What The Original Miss Beadle On Little House On The Prairie Looks Like Today
Fans of the beloved classic TV series "Little House on the Prairie," which aired for nine seasons from 1974 to 1983, are familiar with fan-favorite character Miss Eva Beadle. The schoolteacher was a warm presence in the lives of the Ingalls and all the other families in town, and she helped guide the kids with grace and intelligence. In the original show, the character was played by an actor named Charlotte Stewart, and it was one of her first major recurring roles. Over half a century after the show started airing, everyone's minds are back on it as Netflix continues its adaptation of the book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
With so much time passing between when the TV series originally aired on NBC and its reboot, fans might be curious to know what the original cast looks like now. Some of the actors who brought characters like Charles Ingalls, Mr. Edwards, and Harriet Oleson to life have died since "Little House on the Prairie" ended, but there are still plenty of cast members around. That includes Stewart, who is in her 80s as of writing, but still just as lively and spirited as she was when she filmed the TV show.
Stewart sat down for an interview with "The Weekly Show with David J. Maloney" in November 2025, where she talked about her experience working on "Little House." Stewart looks great, and she still has the bright smile and expressive eyes that made her character so approachable and endearing. Stewart played Beadle for the first four seasons, with her character quietly disappearing after her contract ended. She continued acting consistently in the following decades, most notably playing Betty Briggs in "Twin Peaks" and reprising her role for the 2017 reboot.
Charlotte Stewart's innovative thinking got her the iconic part of the schoolteacher
When Charlotte Stewart walked into her audition for "Little House on the Prairie," she didn't know much about the project, such as the fact that star Michael Landon would be producing and acting in it. All she was told was that she was auditioning to play "a teacher in a Western." But she took it all in stride, and thanks to some quick thinking, Stewart proved that she was the perfect actor to play Miss Eva Beadle.
In her conversation with David J. Maloney, Stewart described the momentous day. She was wearing "a tie-dye T-shirt and jeans," and when she got into the audition room, she asked a producer, "May I sit behind your desk?" A little surprised, they granted her request. While all the people in the casting room started talking, Stewart got behind the desk and shouted, "Quiet!" Clearly, it left an impression on the room, and she got the role. The rest is history. Stewart also shared, "I based my character on my sister, who was eight years older than me and had seven children ... who was strict, and gentle, and caring."
As for the new rendition of Miss Beadle, she wasn't in the first season of Netflix's "Little House on the Prairie" adaptation. But fans won't have to wait long for her to arrive. Even before Season 1 premiered, it was announced that actor Rachelle Lefevre, whom you might recognize from "Twilight," would be playing Beadle in the upcoming second season. It's unclear how closely this version of the character will be to Stewart's portrayal.