Prairie Man

Cast just before his twenty-third birthday, Dean Butler joined Little House on the Prairie halfway through its run, gaining instant celebrity and fans'' enduring affection. Ironically, when the late, great Michael Landon remarked that Little House would outlive everyone involved in making it, Butler deemed it unlikely. Yet for four decades and counting, Butler has been defined in the public eye as Almanzo Wilder - a role he views as the great gift of his life. Butler had been cast as a romantic lead before, notably in the made-for-TV movie of Judy Blume''s Forever, opposite Stephanie Zimbalist. But Little House was, and remains, one of the most treasured shows in television history. As the eventual husband of Laura ''Half-pint'' Ingalls - and the man who would share actress Melissa Gilbert''s first real-life romantic kiss - Butler landed as a central figure for the show''s devoted fans. Now, with wit and candor, Butler recounts his passage through the Prairie, sharing stories and anecd