Melissa Gilbert's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) Little House on the Prairie (1974) Laura 'Half… Batman: The Animated Series Barbara Gor… Batgirl Good Day Live Melissa Gil… Class of... (UK) Melissa Gil…

Main Movie Roles 1967 - The Reluctant Astronaut

BIOGRAPHY:

Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) 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 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.

Gilbert was the youngest actor to ever be awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She has since continued working in both film and television.

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. In week eight of competition, she was eliminated, finishing in fifth place.



TRIVIA:

• Gilbert was one of 500 young girls who auditioned for the role of Laura Ingalls Wilder in the TV series _"Little House on the Prairie" (1974)_ (qv) and she was the only one whose screen test was sent to be considered at NBC Studios. It was 'Michael Landon (I)' (qv)'s daughter 'Leslie Landon (I)' (qv) who told Melissa that she had won the role of Laura when the two of them stood in line at their school cafeteria.
• Adopted daughter of 'Paul Gilbert (II)' (qv) and 'Barbara Cowan' (qv).
• Ranked #31 in VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid Stars"
• Inducted (as a cast member of _"Little House on the Prairie" (1974)_ (qv)) into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1998.
• Had a highly publicized relationship with 'Rob Lowe (I)' (qv) during the eighties and were supposedly engaged.
• In national voting completed on Friday, 2 November 2001, 'Melissa Gilbert (I)' (qv) was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild, taking the position held since November of 1999 by 'William Daniels (I)' (qv), who declined to run for another term. She held the position until 2005, when she was replaced by 'Alan Rosenberg (I)' (qv).
• Sister of actor 'Jonathan Gilbert (I)' (qv).
• Has a combined family with her husband, 'Bruce Boxleitner' (qv): Bruce's two sons, Sam (b. 1980) and Lee (b. 1985), her own son, Dakota Paul (b. 1 May 1989) and one son together with Bruce, Michael Garrett (b. 6 October 1995).