored by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star `` Lifetime Achievement '' Award for her work as a child actress on Little House. At the 2006 TV Land Awards, Arngrim tied with Danielle Spencer ( ' Dee ' on What 's Happening ! ! ) as the `` Character Most in Need of a Time - out '' for her role as Nellie. In addition to her role on Little House, Arngrim also recorded the comedy record album, Heeere 's Amy, in which she portrayed first daughter Amy Carter. Her mother, who voiced the Kennedy children on the comedy albums of Vaughn Meader, also guest starred on the album. After leaving Little House, Arngrim appeared in guest - starring roles on such television series as The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. She was also a frequent panelist on the short - lived NBC game show Match Game - Hollywood Squares Hour. Philanthropy In addition to performing, Arngrim also devotes her time to charitable organizations. One of her inspirations for her charity work is the memory of her friend and fellow actor Steve Tracy, who played the role of Nellie Oleson 's husband, Percival Dalton, on Little House on the Prairie. Tracy died from complications from AIDS in 1986, after which Arngrim set her sights on becoming an activist for AIDS awareness. She also focuses on other issues, such as child abuse, speaking frequently for and lobbying with the group PROTECT. In 2004, Arngrim revealed on Larry King Live that she herself was an incest survivor. Author In 2010, Arngrim authored an autobiography titled Confessions of a Prairie Bitch : How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated. In the book she, for the first time, publicly identified her childhood abuser, though the book is mostly light - hearted and received critical praise for her ability to mix humor and personal tragedy. She wrote and performed a stage version, which premiered at Club Fez in New York. She later performed this one - person show at Parliament House, a gay resort in Orlando, Florida. Personal life Arngrim was briefly married to a writer, Donald Spencer, in the late 1980s. On November 6, 1993, she married her second husband, musician Robert Paul Schoonover, whom she met while volunteering at AIDS Project Los Angeles, where he was director of the Southern California AIDS Hotline. Arngrim and Schoonover live in Los Angeles. Arngrim regularly keeps in contact with her childhood friend Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie. She occasionally appears at Little House on the Prairie reunion events and autograph shows. Arngrim occasionally gives a `` Nastie Nellie Oleson Tour '' around Los Angeles. The tour consists of Hollywood trivia and discussions about growing up as a child actor. Filmography Film and television Year Title Role Notes Throw Out the Anchor ! Stevie Feature film 1974 -- 1982 Little House on the Prairie Nellie Oleson Regular role ( 104 episodes ) 1981 The Love Boat Becky Daniels Episode : Tony and Julie / Separate Beds / America 's Sweetheart 1981 Fantasy Island Lisa Blake Episode : `` Elizabeth 's Baby / The Artist and the Lady '' I Married Wyatt Earp Amy TV film 1986 Video Valentino Trixie Short film 2000 For the Love of May Jude Short film 2002 Last Place on Earth, The The Last Place on Earth Party Toast Feature film 2007 Le deal Edith Feature film 2009 Make the Yuletide Gay Heather Mancuso Feature film 2009 Bilderberg Club : Meet the Shadow One World Government, The The Bilderberg Club : Meet the Shadow One World Government Dr. Samantha Klein Short film 2012 Livin ' the Dream Debbie Sweat Short film 2015 The Comeback Kids Herself Episode : `` Child Star Support Group : Part 2 '' 2015 CPR Talent Agency Herself TV pilot episode 2015 Life Interrupted Ally Hughes TV film 2016 The Mephisto Box Leeza Pre-production Awards Wins 2002 -- Young Artist Award : Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award for ( Little House on the Prairie ) 2006 -- TV Land Award : for `` Character Most Desperately in Need of a Timeout '' ( Little House on the Prairie ) Nominations 1981 -- Young Artist Award : for Best Young Comedienne ( Little House on the Prairie ) 2008 -- TV Land Award : for `` Siblings That Make You Grateful for Your Own Crazy Family '' ( Little House on the Prairie ) Notes Jump up ^ `` Groovy Clothes Call for Proper Setting, Teenage Actor Warns ''. Los Angeles Times. August 25, 1968. Jump up ^ `` Little House 's Alison Arngrim : a retrospective ''. The Globe and Mail. Toronto. June 16, 2010. Jump up ^ Interview in Las Vegas Review - Journal 5 August 2010 Jump up ^ `` 23rd Annual Young Artist Awards ''. YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014. Retrieved 2011 - 03 - 31. Jump up ^ Schmader, David ( June 10, 2009 ). `` Did You Know This ? I Did Not ''. The Stranger. Retrieved June 12, 2011. Jump up ^ Arngrim, Alison ( 2010 ). Confessions of a Prairie Bitch : How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated. It Books. ISBN 978 - 0 - 06 - 196214 - 1. Jump up ^ Hgd.com Jump up ^ Barnes, Brooks ( June 14, 2013 ). `` From ' I Hate Her ' to Icon ''. The New York Times. Retrieved April 11, 2015. References Arngrim, Alison ( 2010 ). Confessions of a Prairie Bitch : How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated. New York City : It Books. ISBN 978 - 0 - 06 - 196214 - 1. Further reading Dye, David. Child and Youth Actors : Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914 - 1985. Jefferson, NC : McFarland & Co., 1988, p. 7. External links Alison Arngrim on IMDb Official website Official Website in Europe VIAF : 185228975 LCCN : n94083178 ISNI : 0000 0003 5641 3229 BNF : cb16540006r ( data ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alison_Arngrim&oldid=801542276 '' Categories : 1962 births Living people American autobiographers American television actresses American child actresses Actresses from New York ( state ) American people of Canadian descent Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from July 2013 Articles with hCards BLP articles lacking sources from November 2016 All BLP articles lacking sources All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2012 Articles with unsourced statements from March 2015 Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Deutsch Español فارسی Français Italiano Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Suomi Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 20 September 2017, at 09 : 07. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who played nellie in little house on the prairie
Answer: Alison Margaret Arngrim