Dabbs Greer

Dabbs Greer had a screen career that spanned seven decades and brought him into the homes of millions of Americans. Though he worked prolifically throughout his career, he may be best remembered for his role as Reverend Alden in the classic "Little House on the Prairie" in the 1970s and '80s. After attending college in the Midwest, Greer moved to Pasadena where he quickly found work as an extra, and later landed a role on the 1950s show "Adventures of Superman." Throughout the 1950s and 1960s Greer appeared on dozens of television programs and in many films. In TV he mostly landed one-off appearances, but did recurring work on the drama anthology series "The Loretta Young Show" and the college-set sitcom, "Hank." He is also remembered for playing Mr. Jonas on the popular western series "Gunsmoke." His role on "Little House" lasted from 1974 to 1983 and his familiar face continued to pop up for two more decades, notably as Rev. Henry Novotny on "Picket Fences." Greer retired in 2003, after appearing in more than 290 film and television productions, the last of which was the popular children's show "Lizzie McGuire." Greer died of a kidney and heart ailment in 2007. He was 90 years old.