Karl Swenson Biography

Fast Facts

• In 1932, using the stage name Peter Wayne, he acted in summer stock stage productions by the University Players alongside future stars such as Henry Fonda, Margaret Sullavan, Joshua Logan and James Stewart
• Began his career in feature films after he turned 50 with bit parts in movies such as "Kings Go Forth," "North to Alaska" and "The Birds․"
• During TV's golden age of Westerns in the late 1950s, he played guest roles on many of the most popular shows, making 14 appearances on "Gunsmoke" and four on "Bonanza․"
• Appeared as lumber mill owner Lars Hanson, the founder of Walnut Grove, in "Little House on the Prairie․" One of the reasons he got the part was because the show's creator and star, Michael Landon, remembered him from "Bonanza․"
• He built a solid career in the 1930s as a radio actor, appearing in many daytime dramas such as "Lorenzo Jones," "Portia Faces Life" and "Our Gal Sunday․"
• Supplied the voice of Merlin in the 1963 animated Disney feature film "The Sword in the Stone․"