Katherine MacGregor

Katherine MacGregor was an American actress.

MacGregor graduated in 1947 from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois with a major in drama, and then moved to New York. She studied with renowned acting teachers Sanford Meisner and Stella Adler. Beginning in the 1950s, she worked in theatre on and off Broadway.

Her first film appearance was an uncredited role as a longshoreman’s mother in the 1954 Marlon Brando film On the Waterfront.

Her most famous role was that of petty, gossiping shopkeeper’s wife Harriet Oleson on NBC’s Little House on the Prairie for its entire run, from 1974 to 1983.

Katherine MacGregor was an American actress.

MacGregor graduated in 1947 from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois with a major in drama, and then moved to New York. She studied with renowned acting teachers Sanford Meisner and Stella Adler. Beginning in the 1950s, she worked in theatre on and off Broadway.

Her first film appearance was an uncredited role as a longshoreman’s mother in the 1954 Marlon Brando film On the Waterfront.

Her most famous role was that of petty, gossiping shopkeeper’s wife Harriet Oleson on NBC’s Little House on the Prairie for its entire run, from 1974 to 1983.

MacGregor’s other television work includes roles on episodes of East Side/West Side (with George C. Scott), Mannix, Emergency, All in the Family, and Ironside.

After Little House on the Prairie ended, she withdrew from television acting in favor of local theater.

MacGregor died November 13, 2018, in Woodland Hills, California. She was 93.

Show more

The Television Academy database lists prime-time Emmy information. Click here to learn more

Browser Requirements
The TelevisionAcademy.com sites look and perform best when using a modern browser.

We suggest you use the latest version of any of these browsers:

Chrome
Firefox
Safari


Visiting the site with Internet Explorer or other browsers may not provide the best viewing experience.

Close Window