Melissa Gilbert






















































Melissa Gilbert

Melissa Gilbert after Drug Free America shoot - cropped (5242325680).jpg
Gilbert after a shoot for the Partnership for a Drug-Free America in December 2010

President of the Screen Actors Guild

In office
2001–2005
Preceded by William Daniels
Succeeded by Alan Rosenberg

Personal details
Born
(1964-05-08) May 8, 1964 (age 54)[1]
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s)
Bo Brinkman
(m. 1988; div. 1992)



Bruce Boxleitner
(m. 1995; div. 2011)



Timothy Busfield
(m. 2013)

Children 2; 3 stepchildren
Parents
Paul Gilbert
Barbara Crane
Relatives
Jonathan Gilbert (brother)
Sara Gilbert (sister)
Occupation Actress, director, producer, politician
Website melissa-gilbert.com

Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964)[1][2] is an American actress and television director.


Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous commercials and guest starring roles on television. From 1974 to 1984, she starred as Laura Ingalls Wilder, the second oldest daughter of Charles Ingalls (played by Michael Landon) on the NBC series Little House on the Prairie. During the run of Little House, Gilbert appeared in several popular television films, including The Diary of Anne Frank and The Miracle Worker.


As an adult, she continued her career mainly in television films. Gilbert has also continued with guest starring roles on television and has done voice work for animation such as Batman: The Animated Series as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl. From 2009 to 2010, Gilbert appeared as Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring production of Little House on the Prairie, the Musical. In 2012, she was a contestant on season fourteen of the popular reality dance competition show Dancing with the Stars on ABC.


Gilbert served as the President of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005. In 2009, her autobiography Prairie Tale: A Memoir, was released. In 2014, she wrote a short story for children, called Daisy and Josephine[3] as well as My Prairie Cookbook: Memories and Frontier Food from My Little House to Yours.[4]


In 2016, Gilbert ran for U.S. Congress as a Democrat in Michigan's 8th congressional district and she won the Democratic primary. She later dropped out because of head and neck injuries sustained in a 2012 accident.[5]




Contents






  • 1 Early life and family


  • 2 Career


    • 2.1 Early years


    • 2.2 Career after Little House


    • 2.3 Dancing with the Stars




  • 3 Screen Actors Guild presidency


  • 4 2016 congressional election


  • 5 Personal life


    • 5.1 Relationships


    • 5.2 Tax issues


    • 5.3 Health issues




  • 6 Filmography


    • 6.1 Film


    • 6.2 Television




  • 7 Awards and nominations


  • 8 See also


  • 9 References


  • 10 Sources


  • 11 External links





Early life and family


Gilbert was born in Los Angeles, California, on May 8, 1964, to a newly engaged couple, Kathy Wood and David Darlington, and given up for adoption immediately after birth.[1] She was adopted one day later by actor and comedian Paul Gilbert (born Ed MacMahon, he changed his name to Paul Gilbert to get a Screen Actors Guild card)[6] and his wife, dancer and actress Barbara Crane, the daughter of The Honeymooners creator Harry Crane. The couple later adopted a son, Jonathan, who co-starred on Little House on the Prairie. Gilbert's adoptive parents divorced when she was 8 years old. Barbara Crane Gilbert then married Harold Abeles, and together they had biological daughter Sara Rebecca Abeles (the actress known professionally as Sara Gilbert) on January 29, 1975. On February 13, 1976, Paul Gilbert died. Although 11-year-old Melissa was told that he had suffered a sudden stroke, she found out years later that the 57-year-old had been a VA patient who dealt with constant pain and that he had taken his own life. The marriage of Barbara and Harold Abeles later ended in divorce.[7] Per her biography, Gilbert was "lightly raised" in her adoptive mother's Jewish religion (her adoptive father was a Gentile),[8] but did not have any formal religious education or conversion ceremony.[9]



