‘Little House on the Prairie’ Actor Richard Bull Dead at 89

The character actor played Nels Oleson on the classic 1970s family drama

Richard Bull NBC

“Little House on the Prairie” actor Richard Bull died Monday at the age of 89, series star Melissa Gilbert confirmed on Twitter.

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“Goodbye Richard working with you was such a joy,” Gilbert tweeted on Tuesday morning.

Bull reportedly died in Calabasas, Calif., and is survived by wife Barbara Collentine. The cause of death is unknown.

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The actor played shopkeeper Nels Oleson on the NBC series  — which ran from 1974 to 1983 — and recurred in “Little House” specials in following years. Prior to his stint on that show, Bull played Doc on the ABC series “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.”

Bull was a fixture as a character actor in TV movies and miniseries throughout the 1980s, and most recently appeared on the Starz political drama “Boss.”

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