Katherine MacGregor, best known for her role as the petty and gossipy Harriet Oleson on the beloved TV series *Little House on the Prairie*, has passed away at the age of 93, a representative confirmed on Wednesday. MacGregor died on Tuesday at the Motion Picture and Television Fund retirement community in Los Angeles, according to Tony Sears, her attorney.
On the NBC show, which aired from 1974 to 1983, MacGregor’s character, Harriet Oleson, was the scheming, social-climbing mother of Nellie Oleson, another character viewers loved to despise. Harriet’s cruel and self-serving nature made her a perfect foil to the kind-hearted Ingalls family, who were the heart of the series and often the targets of the Olesons’ antics.
William Shatner paid tribute to MacGregor on Twitter, describing her as "deliciously wicked” in her portrayal of Harriet Oleson.
Born in California, MacGregor began her career as a dancer in New York before transitioning to acting. She studied under the renowned acting coach Sanford Meisner and took on small film roles and TV guest appearances before landing her iconic role on *Little House on the Prairie*. The series, based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s cherished books about her childhood, became a cultural phenomenon.
MacGregor remained a central figure throughout the show’s entire run, starring alongside Michael Landon, who played Charles Ingalls and passed away in 1991, and Melissa Gilbert, who portrayed the young Laura Ingalls. Her performance as Harriet Oleson left a lasting impression, making her one of the most memorable characters in television history.