Career



Early years




Gilbert as Laura Ingalls, circa 1975


Gilbert's earliest television appearances were in dozens of commercials, including one for Alpo dog food with Lorne Greene (Michael Landon's television father on Bonanza). She also attended school with Landon's daughter, Leslie Landon. It was Leslie who informed her that she had won the role of Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, beating out over 500 child actresses for the part. The pilot was shot in 1973 and was a ratings success. Almost a year later, Gilbert began filming the series. Gilbert became extremely close to the Landon family after her adoptive father died. However, a rift developed between Michael Landon and Gilbert after the revelation of Landon's affair with Little House's young makeup artist, Cindy Clerico.[10]


Gilbert had limited contact with Landon after Little House ended during the 1983–84 season. Seven years later, she was contacted by Landon's family and upon news of his condition, paid him a heartfelt visit following his May 9, 1991, appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson where he discussed his pancreatic cancer. She visited Landon at his Malibu home where he was, by then, bedridden, and they spent the afternoon together. Landon died one week later. When Gilbert gave birth to her son with second husband Bruce Boxleitner on October 6, 1995, they named him Michael, in honor of Landon.[11]



Career after Little House




Gilbert at the 1991 Emmy Awards


Gilbert has continued to work regularly, mainly in television. She starred as Jean Donovan in the biopic Choices of the Heart (1983), and as Anna Sheridan in three episodes of Babylon 5 with then husband Bruce Boxleitner in 1996. She also provided the voice of Batgirl on the 1990s Batman: The Animated Series, though she would be replaced by voice actress Tara Strong for the series' follow-up The New Batman Adventures.


For her contribution to the television industry, Gilbert received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6429 Hollywood Blvd in 1985. Her then-fiancé, Rob Lowe, was present with her when her star was unveiled during the ceremony.


In 1998, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 2006, Gilbert appeared as Shari Noble, a patient looking to reconstruct her nipples after committing zoophilia with her dog in a season four episode of Nip/Tuck.


In 2008 and through 2009, Gilbert played Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the musical adaptation of Little House on the Prairie. This world premiere production at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis was directed by Francesca Zambello and also starred Kara Lindsay as Laura. The show ran through October 19 and was on a US National tour for 2009–10.[12][13] The tour ended in June 2010 at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri.


In March and April 2018, Gilbert starred in an Off-Off-Broadway, limited-run production of Geraldine Aron's 2001 one-woman play 2001 My Brilliant Divorce.[14]



Dancing with the Stars


In March 2012, Gilbert joined the cast of celebrity contestants on season 14 of Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. During week four's show, while dancing the Paso Doble, she fell and hit her head on Maksim's leg and suffered a mild concussion and was taken to a hospital. She went home to recuperate, but returned to continue in the competition.[15] In week eight of competition, she was eliminated, finishing in fifth place.



Screen Actors Guild presidency


Gilbert was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild in 2001 after a contentious candidacy, in which she ultimately beat her opponent, Rhoda actress Valerie Harper, 21,351 votes to 12,613 votes after a second vote was taken. In 2003, she was re-elected, defeating Kent McCord with 50% of the vote to his 42%.[16] In July 2005, she announced that she would not seek a third term. She was succeeded by Alan Rosenberg, who assumed the guild presidency on September 25.



2016 congressional election


On August 10, 2015, Gilbert announced her campaign for Michigan's 8th congressional district in the 2016 elections to the United States House of Representatives.[17][18][19] Gilbert, who was the presumptive Democratic nominee in the district, dropped out of the race in May 2016, citing health issues.[5]



Personal life



Relationships


After her break up with Rob Lowe, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, only seven weeks after her relationship with Rob Lowe ended. Gilbert became pregnant months later. On May 1, 1989, she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman. The couple divorced in 1992.


Only weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, Bruce Boxleitner's former wife, Kathryn Holcomb, set Boxleitner up with Gilbert. Holcomb by then was married to actor Ian Ogilvy. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars when Gilbert introduced herself, and she had a pin-up of him in her locker. But Boxleitner ignored her because she was a teen and he was many years older than she was. After reconnecting, the couple started dating on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and Boxleitner broke up with her each time. After reuniting for a third time, they finally married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert quickly became pregnant, but went into premature labor more than two months before her due date. She gave birth to a son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, named in honor of Michael Landon, on October 6, 1995. His middle name is in honor of Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who had died suddenly of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert is also stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons with Holcomb, Sam (born 1980) and Lee (born 1985).
On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated.[11] On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner.[20]


