Dean Butler

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 T... more

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 ended, Dean went on to star in The New Gidget as Jeff "Moondoggie" Griffin and had a minor role as Hank Summers in several episodes of 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. His most critically acclaimed role was that of a star soccer player turned bad by Erik Estrada in "The Final Goal", starring Michael John Lapointe, directed by Jon Cassar of "24" fame. More recently he has... less