Melissa Gilbert is an American actress known for her role as Laura Ingalls Wilder on the TV series, Little House on the Prairie.
Born on May 8, 1964, in Los Angeles, California, she began her career as a child actress and later continued in television films.
Melissa served as the President of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005 and briefly ran for U.S. Congress in 2016.
She is also an author of memoirs, a children’s book, and a cookbook. Additionally, she has ventured into politics and authored a memoir detailing her life experiences.
Siblings
Melissa has two siblings, namely Sara Gilbert and Jonathan Gilbert.
Sara is known for her role as Darlene Conner on the sitcom, Roseanne, and has also appeared in various TV shows and movies, studied photography at Yale University, and is a mother of three children.
Jonathan Gilbert, who briefly acted as a child, appeared in Little House on the Prairie alongside Melissa.
He later left California, pursued a career as a stockbroker in New York City, and has had no close relationship with Melissa since then.
Sara Gilbert
Sara is an actress best known for her role as Darlene Conner on the ABC sitcom, Roseanne, and its spinoff The Conners.
She received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her performance. Gilbert is also the creator and former co-host of the CBS daytime talk show The Talk.
Sara graduated from Yale University with honors, majoring in art with an emphasis on photography.
She has been in relationships with Ali Adler and Linda Perry, with whom she shares three children.
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Parents
Melissa’s adopted mother, Barbara Crane, had informed her that her birth father was a Rhodes Scholar and her birth mother was a prima ballerina.
However, when Melissa finally met her birth father, David Darlington, she discovered that he was a sign painter in Las Vegas, not a Rhodes Scholar as she had been told.
Her birth mother, Kathy, was revealed to have been a dancer but not a ballerina.
Kathy tragically passed away in 1980 due to complications from a motorcycle accident she had with Darlington shortly after Melissa’s birth.
The reunion with her birth father did not meet Melissa’s expectations, as it lacked the warmth and depth she had hoped for regarding her origins and family history.
Career
Melissa began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, starring on the TV seriesLittle House on the Prairie
She appeared in television films like The Diary of Anne Frank and The Miracle Worker.
As an adult, Gilbert continued her acting career primarily in television films and also appeared on season fourteen of Dancing with the Stars.
Beyond acting, she served as President of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005 and briefly ran for U.S. Congress in 2016.
Melissa is also a New York Times best-selling author, having written memoirs, a children’s book, and a cookbook. Her career has been diverse, spanning acting, advocacy, writing and political involvement.