'Little House' star Richard Bull dies at age 89

[TexasTowelie]

Source: AP

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Richard Bull, who played shopkeeper and put-upon spouse Nels Oleson on TV's "Little House on the Prairie," has died. He was 89.

Bull died Monday at the Motion Picture & Television Fund's hospital, fund spokeswoman Jaime Larkin said. The actor, a resident of what was once known as the Motion Picture and TV home, died of natural causes after being hospitalized with pneumonia, Larkin said Tuesday.

"Everyone loved him so much," said Bull's "Little House" co-star Alison Arngrim, who played his daughter, Nellie, and remained close to him. "People are posting (condolences) in six different languages on my Facebook page."

Bull "was as Nels Oleson as you'd possibly want someone to be. He was calm, rational, sensible," Arngrim said.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/entertainment/television/article/Little-House-star-Richard-Bull-dies-at-age-89-5205003.php?cmpid=hpbn

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Photo By Courtesy Alison Arngrim/AP

This June 2011 photo provided by courtesy of Alison Arngrim shows actor, Richard Bull, left, and the actress Arngrim at a restaurant in Chicago. Bull played Nels Oleson and Arngrim played his daughter, Nellie Oleson, on the TV show, "Little House on the Prairie." A Motion Picture & Television Fund spokeswoman Jaime Larkin says the 89-year-old actor, Bull, died Monday, Feb. 3, 2014, at the fund's hospital in Los Angeles.

[diabeticman]

1. ahhh. My wife really liked the way he played Mr. Olsen.

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. :(

[TwilightGardener]

3. Aw, man! Bye, Mr. Olsen.

Nellie is now a friendly-looking middle-aged lady, instead of the mean little snot she used to play. I feel oooold.

[ClusterFreak]

4. "Little House" was such a great show...

I always felt when watching it that my real world life literally took a break for an hour, and I became totally immersed in the world of Walnut Grove with all of its wonderful characters. I've seen Alison Arngrim in the occasional interview in recent years and she comes across as such a down to earth and sweet woman, such a far cry from that horrible little monster she played on the show lol, which may go to show what a wonderful actress she was too. Loved Richard Bull as her dad Mr. Olsen, the long suffering and eminently decent man who ran the general store and the better half (yes, the better half lol) of his supercilious and nagging wife.

Great memories. May he rest in peace.

[gLibDem]

5. Reminders of how old we all are becoming

[PAMod]

6. I never knew much about him, other than his iconic role in "Little House..."

I will say this, though - I thought of him often during my marriage, as I could identify with Mr. Oleson, the character he brought to life.

RIP Mr. Bull -

[Beacool]

7. Goodnight, Mr. Olsen.

Rest in peace.

[Aristus]

8. My whole family loved Mr. Olson.

We used to hoot and hollar when he would gently, but firmly, take his harridan of a wife down a peg or two.

RIP, sir.