Hersha Parady(1945-2023)
- Actress
Hersha Parady was born on 25 May 1945, and raised in Ohio, USA. She
later became an actress, appearing on television and in the theatre.
Years later, living in California, Hersha often looked after a free-spirited dog she called Lightning, who roamed the streets of Hollywood. That led to Hersha's befriending actress Katherine "Scottie" MacGregor, who looked out for the same dog. MacGregor starred as Harriet Oleson in the television series Little House on the Prairie.
When Hersha starred in a play as Anne Hathaway, the wife of William Shakespeare, MacGregor and her Little House co-star Richard Bull came to see it. They were thoroughly impressed with Hersha's performance, and recommended her to the Little House casting director, as a possible new cast member.
This recommendation led to Hersha being cast as a guest star (playing Michael Landon's sister-in-law) in one episode during the third season, before being cast as a regular player in the role of Merlin Olsen's wife, Alice Garvey, for Seasons 4 - 6.
Ironically, Hersha's own personal favourite Little House episode is "May We Make Them Proud" - the one in which Alice Garvey and her friends' infant son burn to death in the school for the blind. Hersha relished acting in scenes involving real, controlled fire under the supervision of the Los Angeles Fire Department. On her unforgettable death scene, Hersha remarked: "At least I went out with a bang and not a whimper."
Formerly married to Oscar-winning producer John Peverall, with whom she had a son named Jonathan, Hersha moved to Florida and died in 2023.
Years later, living in California, Hersha often looked after a free-spirited dog she called Lightning, who roamed the streets of Hollywood. That led to Hersha's befriending actress Katherine "Scottie" MacGregor, who looked out for the same dog. MacGregor starred as Harriet Oleson in the television series Little House on the Prairie.
When Hersha starred in a play as Anne Hathaway, the wife of William Shakespeare, MacGregor and her Little House co-star Richard Bull came to see it. They were thoroughly impressed with Hersha's performance, and recommended her to the Little House casting director, as a possible new cast member.
This recommendation led to Hersha being cast as a guest star (playing Michael Landon's sister-in-law) in one episode during the third season, before being cast as a regular player in the role of Merlin Olsen's wife, Alice Garvey, for Seasons 4 - 6.
Ironically, Hersha's own personal favourite Little House episode is "May We Make Them Proud" - the one in which Alice Garvey and her friends' infant son burn to death in the school for the blind. Hersha relished acting in scenes involving real, controlled fire under the supervision of the Los Angeles Fire Department. On her unforgettable death scene, Hersha remarked: "At least I went out with a bang and not a whimper."
Formerly married to Oscar-winning producer John Peverall, with whom she had a son named Jonathan, Hersha moved to Florida and died in 2023.
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