Biography
This page uses content from the Melissa Gilbert biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.
Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress.
The naturally red-headed Gilbert is best known as a child actor who starred as Charles Ingalls' (played by Michael Landon) middle daughter, Laura Ingalls, on the television series Little House on the Praire (1974-1983). She also voiced the role of Clara in the Sanrio film, Nutcracker Fantasy and the role of Barbara Gordon in Batman: The Animated Series. She also served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild.
Family and Early Career
Gilbert was born in Los Angeles, California, to a Jewish family. She was adopted by actor Paul Gilbert (born Paul MacMahon) and his wife, Barbara Crane. Her younger brother, Jonathan Gilbert (a New York stock broker), was also adopted. Melissa and Jonathan worked together when he portrayed Willie Oleson in Little House on the Prairie and in the movie The Miracle Worker. When Melissa was eight, her parents divorced, and when she was 11, her adoptive father died. Her adoptive mother married Harold Abeles and gave birth in 1975 to Sara Abeles, who became an actress. In 1984 Sara Abeles changed her name to Sara Gilbert. Sara would later star in the American television series Roseanne.
Life After Little House
Melissa won the Screen Actors Guild presidency in 2001 after a competitive election in which she ultimately beat her opponent, Valerie Harper, 21,351 votes to 12,613 votes after a second vote was taken. 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.
For her contribution to the television industry, Gilbert has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6429 Hollywood Blvd. In 1998, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Gilbert regularly keeps in contact with her friend Alison Arngrim, who played her nemesis "Nellie Oleson" on Little House on the Prairie.
External links
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify the biographical information on this page under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation.
IGN RSS Feeds