Melissa Gilbert Mourns the Loss of ‘Little House’ Castmate Jack Lilley

Lauren Novak March 21, 12:15 pm

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, Melissa Gilbert, 1973-84 — Everett Collection

Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert is mourning a longtime friend, as she shared on Instagram that Jack Lilley, an actor who appeared as a wagon driver in Little House, passed away at the age of 91. In her post, Gilbert opens up about working with him on the set, calling him “one of my favorite people on the planet.”

She shared that Lilley, who was also Victor French‘s photo double, taught her how to ride a horse on the set of the hit show and that he was always so patient with her. Years later, she recalled seeing him again on the set of a western pilot.

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A post shared by Melissa E. Gilbert (@melissagilbertofficial)

Gilbert explained, “In 2002 (ish) I had the great pleasure of acting in a western pilot for ABC, produced by Chris Brancato and Bert Salke, starring my pal, Sean Patrick Flanery, called Then Came Jones. (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, in her very first role, played my daughter). It was a joy to shoot and I was so bummed when it didn’t get picked up. It was all very synchronistic. Our first read though was at Paramount Studios, where we had shot Little House the first four years. It was also on Halloween, which is Michael Landon‘s birthday. That day, I also found out we would be shooting at Big Sky Ranch, where we had shot Little House.”

Actor Jack Lilley attends an outdoor special screening of the Spaghetti Western "No Name & Dynamite" at Sable Ranch on February 12, 2022 in Santa Clarita, California

Robin L Marshall/Getty Images

She continued, “My first day on set was surreal, getting my hair and makeup done, getting dressed, laced into my corset, boots etc. Such a strange deja vu. Then I walked to the set itself and before I could even focus I heard a familiar voice holler, ‘Hey Halfpint, you old rat-ass!!!’ It was Jack. He was our wrangler for that pilot and by his side was Denny Allen, who had been our wrangler on Little House. In that instant, I knew I was home. Jack always felt like home to me.”

The star was also seen in classic shows and films such as Blazing Saddles, Dallas, Fantasy Island and Bonanza. His last credited role was in 2022 in the film No Name and Dynamite Davenport.