A star from the original Little House on the Prairie series was spotted during a rare outing – as the beloved Laura Ingalls Wilder series prepares for its reboot debut.
Matthew Labyorteaux, 59, who played Albert Quinn Ingalls, was spotted in Los Angeles on Thursday – and rocking the same hairstyle his character sported on the hit series.
His lush jet black hair resembled the same fluffy ‘do he rocked on the small screen, when he played the adopted son of Charles and Caroline Ingalls.
The series was something of a family affair for Labyorteaux, whose older brother Patrick Labyorteaux played Andrew ‘Andy’ Garvey on the series.
While not much has changed about Labyorteaux’s hairstyle, he was wearing much more modern clothing than the Western gear his character once wore.
Labyorteaux wore a long-sleeve white shirt, grey sweats, and his keys around his neck.
Little House on the Prairie star Matthew Labyorteaux was spotted out in Los Angeles on Monday as the reboot for his beloved show prepares for debut
Matthew played Albert Quinn Ingalls, the adopted son of Charles and Caroline Ingalls
Matthew starred on the beloved series from 1976 to 1983
That same day Netflix dropped a teaser for their upcoming reboot of the show, which now stars Luke Bracey as Charles ‘Pa’ Ingalls, Crosby Fitzgerald as Caroline ‘Ma’ Ingalls, Alice Halsey as Laura and Skywalker Hughes as Laura’s older sister Mary.
The trailer offered fans a hint of the adventures awaiting the Ingalls family.
‘Once upon a time, Ma and Pa, and Mary and Laura, left the big woods of Wisconsin and moved to the prairie where a new life was waiting for them,’ a voice narrated.
‘Every day and every night was an adventure but even though they were all alone, and very small against the sky and the stars, they were happy because they were a family and they were together.’
Based on the beloved series of children’s novels by Laura Ingalls Wilder – portrayed by Melissa Gilbert in the series – the show premiered in September 1974 and ran for nine seasons.
Little House on the Prairie followed the adventures of the Ingalls family as they built a homestead and life in the 19th century Midwest.
It has been more than 40 years since the original, long-running series wrapped its final episode after nine seasons in 1984.
The reboot was announced last year and in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Jinny Howe, VP drama series for Netflix, revealed that series will be a ‘fresh take on this iconic story.’
Howe also praised showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine for bringing ’emotional depth that will delight both new and existing fans of this beloved classic.’
The 59-year-old was spotted the day the trailer for the Little House on the Prairie reboot was released
But he was outfitted in much more modern clothing
‘I fell deeply in love with these books when I was five years old. They inspired me to become a writer and a filmmaker, and I am honored and thrilled to be adapting these stories for a new global audience with Netflix,’ Sonnenshine said of the upcoming project.
In 2024, the Little House on the Prairie cast reunited at the Monte Carlo Television Festival in Monaco.
Karen Grassle, Alison Arngrim, Melissa Sue Anderson, Labyorteaux, and Wendi Lou Lee sat on a panel and reflected on their favorite memories from the show.
They also addressed fans’ questions about a reboot or reunion of the series.
It’s been more than 40 years since the long-running series wrapped
Matthew’s brother Patrick Laborteaux also had a part on the show as Andrew ‘Andy’ Garvey
‘There have been lots of attempts to do a Little House on the Prairie again,’ Grassle, who played the show’s matriarch Caroline Ingalls, explained to People.
‘There have been shows, there have been a musical, and I think we had a unique experience and it can’t be repeated.’
‘Michael [Landon] was a genius at casting and writing,’ she added of her onscreen husband, who played Charles Ingalls.
‘He understood things about how to translate that material into television for the public that was beyond what most writers understand.
‘And he had his thumb on the pulse of the public and understood what people were longing for, and you don’t find that every day,’ she gushed about the late actor who was also an executive producer and writer for the show.
The original Little House on the Prairie cast reunited in Monaco in 2024
The cast previously expressed doubts about rebooting their show
Matthew’s look consisted of cosy grey sweats, a long-sleeve white shirt, and keys hanging from a lanyard
The reboot was announced last year and in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Jinny Howe, VP drama series for Netflix, revealed that series will be a ‘fresh take on this iconic story’
‘And then the fact that we were all so perfectly cast was a kind of genius,’ she added, looking at her costars.
Anderson, who played eldest sister Mary Ingalls, had her own reason for thinking a reboot wouldn’t work – because Landon wouldn’t be part of it.
‘Little House works on television because of him,’ she said. Landon died in 1991.
Arngrim, who played Nellie Oleson in the series, was ready to take on a new role if there was ever a reboot of Little House – her mother.
‘I always joke that if they do redo the entire thing, I am ready to play Mrs. Oleson. Absolutely, I’m down for that,’ she sassed.
