Karen Grassle (born February 25, 1942, in Berkeley, California) is an American actress known for her character-type roles.

The naturally blonde-headed Grassle is best known from the role as Michael Landon’s wife, Caroline Ingalls, on Little House on the Prairie TV series, who was a brunette in real life. Her mother was a restaurant manager, and her father managed a gas station.

She graduated from high school in 1959, She skipped two grades serving as the student body's vice-president, and she then entered the University of California, Berkeley. She graduated with 2 BA degrees in 1965, one in English, the other in Dramatic Art. She received a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and eventually became head of its Voice Department.

Her first acting job in New York City was in the Gingham Tree, and she began calling herself “Gabriel Tree”. Using this name, she auditioned for the role of the mother, Caroline Ingalls, in Little House on the Prairie, and won the part against 47 other candidates. Michael Landon convinced her to revert to her birth name.

The series ran for nine seasons, from 1974 to 1983.

She was married to Leon Russom. In 1982, she married J. Allen Radford, and later Dr. Scott T. Sutherland in 1991. After the series ended, she moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where she remained active in theater. She would later become co-founder of Sante Fe’s Resource Theatre Company, also serving as the art director. Eventually, she moved back to California, where she lives with her daughter.

In 2006, she performed in Driving Miss Daisy in the starring role of Miss Daisy at the Manitoba Theatre Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1964

Graduated class valedictorian from Ventura High School in 1959.

Trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Best known for her role as Caroline Ingalls, Michael Landon's ranch wife on the TV series "Little House on the Prairie" (1974) for eight seasons.

A long-involved advocate for women's rights, she wrote and co-starred in the mini-movie Battered (1978) (TV), which dealt with the issues of domestic violence.

2002 - Appeared on the "Memorable TV Moms" version of _"Weakest Link" (2001/II)_, along with June Lockhart ("Lassie" (1954), "Lost in Space" (1965)), JoMarie Payton ("Family Matters" (1989)), Pat Crowley (I) ("Please Don't Eat the Daisies" (1965)), Janet Hubert-Whitten ("Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The" (1990)), Alley Mills ("Wonder Years, The" (1988)), Carol Potter ("Beverly Hills, 90210" (1990)) and Beverly Garland (I) ("My Three Sons" (1960)). Potter won.

Inducted (as a cast member of "Little House on the Prairie" (1974)) into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1998.

Won the role of Caroline Ingalls in "Little House on the Prairie" (1974) out of 47 other actresses who also auditioned.

After Little House on the Prairie ended, she was featured as a guest star on various television shows and toured the country performing in numerous plays. Later on, she moved to Louisville, Kentucky, to continue her work in the theater. She was the co-founder and artistic director of Sante Fe's Resource Theatre Company and starred in "Wit" at the Arizona Theater Company.

Her first New York break was the play "The Gingham Tree." She had to borrow a dollar from a friend to go to the audition!

Her father, Gene Grassle, ran a gas station and her mother managed a restaurant.

She was known as the miracle baby in her family because, previous to her birth, her mother had 4 miscarriages.

In the late 1960s - hoping to boost her career, briefly changed her professional name to Kay Dillinger, claiming to be the illegitimate offspring of the notorious 1930s bank robber (who died ten years before she was born!).

When she came to LA in 1973 for a never-completed movie project, she was calling herself Gabriel Tree, and it was under this name that she beat out 47 other actresses for the role of Caroline Ingalls in the long-running TV drama Little House on the Prairie (co-star Michael Landon convinced her to revert back to her given name Karen Grassle).