On January 29, 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed the actress's engagement to fellow actor Timothy Busfield.[21] The couple married on April 24, 2013.[22] Since July 2013, Gilbert and Busfield have resided in Howell, Michigan.[23][24]



Tax issues


Following her announcement as a candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan, a spokesperson for her opponent's campaign referred to Gilbert as "tax cheat". Gilbert owed $360,000 in back federal taxes and $112,000 in California state taxes.[25] Gilbert has stated the tax debt is an outgrowth of a stalled acting career, the economy, and divorce.[26] She has negotiated a repayment plan with the IRS.[25]



Health issues


Gilbert has battled alcoholism and drug abuse, which she wrote about in her 2009 autobiography.[27]


While playing the role of Ma Ingalls in the touring musical Little House on the Prairie, a visit to the doctor revealed that Gilbert had been working with a broken back for months. On July 22, 2010, Gilbert underwent surgery to replace a disc as well as fuse a vertebra in her lower spine. The surgery was described as a complete success.[28]


In January 2015, Gilbert decided to have her breast implants removed for health reasons.[29]



Filmography



Film



















































Year
Title
Role
Notes
1967

The Reluctant Astronaut
Niece

1979

Nutcracker Fantasy
Clara (voice)

1985

Sylvester
Charlie

1986

Drug Free Kids: A Parent's Guide

Video
1989

Ice House
Kay
Shattered Trust
2007

Safe Harbour
Ophelia MacKenzie
Video
2015

One Smart Fellow
Ellen
Short film


Television

























































































































































































































































































































































































































































Year
Title
Role
Notes
1968

The Dean Martin Comedy Hour
Girl on Santa's Lap
Episode: "1968 Christmas Show"
1972

Gunsmoke
Spratt's Child
Episode: "The Judgement"
1972

Emergency!
Jenny
Episode: "Dinner Date"
1973

Tenafly
Suzie's sister
Episode: "The Cash and Carry Caper"
1974–83

Little House on the Prairie

Laura Ingalls
Lead role (191 episodes)
1977

Christmas Miracle in Caufield, U.S.A.
Kelly Sullivan
TV film
1978

The Love Boat
Rosemary 'Rocky' Simpson
Episode: "Rocky"
1978

The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour
Herself (Guest Star)
Episode 1.2
1979

The Miracle Worker

Helen Keller
TV film
1979

Little House Years
Laura Ingalls
TV film
1980

The Diary of Anne Frank

Anne Frank
TV film
1981

Splendor in the Grass
Wilma Dean 'Deanie' Loomis
TV film
1983

Choices of the Heart

Jean Donovan
TV film
1983

Little House: Look Back to Yesterday
Laura Ingalls Wilder
TV film
1984

Little House: The Last Farewell
Laura Ingalls Wilder
TV film
1984

Family Secrets
Sara Calloway
TV film
1984

Little House: Bless All the Dear Children
Laura Ingalls Wilder
TV film
1985

Faerie Tale Theatre
Gerda
Episode: "The Snow Queen"
1986

Choices
Terry Granger
TV film
1986

Penalty Phase
Leah Furman
TV film
1987

Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife
Marian
TV film
1988

Killer Instinct
Dr. Lisa DaVito
TV film
1989

Ice House
Kay
TV film
1989

Chameleons

TV film
1990

Without Her Consent
Emily Briggs
TV film
1990

Forbidden Nights
Judith Shapiro
TV film
1990

Joshua's Heart
Claudia
TV film
1990

Donor
Dr. Kristine Lipton
TV film
1990

The Lookalike
Gina / Jennifer
TV film
1991

The Hidden Room

Episode: "Spirit Cabinet"
1992

Stand By Your Man
Rochelle Dunphy
Main role (8 episodes)
1992

With a Vengeance
Jenna King / Valerie Tanner
TV film
1992–94

Batman: The Animated Series

Barbara Gordon / Batgirl (voice)
Recurring role (6 episodes)
1993

Family of Strangers
Julie Lawson
TV film
1993

With Hostile Intent
Miranda Berkley
TV film
1993

Shattered Trust: The Shari Karney Story

Shari Karney
TV film
1993

House of Secrets
Marion Ravinel
TV film
1993

Dying to Remember
Lynn Matthews
TV film
1994

The Babymaker: The Dr. Cecil Jacobson Story
Mary Bennett
TV film
1994

Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story
Melissa Prentice
TV film
1994

