Katherine MacGregor

Katherine "Scottie" MacGregor (born Dorlee Deane McGregor; January 12, 1925 – November 14, 2018) was an American actress, best known for her role as Harriet Oleson in Little House on the Prairie.[1]

"Catherine MacGregor" redirects here. For the former Australian Army officer, see Cate McGregor.
Katherine MacGregor
Born
Dorlee Deane McGregor

(1925-01-12)January 12, 1925
Glendale, California, U.S.
DiedNovember 13, 2018(2018-11-13) (aged 93)
Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
Other namesScottie MacGregor
OccupationActress
Years active1951–1983
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1949; div. 1950)​

Edward G. Kaye-Martin
​
​
(m. 1969; div. 1970)​

Biography

Katherine MacGregor was born Dorlee Deane McGregor on January 12, 1925, in Glendale, California, to Ralph S. McGregor and Beatrice E. Willard.[2] When Katherine was a child, her mother Beatrice moved the family to Fort Collins, Colorado, where they lived most of Katherine's early life. She graduated from Northwestern University with a major in drama and moved to New York City in 1949.[3] She was hired by the Arthur Murray Dance Studios as a dance instructor. She studied acting under N. Richard Nash, Sanford Meisner, and Stella Adler.[3][4] She did summer stock in Lebanon, Pennsylvania as Dorlee Deane McGregor but switched to using the stage name Scottie MacGregor as her acting career advanced.[5][6][7][8][9][10] When she adopted the use of Katherine as her given name is unclear but she switched from using ‘Scottie’ as she matured in age on the advice of her manager.[11]

Beginning in the 1950s, as Scottie MacGregor, she worked in theatre on and off Broadway in New York City and other locations in plays such as The Seven Year Itch and Handful of Fire,[3][4] and won such uncredited parts as "a longshoreman's mother" (On the Waterfront); "Alice Thorn" (The Traveling Executioner), and "Miss Boswell" (The Student Nurses). She appeared in numerous episodes of various television series: Love of Life (1956), The Secret Storm, The Nurses,[12] Play of the Week (1959), East Side/West Side (1963), Mannix (1970–71), Emergency! (1972), Ironside (1972, 1974), and All in the Family (1973), as well as the two 1981 "Heroes vs. Villains" episodes of Family Feud hosted by Richard Dawson. She had roles in the TV movies, The Death of Me Yet (1971), The Girls of Huntington House (1973), and Tell Me Where It Hurts (1974).

MacGregor's best-known role was from 1974 to 1983 in NBC's Little House on the Prairie as Harriet Oleson, the general store owner's wife and a comedic part.[13] MacGregor's favorite description of her character in Little House came in a fan letter from Minnesota in the 1970s, in which Mrs. Oleson was described as "the touch of pepper in the sweetness of the show". In 1979, due to the popularity of Little House in Spain, MacGregor was invited to Madrid, Spain, and appeared on RTVE's 625 Lineas and Ding Dong La Cocina programs.

After Little House on the Prairie, she withdrew from screen productions in favor of local theater. She dedicated herself to the Hindu religion, and to teaching acting to children at the Wee Hollywood Vedanta Players, before finally retiring in the early 2000s.[14] In 2014, she did an in-depth interview about her life and career for the book Prairie Memories by Patrick Loubatiere.[15]

Personal life and death

She was married to actor Bert Remsen from 1949 to 1950 and to actor, director, and teacher Edward G. Kaye-Martin, 14 years her junior, from August 1969 to October 1970. She had no children.

While recovering from alcoholism, MacGregor converted to Hinduism.[16] She was unable to appear in the series finale of Little House on the Prairie, because she was on a pilgrimage to India at the time of the episode's filming.[5]

MacGregor died on November 14, 2018, at the age of 93, at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California.[17] No cause was given.[18]

Filmography
Year Film Role Notes
1954On the WaterfrontLongshoreman's MotherUncredited
1956Love of LifeTammy Forrest #1Unknown episodes
1959Play of the WeekMariaEpisode - "The Power and the Glory"
1963East Side/West SideGrace MorrisonEpisode - "Go Fight City Hall"
1970The Traveling ExecutionerAlice ThornUncredited
1970MannixNurse EvansEpisode - "The World Between"
1970The Student NursesMiss Boswell
1971The Young LawyersMrs. BradyEpisode - "The Bradbury War"
1971The Death of Me YetNora QueenTV movie
1971MannixNurseEpisode - "Run Till Dark"
1972IronsideMrs. PyleEpisode - "Programmed for Panic"
1972Emergency!Myrna ScudderEpisode - "Musical Mania"
1973The Girls of Huntington HouseRose BeckwithTV movie
1973All in the FamilyNurseEpisode - "Edith's Christmas Story"
1974Tell Me Where It HurtsMargeTV movie
1974IronsideIrmaEpisode - "Amy Prentiss" (Parts 1 & 2)
1974–1983Little House on the PrairieHarriet Oleson153 episodes

References
  1. "Katherine MacGregor profile". The New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  2. "California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994". www.familysearch.org. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  3. "Miss MacGregor To Portray Mrs. FDR at Casino". Springfield Sunday Republican. May 22, 1960. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  4. Buck, Jerry (June 11, 1981). "Katherine MacGregor Plots Her Own Downfall". Greenville Daily Advocate. Associated Press. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  5. "'Little House on the Prairie' star Katherine MacGregor dies at 93". TODAY.com. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  6. "Large Crowd At Gretna Playhouse As Season Opens". Lebanon Daily News. June 10, 1949.
  7. "Mystery Comedy Play Opens at Gretna Playhouse". Lebanon Daily News. June 17, 1949.
  8. "Comedy Gets Many Laughs On Stage of Gretna Playhouse". Lebanon Daily News. July 1, 1949.
  9. "Delightful Farce Opens on Stage of Gretna Playhouse". Lebanon Daily News. July 15, 1949.
  10. "'Life With Father' Scores Hit At Gretna Playhouse". Lebanon Daily News. August 19, 1949.
  11. Craig, Berry (November 7, 1980). "MacGregor: Ill feelings prove she's doing a good job". The Paducah Sun.
  12. Peet, Creighton (December 22, 1963). "Scottie has 7 roles in 1 play". Virginian-Pilot. Archived from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  13. Luchina Fisher (August 26, 2011). "Melissa Gilbert Files for Divorce from Bruce Boxleitner". ABC News.
  14. "TV Times Today: Information Please". The Vancouver Sun. January 26, 2013.
  15. Memories, Prairie. "Home". Prairie Memories.
  16. http://www.facebook.com/matt.schudel. "Katherine MacGregor, the scheming Mrs. Oleson of 'Little House,' dies at 93". Washington Post. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  17. "Katherine MacGregor, the Meddlesome Harriet Oleson on 'Little House on the Prairie,' Dies at 93".
  18. Schwartz, Ryan (November 14, 2018). "Little House on the Prairie Actress Katherine MacGregor Dead at 93".
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