Richard Bull - #68

"Little House" actor Richard Bull dies at 89

He was number 68 on the list.


Actor Richard Bull, best known as long-suffering storekeeper Nels Oleson on "Little House on the Prairie," has died. He was 89.

Bull died Monday in Calabasas, Calif., according to his TV daughter Alison Arngrim.

"Goodbye Pa," tweeted Arngrim, who played nasty Nellie Oleson on the show, which ran from 1973-1984.

Born in Zion, Illinois, Bull had roles in the 1968 movie “The Thomas Crown Affair,” “The Andromeda Strain” (1971) and “High Plains Drifter” (1973).

He was a regular on the 1960s TV series "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" and appeared in several other shows, including "Peyton Place," "The Andy Griffith Show," "Family Affair," "Barnaby Jones," "Mission: Impossible" and "Hill Street Blues."

But Bull was best known as Nels Oleson, the mild-mannered mercantile owner on "Little House." Poor Mr. Nelson was hectored by his arrogant, greedy wife Harriet (played by Katherine "Scottie" MacGregor) and spoiled children Nellie (Arngrim) and Willie (Jonathan Gilbert).

In real life, Bull was happily married to Barbara Collentine for more than 65 years.

"I sometimes feel sorry for Nels Oleson," Bull told United Press International in a 1979 article that Arngrim tweeted. "I couldn't take some of the things he does. Barbara and I share everything and try to be a burden to each other."

After "Little House" ended, Bull appeared with Michael Landon and and Victor French on a few episodes of "Highway to Heaven."

Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls Wilder on "Little House," was among his former castmates tweeting tributes.

Bull is survived by his wife. They had no children.

Filmography

Film

 

        Full of Life (1956) as Doctor (uncredited)

        Fear Strikes Out (1957) as Reporter Slade (uncredited)

        Operation Mad Ball (1957) as Military Police Sergeant (uncredited)

        The True Story of Lynn Stuart (1958) as Customs Officer (uncredited)

        But Not for Me (1959) as Ticket Seller (uncredited)

        Then There Were Three (1961)

        Della (1964) as Mark Nodella

        The Satan Bug (1965) as Eric Cavanaugh

        In Like Flint (1967) as Newscaster (uncredited)

        Hour of the Gun (1967) as Thomas Fitch

        How to Steal the World (1968) as Captain Gelser (archive footage)

        The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) as Booth Guard

        The Secret Life of an American Wife (1968) as Howard

        The Stalking Moon (1968) as Doctor

        Moonfire (1970) as Hawkins

        Move (1970) as Keith

        Lawman (1971) as Dusaine

        The Andromeda Strain (1971) as an Air Force major

        Man and Boy (1971) as Thornhill

        Ulzana's Raid (1972) as Ginsford

        High Plains Drifter (1973) as Asa Goodwin

        The President's Plane is Missing (1973, TV Movie) as Flight Controller

        Executive Action (1973) as a gunman on "Team A"

        Breezy (1973) as Doctor

        Newman's Law (1974) as Immigration Man

        The Parallax View (1974) as Parallax Goon

        Mr. Sycamore (1975) as Dr. Ferfield

        A Different Story (1978) as Mr. Cooke

        A Day in a Life (2000) as Will

        The Secret (2001) as Grandpa

        Let's Go to Prison (2006) as Board Member #2

        Sugar (2008) as Earl Higgins

        Witless Protection (2008) as Sheriff Smoot

        Osso Bucco (2008) as Old Man Diner

 

Television

 

        Men Into Space (1959) as Radio Operator in "Asteroid"

        Highway Patrol (1959 - 4th season episode 25) as bank robber, Bert Nelson

        Harrigan and Son (1961) as Lawson in "They Were All in Step But Jim"

        Gunsmoke (1962) as Nort in "Collie's Free"

        My Three Sons (1962) as J. C. Dobbins

        The Eleventh Hour (1964) as Phil Whitman in "Sunday Father"

        Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964-1968 TV Series) as The Doctor, various episodes

        Kentucky Jones (1965) as Harold Erkel in episodes "The Victim" and "The Return of Wong Lee"

        Blue Light (1966) in episode "Sacrifice!"

        Mission: Impossible (1966) as an agent for the Impossible Missions Force

        Mannix - (1968-1974) 7 episodes as 4 different characters

        Gomer Pyle, USMC (1966) as the psychologist in the episode "Gomer and the Little Space Men".

        Bonanza (1969-1972) as Jess Hill/Mr. Goodman (2 episodes)

        Columbo (1971) as 2nd Detective in episode "Lady in Waiting"

        Nichols (1971-1972) 5 episodes as Thatcher

        The Streets of San Francisco (1973-1974) as the coroner

        Barnaby Jones (1973-1976) 4 episodes as J.I. Fletcher

        Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983) as Nels Oleson

        Wipeout (1976) as Sheriff Safian

        Dead Man's Run as Mr. Moore

        Blind Terror (1973) as Mr. Strather

        Perchance to Kill (1973) as J.I. Fletcher

        Hill Street Blues (1985) as Capt. Furillo's father

        Highway to Heaven (1985) as the doctor (2 episodes)

        It's Garry Shandling's Show as Stanley (1 episode)

        Highway to Heaven (1988) as Judge Wagner (1 episode)

        Designing Women (1988) as Everett

        ER (1999) as nice man on the train (1 episode)

        Normal (2003, TV Movie) as Roy, Sr.

        Boss (2011) as Elderly Farmer (final appearance)