What happened to Jonathan Gilbert, who played Willie Oleson in Little House on the Prairie? – News Series

Present from the first episode of Little House on the Prairie (with the exception of the one-and-a-half hour pilot that aired just before) to the last sequence of the final season, Willie is undeniably one of the most essential faces of Walnut Grove.

An iconic character

Youngest son of Nels and Harriet Oleson, who run the only store in town, little brother of the insufferable Nellie, who never misses an opportunity to torment Laura and Mary, Willie is a distracted, turbulent little boy who is often sought out on the school benches before being spotted on the corner, which has practically become his designated place.

Sometimes an accomplice of his big sister, sometimes her victim, he takes part in a large majority of the childhood adventures that we can see in the first seasons of the series, but will gradually become a responsible and reasonable adult, notably by gradually freeing himself from the shackles of his mother Harriet.

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After The Little House…

In short, for all fans of Little House on the Prairie, Willie is an unforgettable character. But 50 years after the start of the famous series, what about his interpreter? What happened to Jonathan Gilbert, who had lent his features to the young boy from the age of 7 (in 1974) and until the end of the show?

This child star, who was also the adopted brother of Melissa Gilbert (aka Laura Ingalls in the series) completely stopped acting when Little House on the Prairie ended in 1984. Apart from his participation in the TV movie Miracle in Alabama (which revisited the life of Hellen Keller in 1979), again alongside his sister, he never knew any other film set than that of Walnut Grove.

But as Melissa Gilbert recounts in her biography Prairie Talehaving reached adulthood, Jonathan did not only leave his acting activities:

“My brother, Jonathan, has completely cut himself off from the family”she confided.

“He turned 18 and disappeared. Although he reappeared a few times over the years, I've only seen him three times in the last two decades. Surprisingly, I'm at peace with that.”

But then… What happened to Jonathan Gilbert? According to information found on several fan sites, it seems that after his departure, he settled in New York and studied for a long time, eventually obtaining a job as a stockbroker.

A return to the stage 50 years later

As for Little House on the Prairie fans, they had the opportunity to see him again very recently, since he agreed to participate in the 50th anniversary of the series in Simi Valley, last March.

On stage, alongside his “big TV sister” Alison Arngrim (who played Nellie), he shared some memories of filming in front of the audience (see above):

“It was so much fun being Willie. And I'm sure it was a lot of fun being Nellie, too. It was so liberating. It was just great. So when they turned me into this nice, run-of-the-mill guy, it was lovely, but it wasn't funny anymore.”

What are your favorite memories of Willie Oleson in Little House on the Prairie?

(Re)discover our interview with Alison Arngrim…