Alison Arngrim
Encyclopedia
Alison Margaret Arngrim is an American actress, stand-up comedian
and author.
Arngrim's father, Thor Arngrim, was a well-known Hollywood manager. Her mother, Norma MacMillan
, was a well-known voice actress, who provided the voices for characters on Casper the Friendly Ghost
, Gumby
, Davey and Goliath
, Underdog, and many other beloved animated programs. Her brother Stefan Arngrim
was also a child actor.
Arngrim is possibly best known as a former child star
, playing the role of Nellie Oleson
in the NBC
television series Little House on the Prairie
. She had originally auditioned for the role of Laura Ingalls
, and later Mary Ingalls
, on Little House on The Prairie, but received the role of Nellie Oleson.
She appeared in guest roles on television series like The Love Boat
and Fantasy Island
. She was also a frequent panelist on the short-lived NBC
game show
Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
. She made a 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.
She currently does charity
work in addition to performance. One of her inspirations for her charitable 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 she set her sights on becoming an activist towards AIDS awareness. She also focuses on other issues such as child abuse
, speaking frequently for and lobbying with the group PROTECT. In 2004, she came out as an incest
survivor on Larry King Live
.
Arngrim was briefly married to a writer, Donald Spencer, in the late 1980s. She married her second husband, musician Robert Paul Schoonover, whom she met while she was were volunteering at AIDS Project Los Angeles, where he was director of the Southern California AIDS Hotline, on November 6, 1993. Bride, groom, and the wedding party all wore black tuxedoes with bare feet and black toenail polish to the wedding. Arngrim and Schoonover live in Los Angeles
.
Arngrim tied with Danielle Spencer ('Dee' on What's Happening!!
) for "Character Most in Need of a Time-out" award on the 2006 TV Land Awards for her role on Little House on The Prairie.
In one of her stand-up routines, she described playing Nellie on Little House on The Prairie as "like having PMS for seven years." On May 26, 2007, she made an appearance at the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival signing autographs.
In 2010, Arngrim published her 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 attacker as her older brother, Stefan
, though the book is mostly light-hearted and received critical praise for her ability to mix humor and personal tragedy.
Arngrim regularly keeps in contact with her 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 and has recently begun occasionally hosting guided tours, in partnership with Scott Michaels
' Dearly Departed Tours, of Hollywood called Nasty Nellie Tours.
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
and author.
Arngrim's father, Thor Arngrim, was a well-known Hollywood manager. Her mother, Norma MacMillan
Norma MacMillan
Norma MacMillan was a Canadian voice actor.Norma MacMillan was a native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was there that she met, worked with and married her producer/manager husband Thor Arngrim. Arngrim had started the now-legendary, but short-lived Totem Theatre company in 1951...
, was a well-known voice actress, who provided the voices for characters on Casper the Friendly Ghost
Casper the Friendly Ghost
Casper the Friendly Ghost is the protagonist of the Famous Studios theatrical animated cartoon series of the same name. As his name indicates, he is a ghost, but is quite personable...
, Gumby
Gumby
Gumby is a green clay humanoid character created and modeled by Art Clokey, who also created Davey and Goliath. Gumby has been the subject of a 233-episode series of American television as well as a feature-length film and other media...
, Davey and Goliath
Davey and Goliath
Davey and Goliath is a 1960s stop-motion animated children's Christian television series. The programs, produced by the Lutheran Church in America , were produced by Art Clokey after the success of his Gumby series.Each 15-minute episode features the adventures of Davey Hansen and his "talking"...
, Underdog, and many other beloved animated programs. Her brother Stefan Arngrim
Stefan Arngrim
Stefan Arngrim , sometimes credited as Stephan Arngrim, is a Canadian actor and former child actor.Arngrim was born in Canada, the son of actress Norma MacMillan and Thor Arngrim. He is the brother of actress Alison Arngrim...
was also a child actor.
Arngrim is possibly best known as a former child star
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
, playing the role of Nellie Oleson
Nellie Oleson
Nellie Oleson is a fictional character that appeared in the children's books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Her character was later adapted for the NBC television show, Little House on the Prairie. She also stars in the book Nellie Oleson Meets Laura Ingalls, by Heather Williams.Nellie was a...
in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television series Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie (TV series)
Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
. She had originally auditioned for the role of Laura Ingalls
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder was an American author who wrote the Little House series of books based on her childhood in a pioneer family...
, and later Mary Ingalls
Mary Ingalls
Mary Amelia Ingalls was born near the town of Pepin, Wisconsin. She was the first child of Caroline and Charles Ingalls...
, on Little House on The Prairie, but received the role of Nellie Oleson.
She appeared in guest roles on television series like The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
and Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
. She was also a frequent panelist on the short-lived NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour is an American television game show that combined two long-running game shows of the 1960s and 1970s – Match Game and Hollywood Squares – into an hour-long format....
. She made a comedy record album, Heeere's Amy, in which she portrayed first daughter Amy Carter
Amy Carter
Amy Lynn Carter is the fourth child and only daughter of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter. She entered the limelight as she lived as a child in the White House during the Carter presidency.-Early life:...
, her mother who voiced the Kennedy children on the comedy albums of Vaughn Meader
Vaughn Meader
Abbott Vaughn Meader was an American comedian and impersonator whose achievement of fame with The First Family album spoofing President John F...
also guest starred on the album.
She currently does charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
work in addition to performance. One of her inspirations for her charitable work is the memory of her friend and fellow actor Steve Tracy
Steve Tracy
Steve Tracy was an American film and television actor. Tracy is best known for his role on Little House on the Prairie as Percival Dalton.-Life and education:...
