Dean Butler

Biography

Dean Butler (born May 20, 1956) is an American film actor and television actor who was born in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. He was raised in Piedmont, California, and graduated from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. His first major role came opposite Stephanie Zimbalist in the 1976 made-for-television drama, Forever, based on the Judy Blume novel. He is best known for his performance as Almanzo Wilder on the NBC TV series Little House on the Prairie. After Little House on the Prairie ended, Dean went on to star in The New Gidget as Jeff "Moondoggie" Griffin and Hank Summers on the TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Since the late 1970s, he has had guest appearances on shows such as Murder, She Wrote; Love Boat; and JAG. More recently he has been involved in producing legacy documentaries and other television programs through his company, Peak Moore Enterprises, Inc. In particular, he has produced several documentaries that have been included as bonus features on the Little House on the Prairie DVDs. He is married to Katherine Cannon who played Felice Martin on Beverly Hills 90210. He is also the stepfather of her son. They met when she auditioned for and won a role on Father Murphy, another TV series created and produced by Michael Landon. He currently lives in California.