Melissa Gilbert Biography

Melissa Ellen Gilbert was born to David Darlington and Kathy Wood in Los Angeles, California, USA, on May 8, 1964. Due to financial constraints, her biological parents were not sure of being able to raise Melissa, so they decided to give her up for adoption.

New born Melissa was adopted the next day by actors Paul Gilbert and his wife Barbara Crane.

Gilbert bagged the role of Laura Ingalls, one of the daughters of Charles Ingalls (played by Micahel Landon), in the NBC series ‘Little House on the Prairie,’ after auditioning with over five hundred other children for the role.

Gilbert’s brother Jonathan was also cast in the series as Willie Oleson. The shooting took place in 1973, and the series was aired from 1974 to 1983. The period drama became extremely popular and Gilbert soon caught viewers' attention.

Gilbert continued working in feature films but she mostly worked in television. She appeared in ‘The Miracle Worker’ in 1979, ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ in 1980, ‘Splendor in the Grass’ in 1981, and ‘Choices of the Heart’ in 1983, where she played the character of Jean Donovan.

Along with success, Gilbert also faced failure with ‘Little House: A New Beginning,’ in 1982, ‘Stand By Your Man,’ in 1992, and ‘Sweet Justice,’ in 1994.

During the period 2008-09, Gilbert was seen as Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the musical adaptation of ‘Little House on the Prairie,’ directed by Francesca Zambello. The world premiere production took place at the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis. The show was on a US National tour which started in 2009, and finally came to an end at Starlight Theatre, Kansas City, Missouri, in June 2010.

After dating Tom Cruise and Rob Lowe during her teenage days, Melissa Gilbert married famous actor and producer Bo Brinkman on February 22, 1988. The couple had a son, Dakota Paul Brinkman. Their marriage ended in 1992.

Gilbert married for a second time on January, 1, 1995, to actor Bruce Boxleitner. She gave birth to a son on October 6, 1995, and the couple named him Michael, in honour of late Michael Landon, who had played an important role in Gilbert’s life. Gilbert’s marriage with Boxleitner also came to an end after she filed for a divorce on August 22, 2011.

Timothy Busfield became Gilbert’s third husband on April 24, 2013. They got married in a small ceremony at San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, California. Timothy Busfield was also married twice like Gilbert and had three children.

Melissa Gilbert is an accomplished author, having written several books including a children's book series called "Daisy and Josephine."

In addition to her acting career, Melissa Gilbert is also a passionate advocate for various causes, including animal rights and education.

Melissa Gilbert comes from a family with a rich entertainment history, as her mother was a dancer and her adoptive father was a comedian.