, who played the role of Nellie Oleson's husband Percival Dalton on Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie
Little House is a series of children's books by Laura Ingalls Wilder that was published originally between 1932 and 1943, with four additional books published posthumously, in 1962, 1971, 1974 and 2006.-History:...
. Tracy died from complications from AIDS in 1986, after which she set her sights on becoming an activist towards AIDS awareness. She also focuses on other issues such as child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
, speaking frequently for and lobbying with the group PROTECT. In 2004, she came out as an incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
survivor on Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
.
Arngrim was briefly married to a writer, Donald Spencer, in the late 1980s. She married her second husband, musician Robert Paul Schoonover, whom she met while she was were volunteering at AIDS Project Los Angeles, where he was director of the Southern California AIDS Hotline, on November 6, 1993. Bride, groom, and the wedding party all wore black tuxedoes with bare feet and black toenail polish to the wedding. Arngrim and Schoonover live in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Arngrim tied with Danielle Spencer ('Dee' on What's Happening!!
What's Happening!!
What's Happening!! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered as a summer series. With good ratings and reviews, and after the failure of several other shows on the network, What's Happening!! returned in November 1976 as a weekly...
) for "Character Most in Need of a Time-out" award on the 2006 TV Land Awards for her role on Little House on The Prairie.
In one of her stand-up routines, she described playing Nellie on Little House on The Prairie as "like having PMS for seven years." On May 26, 2007, she made an appearance at the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival signing autographs.
In 2010, Arngrim published her 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 attacker as her older brother, Stefan
Stefan Arngrim
Stefan Arngrim , sometimes credited as Stephan Arngrim, is a Canadian actor and former child actor.Arngrim was born in Canada, the son of actress Norma MacMillan and Thor Arngrim. He is the brother of actress Alison Arngrim...
, though the book is mostly light-hearted and received critical praise for her ability to mix humor and personal tragedy.
Arngrim regularly keeps in contact with her friend Melissa Gilbert
Melissa Gilbert
Melissa Ellen Gilbert is an American actress, writer, and producer, primarily in movies and television. Gilbert is best known as a child actress who co-starred as Charles Ingalls's second daughter, Laura Ingalls Wilder, on the dramatic television series Little House on the Prairie...
, who played Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie. She occasionally appears at Little House on the Prairie reunion events and autograph shows and has recently begun occasionally hosting guided tours, in partnership with Scott Michaels
Scott Michaels
Scott Michaels is the creator of Findadeath, a popular website with factual celebrity death stories, and also the founder of Dearly Departed Tours which specializes in celebrity death locations throughout the Los Angeles area...
' Dearly Departed Tours, of Hollywood called Nasty Nellie Tours.
Filmography
- The Bilderberg Club: Meet the Shadow One World Government (2009) .... Dr. Samantha Klein
- Make the Yuletide GayMake the Yuletide GayMake the Yuletide Gay is a 2009 American romantic comedy film about a gay college student who is "out" at school, but is afraid to reveal his sexual orientation to his parents. The Christmas-themed film was written and directed by Rob Williams. It stars Keith Jordan as Gunn, and Adamo Ruggiero as...
(2009) .... Heather - Le Deal (2006) by Jean-Pierre Mocky (Edith)
- Surge of Power (2004) .... Cameo
- The Last Place on Earth (2002) .... Party Guest
- For the Love of May (2000) .... Jude
- The Nellie OlesonsThe Nellie OlesonsThe Nellie Olesons is a sketch comedy group based in Los Angeles. The group's name comes from Laura Ingalls' rival Nellie Oleson on the television series Little House on the Prairie. The group began in New York City and has toured the United States and Canada and has performed at Montreal's Just...
(1997) .... Actress - I Married Wyatt EarpI Married Wyatt EarpThe book I Married Wyatt Earp: The Recollections of Josephine Sarah Marcus, first published by the University of Arizona Press in 1976, was sold as a memoir of Josephine Earp, the widow of western Deputy U.S. Marshal Wyatt Earp. It was regarded for many years as a factual account that shed...
(1983) (TV) .... Amy - Little House on the PrairieLittle House on the Prairie (TV series)Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
(1974) TV .... Nellie OlesonNellie OlesonNellie Oleson is a fictional character that appeared in the children's books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Her character was later adapted for the NBC television show, Little House on the Prairie. She also stars in the book Nellie Oleson Meets Laura Ingalls, by Heather Williams.Nellie was a...
(1974–1981) - Throw Out the Anchor (1974) .... Stevie
Wins
- 2002 - Young Artist Awards: Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award for (Little House on the PrairieLittle House on the Prairie (TV series)Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
) - 2006 - TV Land AwardsTV Land AwardsThe TV Land Awards is an American television awards ceremony that generally commemorates shows now off the air, rather than in current production as with awards such as the Emmys. It is presented in a manner that spoofs other entertainment award ceremonies...
for Character Most Desperately in Need of a Timeout (Little House on the PrairieLittle House on the Prairie (TV series)Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
)
Nominations
- 1981 - Young Artist Awards for Best Young Comedienne (Little House on the PrairieLittle House on the Prairie (TV series)Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
) - 2008 - TV Land AwardsTV Land AwardsThe TV Land Awards is an American television awards ceremony that generally commemorates shows now off the air, rather than in current production as with awards such as the Emmys. It is presented in a manner that spoofs other entertainment award ceremonies...
for Siblings That Make You Grateful for Your Own Crazy Family (Little House on the PrairieLittle House on the Prairie (TV series)Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
)