Melissa Gilbert facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Melissa Gilbert
Gilbert in 2010
President of the Screen Actors Guild
In office October 15, 2001 – February 22, 2005
Preceded by	William Daniels
Succeeded by	Alan Rosenberg
Personal details
Born	Melissa Ellen Gilbert (1964-05-08) May 8, 1964 (age 61) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Bo Brinkman ​ ​ (m. 1988; div. 1994)​ Bruce Boxleitner ​ ​ (m. 1995; div. 2011)​ Timothy Busfield ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	2
Parent	Paul Gilbert (father)
Relatives	Harry Crane (grandfather) Jonathan Gilbert (brother) Sara Gilbert (sister)
Known for	Little House on the Prairie The Miracle Worker
Occupation	Actress author
Years active	1967–present

Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress and author. She began acting as a child in the late 1960s, appearing in many commercials and TV shows.

From 1974 to 1983, she became famous for playing Laura Ingalls Wilder on the NBC series Little House on the Prairie. While on the show, she also acted in TV movies like The Diary of Anne Frank (1980) and The Miracle Worker (1979).

As an adult, Gilbert continued her acting career, mostly in television films. From 2009 to 2010, she played Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in a musical version of Little House on the Prairie that toured the country. In 2012, she competed on the TV show Dancing with the Stars.

Gilbert also served as the president of the Screen Actors Guild, a group that supports actors, from 2001 to 2005. In 2016, she briefly ran for the U.S. Congress. She has also written several books.

Early Life and Family

Melissa Gilbert was born in Los Angeles, California, on May 8, 1964. She was adopted the day after she was born by actor Paul Gilbert and his wife, actress Barbara Crane. Barbara's father was Harry Crane, who created the famous TV show The Honeymooners.

Melissa was raised in her adoptive mother's Jewish faith. Her parents later adopted a son, Jonathan Gilbert, who also acted with her on Little House on the Prairie.

When Melissa was six, her parents divorced. Her mother later remarried and had a daughter, Sara Gilbert, who also became a well-known actress. When Melissa was 11, her adoptive father, Paul Gilbert, passed away.

Acting Career

Little House on the Prairie

Gilbert as Laura Ingalls, around 1975

Before her big break, Gilbert appeared in many commercials. One was for Alpo dog food, where she acted alongside Lorne Greene, who played the father on the TV show Bonanza.

She went to school with Leslie Landon, the daughter of actor Michael Landon. It was Leslie who told Melissa that she had won the role of Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie. She beat out more than 500 other young actresses for the part.

The show was a huge success, and Gilbert became very close with Michael Landon and his family, especially after her own father died. However, their friendship changed after the show ended in 1984.

Seven years later, Gilbert learned that Landon was very sick with pancreatic cancer. She visited him at his home in Malibu, and they spent an afternoon together. Landon passed away one week later. In 1995, when Gilbert had a son with her second husband, Bruce Boxleitner, they named him Michael in honor of Landon.

Career After Little House

Gilbert at the 1991 Emmy Awards

Gilbert has continued to act, mostly on television. She played Anna Sheridan in three episodes of the science-fiction show Babylon 5 in 1996. She was also the voice of Batgirl in Batman: The Animated Series in the 1990s.

In 1985, Gilbert received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her work in television. Her fiancé at the time, actor Rob Lowe, was there with her for the ceremony. In 1998, she was added to the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

From 2008 to 2009, Gilbert returned to her Little House roots. She played Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in a musical based on the books. The show started in Minneapolis and then toured across the United States.

Dancing with the Stars

In March 2012, Gilbert was a contestant on season 14 of Dancing with the Stars. Her professional dance partner was Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

During one performance, she fell and suffered a mild concussion. After a short rest, she returned to the competition. She was eliminated in the eighth week, finishing in fifth place.

Helping Other Actors

From 2001 to 2005, Gilbert was the president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). SAG is an organization that works to protect and help actors in the movie and television industry. She was first elected in 2001 after a close race against actress Valerie Harper. She was re-elected in 2003 and decided not to run for a third term in 2005.

2016 Congressional Campaign

On August 10, 2015, Gilbert announced she was running for the United States House of Representatives in Michigan's 8th congressional district. In May 2016, she ended her campaign because of health issues.

Personal Life

Gilbert has been married three times. She was married to Bo Brinkman from 1988 to 1994 and to actor Bruce Boxleitner from 1995 to 2011.

In 2013, she married actor Timothy Busfield. They lived in Howell, Michigan, for several years before moving to New York City in 2018. They now live in a cottage in the Catskill Mountains of New York.

In 2022, Gilbert launched a lifestyle brand for women called Modern Prairie.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Nominations

Books

• Prairie Tale: A Memoir (2009) (Memoir)
• Daisy and Josephine (2014) (Children's Book)
• My Prairie Cookbook: Memories and Frontier Food from My Little House to Yours (2014) (Cookbook)
• Back to the Prairie: A Home Remade, A Life Rediscovered (2022) (Memoir)

See also

In Spanish: Melissa Gilbert para niños