Known for her blunt bangs and pigtail braids, this child star played the third daughter in one of America’s most beloved family shows of all time.
But she wasn’t alone in the role, her identical twin sister often stepped in, the two seamlessly trading places for scenes on set.
The sisters made their first appearance in a television movie, and when the director later discovered that another creator was working on what would turn into a successful family sitcom, he suggested them for the role.
From the age of three, they were essentially raised on set, growing up in front of millions of viewers.
By the series’ conclusion, even though the twins were still in high school, acting opportunities had dwindled, prompting them to eventually leave Hollywood and pursue corporate careers.
In an unexpected twist, one of the sisters later married a man who, as a boy, lived nearby and would sneak onto the set just to be around the cast.
Can you guess who?
Known for her blunt bangs and pigtail braids, this child star played the third daughter in one of America’s most beloved TV families
Since they were three years old, both she and her twin sister shared the role and were practically raised on set, maturing in front of millions of viewers.
It’s Rachel Lindsay Greenbush!
The Little House on the Prairie alum was spotted out in Los Angeles with her husband, Danny Sanchez.
The duo remained close as they ran errands this month. Lindsay, who is now known as Rachel, kept her look casual with a red V-neck top featuring floral patterns, black yoga pants, black sneakers, and completed the ensemble with a white leather backpack and glasses.
Sanchez echoed her relaxed style by wearing a vintage Harley-Davidson T-shirt, dark-wash jeans, and suede boots as the two visited both the grocery store and a local craft shop.
Rachel, 55, and her twin sister Sidney, also known as Robyn, were raised in Los Angeles as the children of actors. Their father gained fame for portraying sheriffs and state troopers in classics like M*A*S*H (1972), Gunsmoke (1973), and Electra Glide in Blue (1973).
The twins start in Hollywood came when they jointly played Jill Hayden in the TV movie Sunshine, before they landed the role of Carrie Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie.
The cast of Little House where twins Rachel and Sidney hit their big break in the role as of Carrie Ingalls, the third-born daughter of the Little House family (PICTURED: Bottom row in blue polka dot dress)
Rachel, 55, and her twin sister Sidney landed their roles on Little House at just three years old, after being discovered while jointly playing Jill Hayden in the TV movie Sunshine
Little House on the Prairie alum Rachel Lindsay Greenbush was spotted keeping it casual in a red V-neck top with floral motifs, black yoga pants and black sneakers as she ran errands with her husband, Danny Sanchez
In pursuit of accomplishing their tasks at the grocery and hobby store on September 12, her husband Sanchez matched her vibe in a vintage Harley-Davidson T-shirt, dark-wash jeans and suede boots
At the age of three, the director of Sunshine recommended them for the role of Carrie to Michael Landon while he was casting for Little House on the Prairie.
One of the twins’ most well-remembered moment from the show actually came from the opening theme, where their character Carrie trips and falls in a meadow, which Rachel told People Weekly in 2001 was a mistake, but Landon loved it, so it was kept in.
After their time in the series wrapped up while they were in high school, Rachel went on to star in one episode of the crime drama Matt Houston.
She and her sister also appeared in commercials for companies like Double Mint Gum, Mattel and KFC.
As for Robyn, she appeared in the 1983 movie Hambone and Hillie.
But the road to success turned out to be an uphill battle for the twins, who made the decision to retire from acting so that they could focus on their education. They graduated together from Santa Monica High in 1988.
Both of the twins took a step back from Hollywood when the show wrapped up, with Lindsay, who goes by Rachel, pursuing an accounting degree
She married Sanchez three decades after they first met on set, when he was a local teen who would sneak over to spend time with the cast and crew. In 2014, the two tied the knot beneath the very tree where they had first crossed paths at ages seven and 14
Rachel went on to earn a degree in Accounting from California Lutheran University, but she has continued to pursue acting on the side – most notably reuniting with her former co-star Alison Arngrim, who played Nellie Oleson, in a 2016 production of her show The Vagina Monologues.
Her sister Sidney pursued a career as a sales system administrator for a residential builder and married a horse breeder named William ‘Rocky’ Foster, and they were together for nine years until he died days after she filed for divorce.
Rachel’s love story with Sanchez started as a friendship decades before when she met him on the set of Little House when she was seven and he was 14.
‘He lived one canyon over, and so he used to sneak onto set, and because he never disrupted the set or the filming, or the schedule or anything like that, Michael used to let him stay,’ Rachel shared during a 2015 reunion on the Hallmark Channel.
‘So, he would hang out with the crew members, and then we lost contact, and we met exactly 30 years later in 2007.’
After hitting it off again decades later, the couple would wed in 2014 and exchange vows beneath the very tree where they had met – right next to the iconic Plum Creek, a beloved filming location from the show.
