PASADENA, Calif., May 1 (UPI) -- Dabbs Greer, a character actor best known as the Rev. Robert Alden on "Little House on the Prairie," died in a Pasadena, Calif., hospital at 90.
Greer, who had kidney and heart disease and died Saturday, enjoyed a career that spanned more than 50 years and included roles in nearly 100 films and 600 television episodes, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
Besides tending to the spiritual needs of Walnut Grove's residents on "Little House," Greer had recurring roles in "Gunsmoke," "Hank," "Picket Fences" and "Maybe It's Me."
Greer's film debut was an unaccredited part in 1949's "Reign of Terror." In his final film, "The Green Mile," the then-82-year-old Greer portrayed prison guard Paul Edgecomb when the character became too old for Tom Hanks to realistically play.
Greer grew up in Missouri and moved to Pasadena in 1943, becoming an administrator and teacher at the Pasadena Playhouse theater school. Greer left the playhouse in 1950 to pursue an acting career full time.
In an interview in 2000, Greer said of his supporting roles, "Every character actor, in their own little sphere, is the lead."
