Little House on the Prairie is one of those series one can’t easily forget. It captured our hearts years ago and left an impact on everyone who has ever followed the adventures of one the most famous TV families there are, the Ingalls.
Believe it or not, Little House on the Prairie first aired in 1974 and hasn’t been off air ever since. At the moment, it is shown in over 100 countries throughout the world.
Many of the series’ actors had their breakthroughs with this show and became icons. Among those who made the series what it is today are late Michael Landon, who played one of the most iconic father roles in the history of film, that of Charles Ingalls, Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls, Dean Butler, who starred as Almanzo Wilder, Melissa Sue Anderson in the role of Marry Ingalls, and a lot more.
Another capturing role, that of sweet Alicia Sanderson Edwards, was played by actress Kyle Richards. She was part of the series for 18 episodes and then, all of a sudden, her character disappeared.
That role, however, helped Richards boost her career. She moved on to other projects and she’s currently starring in the reality show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She’s been part of the show since 2010.
Speaking of the time she got the role in Little House on the Prairie, Richards told San Diego Entertainer that she had no idea what she was doing there at the casting.
“She [her mother] also felt that since her other two other daughters were doing this, she didn’t want me to feel left out,” Richards recalled. “I was scared when I was little because I was really painfully shy. At my first audition, the guy had on a white jacket, so at the time I thought I was going to a doctor (laughs) and I was so little, so I would get really scared. I am glad she did that because it did help me overcome my shyness.”
In an episode of Real Housewives, the actress spoke of the freedom she was given by her parents and the trust they had in her and her sisters.
“I was driving way before I had a license,” she said, as quoted by NickiSwift. “My mom was a rule breaker. She did not give a sh*t. If she wanted to let me drive to work at 13, she was gonna do it, and she trusted me.”
She has fond memories of the show and all the actors and actresses and says how she and her kids watch Little House on the Prairie every now and then together.
In 2016, she was the host of the all day marathon of the series hosted by NBC. Richards opened the event saying: “For parties on the prairie, you’d just boil your best dress, tuck your hair under a bonnet and pass around a bottle of sarsaparilla with a dirty rag to wipe the rim,” she joked. “Today, you need so much more – a theme, florist, catering truck, flowers, valet car attendants, gift bags and a charity auction – just to name a few.”
Richards has four children. Back in 1988, she married husband Guraish Aldjufrie with whom she has daughter Farrah Aldjufrie. The two separated in 1992, and in 1966, Richards married her second husband, Mauricio Umansky, with whom she has daughters Alexia, Sophia, and Portia.
Speaking of her first marriage which ended in divorce, Richards said: “Eventually I couldn’t do it and I left, and I felt so guilty,” adding that it wasn’t an easy decision to make.
Other series Richards was part of are ER and Days of Our Lives. “When I wanted to go back to work after having my children, one of my first auditions was for ER, a small part,” she recalled in an LA Times interview. “I went in and I got it, and then I said, ‘Well, I mean, I don’t want to take it because it’s such a small part.’ But I went in and I did it, and then I ended up being on there for almost 10 years.”
Speaking of Real Housewives, for which she was nominated for People’s Choice Awards for “Favorite Reality TV Star,” Richards told Celebrity Nine: “It’s kind of crazy. When I first signed up to do this show, I didn’t know if it would be a success or not. Next thing I know, it became a huge success and then we did a few seasons, and it became obviously five seasons, and next thing you know I’m here a decade later. I honestly can’t believe I’m still here.”
She’s not afraid to admit she has done plastic surgeries and spoke publicly on having her nose fixed twice. The 52-year-old actress looks stunning, don’t you agree?