Veteran character actor and stuntman Jack Lilley, beloved for his roles in Blazing Saddles and Little House on the Prairie, has died. He was 91.
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On Friday, March 21, Melissa Gilbert, his Little House co-star, shared the news of Lilley’s passing through an Instagram post.
“The Little House family has lost one of our own,” Gilbert wrote alongside a recent candid snapshot of the actor and a screengrab from his time on Little House.
“[He was] one of my favorite people on the planet,” she added.
“[Jack] taught me how to ride a horse when I was just a wee little thing,” Gilbert continued. “He was so patient with me. He never said no when I would bound up to him squealing, ‘Can we go ride? Please, please, please?'”
Gilbert highlighted that Lilley took on multiple roles in Little House. She also praised his performance as “absolute brilliance” in Mel Brooks’ iconic Western spoof, Blazing Saddles.
Melissa Gilbert Recalls Heartfelt Reunion with Jack Lilley
Gilbert shared that she had reconnected with Lilley over two decades ago while working on an ABC pilot called Then Came Jones. Although she was “so bummed” when the show wasn’t picked up, the experience brought back cherished memories of Little House on the Prairie.
“It was all very synchronistic. Our first read-through 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,” she explained in the post.
“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,” Gilbert recalled. “Then I walked to the set itself and before I could even focus I heard a familiar voice holler, ‘Hey Halfpint, you old rat-a–!!’ 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.”
“He lived quite a life. I am so lucky that he was my friend,” she concluded.
In Little House on the Prairie, Lilley frequently appeared as the stagecoach driver, often transporting characters between towns in a horse-drawn carriage. Beyond this memorable role, Lilley built an impressive career as both an actor and stuntman, contributing to numerous films. Per IMDb, some of his notable works include Sudden Impact (1983), Young Guns (1988), and The Legend of Zorro (2005), among many others.