<P> On January 28th, 1986, Billingsley was present at launch pad 39B (at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida) for the doomed launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger . He and classmates of the son of America's first teacher - astronaut (Christa McAuliffe) cheered as the space shuttle Challenger lifted skyward . Their delight turned to horror as the shuttle exploded 73 seconds into flight . Billingsley was a spokesman for the young astronaut program . </P> <P> Billingsley's first acting role was as a two - year - old in a Geritol commercial with Betty Buckley playing his mom . He went on to star in about 120 television ads throughout the 1970s and early 1980s . At 12 he was quoted as saying: "After 100 (commercials), you lose count ." He was likely best known for a series of commercials for Hershey's chocolate syrup in which he portrayed the popular character Messy Marvin . One of Billingsley's earliest film roles was in 1978's If Ever I See You Again, written and directed by Joseph Brooks . </P> <P> His role in 1981's Paternity opposite Burt Reynolds earned a nomination for "Best Young Comedian--Motion Picture or Television" at The Young Artist Awards . In 1981, he appeared in Honky Tonk Freeway, and that October was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson . In 1982 Billingsley starred in several features, including Death Valley, Massarati and the Brain, and the made - for - TV movie Memories Never Die with Lindsay Wagner and his sister, Melissa Michaelsen . He had a featured guest role as Gideon Hale on Little House on the Prairie, began a three - year stint as a co-host on NBC's popular Real People (for which he earned another Young Artist Award nomination), and he hosted a two - episode offshoot of the show called Real Kids . </P> <P> In 1983 Billingsley starred in A Christmas Story, based on Jean Shepherd's In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, which built its audience slowly over the years and is now broadcast for twenty - four hours from Christmas Eve until Christmas Day on TBS . The film earned Billingsley another Young Artist Award nomination, and is arguably the one role he is most associated with . He has been quoted as saying that people still approach him on the street, only to say "you'll shoot your eye out, kid!" </P>

Who played gideon on little house on the prairie
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