Asbestos in Obstetrics
Fire Captain
TV film
1994

Cries from the Heart
Karen Barth
TV film
1994–95

Sweet Justice
Kate Delacroy
Main role (22 episodes)
1995

Zoya
Zoya Ossipov
TV film
1996

Babylon 5
Anna Sheridan
Episodes: "War Without End: Part 2", "Shadow Dancing", "Z'ha'dum"
1996

A Holiday for Love
Emma Murphy
TV film
1997

Seduction in a Small Town
Sarah Jenks
TV film
1997

Childhood Sweetheart?
Karen Carlson
TV film
1998

The Outer Limits
Teresa Janovitch
Episode: "Relativity Theory"
1998

Murder at 75 Birch
Gwen Todson
TV film
1998

Her Own Rules
Meredith Sanders
TV film
1998

Touched by an Angel
Michelle Tanner
Episode: "The Peacemaker"
1999

The Soul Collector
Rebecca
TV film
1999

Mistaken Identity
Sarah Barlow
TV film
2000

A Vision of Murder: The Story of Donielle
Donielle
TV film
2001

Sanctuary
Jo Ellen Hathaway
TV film
2002

Providence
Lorna Berlin
Episode: "Smoke and Mirrors"
2002

Presidio Med
Grace Bennett
Episode: "Once Upon a Family"
2003

Then Came Jones
Devon Jones-Thomas
TV film
2003

Storyline Online
Herself
Episode: "My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother"
2003

Hollywood Wives: The New Generation
Taylor Singer
TV film
2004

Heart of the Storm
Cassie Broadbeck
TV film
2005

Thicker than Water
Natalie Travers
TV film
2005

Fat Actress
Herself
Episode: "Charlie's Angels or Too Pooped to Pop"
2005

7th Heaven
Marie Wagner
Episode: "Honor Thy Mother"
2006

Nip/Tuck
Shari Noble
Episode: "Shari Noble"
2007

Sacrifices of the Heart
Kate Weston / Anne Weston
TV film
2011

The Christmas Pageant
Vera Parks
TV film
2012

Dancing with the Stars
Herself (Contestant)
Dance competition (14 episodes)
2015

The Night Shift
Lindsay
Episode: "Hold On"
2015

Secrets and Lies
Lisa Daly
Recurring role (5 episodes)
2017

Tenure
Tilly Masters
TV film


Awards and nominations


































































Year
Award
Category
Title of work
Result
1980

Primetime Emmy Awards

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special

The Miracle Worker
Nominated
1980

Young Artist Award
Best Juvenile Actress in a TV Series or Special

Little House on the Prairie
Nominated
1981

Golden Globe Award

Best Actress – Television Series Drama

Little House on the Prairie
Nominated
1982
Young Artist Award
Best Young Actress in a Television Special

Splendor in the Grass
Nominated
1983
Young Artist Award
Best Young Actress in a Drama Series

Little House on the Prairie
Won
1984
Young Artist Award
Best Young Actress in a Drama Series

Little House on the Prairie
Won
2000

Golden Boot Awards
Golden Boot


Won
2006

TV Land Awards
Most Memorable Kiss

Little House on the Prairie
Won


See also


  • List of people whose parent committed suicide


References





  1. ^ abc "Melissa Gilbert Interview | Archive of American Television". Emmytvlegends.org. Retrieved May 19, 2014..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  2. ^ (Gilbert 2009, pp. 228)


  3. ^ "Daisy and Josephine: Melissa Gilbert, Julia Kuo: 9781442445789: Amazon.com: Books". amazon.com.


  4. ^ "My Prairie Cookbook: Memories and Frontier Food from My Little House to Yours: Melissa Gilbert, Dane Holweger: 9781419707780: Amazon.com: Books". amazon.com.


  5. ^ ab Spangler, Todd; Gray, Kathleen (May 24, 2016). "Actress Melissa Gilbert drops out of race for Congress". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved May 25, 2016.


