‘Little House on the Prairie’: What Is Dean Butler’s Net Worth?
Dean Butler is best known for playing Almanzo Wilder on Little House on the Prairie. Here’s a look at Butler’s net worth and career.
Dean Butler’s movies and TV shows
One of Butler’s early acting roles was in the 1978 movie Forever. He first appeared on Little House on the Prairie in a 1979 episode titled “Back to School Part 1.” He remained on the show until it ended in 1984.
Butler continued to act after the show ended. In 1984, he guest-starred on Who’s the Boss in an episode titled “Mona Gets Pinned.” In 1990, Butler appeared in an episode of Murder, She Wrote titled “The Fixer-Upper.” From 1997 to 2002, he appeared on Buffy the Vampire Slayer alongside actor Sarah Michelle Gellar. Butler played the role of Hank Summers for five episodes.
Melissa Gilbert (she played Laura Ingalls) says she had a difficult time accepting Butler as her co-star. He was older than her, and she wasn’t comfortable kissing him on-screen.
“The truth was, I didn’t want to kiss anyone. Especially Dean Butler,” says Gilbert in her book Prairie Tale. “I didn’t want to kiss a man. I didn’t want to kiss anyone with stubble!”
Gilbert says she kissed Butler anyway because she had to. However, she was relieved when it was over. One interesting thing she noticed was that her mother, who was on the set that day, began crying when she saw her daughter kiss someone for the first time.
Dean Butler’s net worth
As of this writing, Butler has an estimated net worth of $1 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. In addition to acting, Butler earns a living from his work as a producer, writer, and director. One of his first production projects was the 2008 documentary Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura. He followed that up with the 2015 video Little House on the Prairie: The Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Dean Butler knew ‘Little House on the Prairie’ was special
During an interview with journalist and author Patrick Loubatière, Butler discusses what it was like to be part of the Little House on the Prairie cast. He knew right away the show was going to be a hit.
“It was one of those things where you feel like something good can happen here,” Butler tells Loubatière. “There was just a vibe in the room. And you go in, and you just sort of know it’s going to work well.”
Butler says he got the Little House job a few months before college graduation. Michael Landon asked him what his plans were in May. Butler told him he had to take final exams, but he would be done on May 18th. Landon told him he would see him on the 21st for filming.
“I went through college graduation that weekend on my birthday,” says Butler. “And the following Monday, I started work on Little House. It was really a dream sequence of time for me. It was wonderful.”
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