Hersha Parady, Acclaimed Actress of Little House on the Prairie, Passes Away at Age 78

Hersha Parady • Little House on the Prairie • Alice Garvey: Hersha Parady, renowned for her iconic portrayal of Walnut Grove schoolteacher Alice Garvey on the beloved TV series Little House on the Prairie, has passed away at the age of 78. Her son, Jonathan Peverall, confirmed her passing at their Norfolk, Virginia home. Parady had been bravely battling a brain tumor, and her son had set up a GoFundMe page to help with the medical expenses.

Parady and former NFL star Merlin Olsen joined the Little House on the Prairie cast as husband and wife, Alice and Jonathan Garvey, during the show's fourth season in the episode "Castoffs" in September 1977.

However, it was during the poignant two-hour episode titled "May We Make Them Proud" in the show's sixth season, which aired in February 1980, that her character Alice Garvey met a tragic end. Alice heroically rushed into a burning School for the Blind to rescue several children, including Mary and Adam's infant son, portrayed by Melissa Sue Anderson and Linwood Boomer. In a heart-wrenching turn of events, Alice and the baby perished in the devastating fire.

The intense scene, where it appeared that Parady used the doll representing the infant as a "battering ram" to break a window, left a lasting impact on viewers. Parady humorously acknowledged this in an interview for the Little House on the Prairie Memories tribute site, stating, "It was Michael himself who first mentioned that it looked like I was trying to use Mary's baby as a battering ram to bust the window! So because they'd forgotten to 'break away' the windows, I was determined to get out whatever the cost! In spite of the impending doom it would bring, at least I went out with a roar and not a whimper!"

Parady was born as Betty Sandhoff on May 25, 1945, in Berea, Ohio. In a 1975 interview, she spoke about her early passion for acting, stating, "I was always a child living in the world of pretend. Even when I was very little, I much preferred to make believe rather than play with dolls."

After graduating from Berea High School in 1963, she pursued acting at the Cleveland Play House and in regional theater before making her way to Los Angeles. There, she secured the role of Stella opposite Jon Voight in a road production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Her onscreen debut came with an episode of Bearcats!, followed by appearances on Mannix, The Waltons, and a pilot for a Gunsmoke spinoff that never made it to series. She had been considered for the role of Caroline Ingalls on Little House before Karen Grassle was cast, but her first appearance on the show was as Eliza Ingalls during the third season in 1976. She went on to play the character Alice for 35 episodes.

Following her time on Little House, Parady continued her acting career with roles in films such as Raw Courage (1984) and The Break (1995). She also appeared in TV series like Unsolved Mysteries, Second Noah, and Kenan & Kel, where she portrayed Principal Dimly.

Parady was married to producer John Peverall, who won an Oscar for Best Picture for his work on The Deer Hunter in 1979. In addition to her son Jonathan, she is survived by her siblings Patty, Kenny, and Bobby.

Hersha Parady's contributions to the world of entertainment and her memorable portrayal of Alice Garvey on Little House on the Prairie will forever be cherished by fans and the industry alike.