  6. ^ (Gilbert 2009, pp. 14–15)


  7. ^ (Gilbert 2009, p. 114)


  8. ^ Interfaith Family: "Interfaith Celebrities: The Talk's Hosts and David Schwimmers Bride" By Nate Bloom. October 26, 2010


  9. ^ (Gilbert 2009, pp. 5–6)


  10. ^ E! Entertainment's "Celebrity Profile:Melissa Gilbert," 1999.


  11. ^ ab "Melissa Gilbert and Bruce Boxleitner Split". People. March 1, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2012.


  12. ^ "Little House on the Prairie". Guthrie Theater. 2008. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2012.


  13. ^ Gans, Andrew (September 20, 2009). "Gilbert, Blanchard, Lindsay, Massey, Loprest Explore a Musical Prairie at Paper Mill, Opening Sept. 20". playbill.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.


  14. ^ Porter, Juan Michael II (March 20, 2018). "My Brilliant Divorce [review]". Time Out New York. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.


  15. ^ Marikar, Sheila (April 11, 2012). "Melissa Gilbert Still 'In Pain' After 'Dancing' Concussion". Retrieved April 11, 2012.


  16. ^ Peter Kiefer and Jesse Hiestand (September 24, 2003). "Gilbert re-elected for two more years as SAG president". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved May 8, 2012.


  17. ^ Spangler, Todd (August 10, 2015). "Actress Melissa Gilbert running for Congress in Michigan". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 10, 2015.


  18. ^ Pael, Wayne (August 10, 2015). "Actress Melissa Gilbert announces run for Congress". Livingston Daily. Retrieved August 10, 2015.


  19. ^ Oosting, Jonathan (August 10, 2015). "Melissa Gilbert of 'Little House' fame running for Michigan seat in U.S. House". MLive.com. Retrieved August 10, 2015.


  20. ^ "Melissa Gilbert files for divorce from Bruce Boxleitner". Los Angeles Times. August 26, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2011.


  21. ^ Jordan, Julie; Shira, Dahvi (January 29, 2013). "Melissa Gilbert Engaged to Thirtysomething's Timothy Busfield". People. Retrieved February 8, 2013.


  22. ^ Nudd, Tim; Jordan, Julie (April 25, 2013). "Melissa Gilbert Weds Timothy Busfield". People. Retrieved April 25, 2013.


  23. ^ "Hollywood comes to Howell: Gilbert and Busfield are the biggest stars we've had, but not the first". The Livingston Post. Retrieved May 19, 2014.


  24. ^ https://www.tripsavvy.com/timothy-busfield-in-howell-michigan-1592138


  25. ^ ab Eggert, David (August 11, 2015). "Actress Melissa Gilbert running for Congress in Michigan". Associated Press. New York. Retrieved August 11, 2015. Bishop campaign spokesman Stu Sandler called Gilbert a "tax cheat," noting that she owes $360,000 in back taxes to the U.S. government and $112,000 to California.


  26. ^ Sheets, Andy (August 14, 2015). "OFF THE BEATEN TAX: NOT-SO-LITTLE TAX LIEN ON THE PRAIRIE". 2015 TNT 157-4. Tax Notes Today. Missing or empty |url= (help); |access-date= requires |url= (help)


  27. ^ "I Drank Three Bottles of Wine a Night". momlogic.com. June 22, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.


  28. ^ Watson, Frances (July 14, 2010). "Melissa Gilbert to undergo surgery for broken back, performed in 'Little House' musical". ontheredcarpet.com. Retrieved March 21, 2012.


  29. ^ Rothman, Michael (January 8, 2015). "Why Melissa Gilbert Had Her Breast Implants Removed". Good Morning America. ABC News. Retrieved January 29, 2015.




Sources


  • Gilbert, Melissa (2009). Prairie Tale: A Memoir (1st ed.). Gallery Books.
    ISBN 1-416-59914-2


External links







  • Official personal website

  • Official campaign website


  • Melissa Gilbert on IMDb


  • Melissa Gilbert at the Internet Off-Broadway Database


  • Melissa Gilbert at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television


  • Appearances on C-SPAN










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