Marikar, Sheila (April 11, 2012). "Melissa Gilbert Still 'In Pain' After 'Dancing' Concussion" . Retrieved April 11, 2012. Born in Los Angeles, California, on May 8, 1964, Melissa Gilbert grew up in the entertainment business. She is the adopted daughter of actor Paul Gilbert and actress/dancer Barbara Crane (now Barbara Gilbert Cowan); her biological parents each had three children from previous marriages and, fearing they wouldn't be able to provide for Gilbert financially, put her up for adoption the day she was born. Gilbert's two siblings are also actors; Sara played Darlene in the series Roseanne and Jonathan played Willie Olson on Little House on the Prairie. 'Little House on the Prairie' Then there are the renters, like us—and that’s when Tim began scrolling on Zillow and I began aligning myself with reality. Because when we first talked about looking for a country place, I was like anyone else. I dreamed big. I pictured a beautifully furnished vintage farmhouse with carefully curated grounds including rolling green fields, orchards, gardens, and woods, ready for its Architectural Digest photo shoot. It would have a pool, a bar, and a corral for the horses. It would be move-in ready. And then I woke up. Aside from her acting endeavors, Melissa Gilbert enjoys cooking and has shared her culinary skills by participating in cooking shows and releasing a cookbook. She Was Involved in the Creation of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation As a politically engaged individual, Melissa Gilbert has been vocal about her political beliefs and has actively campaigned for candidates she supports. She Is a Mother of Two

As an actress Gilbert's career began at the age of 2 appearing in commercials and guest spots. Gilbert achieved iconic status by the age of 19 after a 10 year run on the television classic Little House On The Prairie ( Golden Globe Nomination). She has starred in over fifty television movies and feature films including The Miracle Worker (Emmy Nomination), The Diary of Anne Frank and Splendor in the Grass. Her television series credits include Little House on the Prairie (Golden Globe Nomination, 2 Young Artist Awards), Sweet Justice, Stand By Your Man and Secrets and Lies for ABC. Her company, Halfpint Productions, produced several films including The Miracle Worker (Emmy Award). Melissa Gilbert is an Emmy winning, Golden Globe nominated actor, director, producer, and NY Times Best Selling author. As a producer her recent film Guest Artist, written by and starring Jeff Daniels premiered in 2019 at The Santa Barbara International Film Festival.On April 24, 2013, Gilbert married 55-year-old actor Timothy Busfield, known for his role as Eliot Weston on TV's Thirtysomething. The couple reportedly wed in a private ceremony at San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, California. Busfield, who was married twice previously, has three children from past relationships. Politics 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. [14] In week eight of competition, she was eliminated, finishing in fifth place.

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. [11] [12] The tour ended in June 2010 at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri.

Steven Raichlen

Gilbert served as President of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) from 2001 to 2005. She briefly ran for U.S. Congress in 2016, but eventually withdrew her candidacy. She is also the author of a few memoirs, a children's book, and a cookbook. AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Melissa Gilbert or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us. 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. [15] 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. [17] 2016 congressional campaign [ edit ] Sirens, barking dogs, vacuum cleaners—they don’t register. It’s the weird stuff that makes me want to murder or run away. I’m a freak. While living in Michigan, Melissa ran for Congress, but dropped out of the race due to health problems which had plagued her for years.

It's really hard to review a memoir, or at least I find it that way. Melissa Gilbert was surprisingly honest and open about the men she slept with, various celebrity encounters, how she got along with other actors and people in the industry, her struggles with addiction, and her plastic surgeries. Known for her childhood role as Laura Ingalls Wilder on the classic NBC show Little House on the Prairie, Melissa Gilbert has spent nearly her entire life in Hollywood. From Dancing with the Stars to a turn in politics, she is always on the lookout for her next project. She just had no idea that her latest one would be completely life changing.I’m not sure getting to the point where I am now was always simple. But maybe it was. Maybe it was inevitable. Maybe the decisions we make, even the bad ones, are bread crumbs on the path we’re supposed to follow. Maybe I was destined to hear my husband, the actor, director, and shoulder-rubber extraordinaire Timothy Busfield, look up from the Zillow listing on his computer screen and say, “I think we should investigate this place.” 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. [18] [19] [20] Gilbert, who was the presumptive Democratic nominee in the district, dropped out of the race in May 2016, citing health issues. [21] Modern Prairie Brand [ edit ] Half Pint' Melissa Gilbert Has Hit Menopause—But the Little House on the Prairie Star Says It's a 'Gift' to Grow Old". Peoplemag . Retrieved November 14, 2023. Tim found the house on Zillow in early fall 2019, though calling the structure he saw a house is generous.

a b Timothy Busfield on His Marriage to 'Little House on the Prairie' 's Melissa Gilbert: 'She Was the One' In an interview with People magazine, Gilbert says she's on the Modern Prairie the app every day. "I’m watching these women support each other as they go through all these extraordinary changes," she says. "Women gather to talk about empty-nest syndrome or grief or how to embroider or make the perfect pie crust." [24] Personal life [ edit ] Relationships [ edit ] Melissa Gilbert has two children from her relationships. In addition to her son, Michael, from her marriage to Bruce Boxleitner, she has a son named Dakota from a previous relationship. Melissa Gilbert Has a Passion for Cooking I love Little House books and also devoured Hilarie Burtons book. I read this book consecutively with Laura Ingall Wilders Little House in the Ozarks. That book is a compilation of Laura's newspaper writings while living in Missouri. It is humble, moral, inspiriting and relevant even today. As an autobiography, it wasn't bad, but there were way too many names dropped and it really started to get irritating. It seems like Melissa Gilbert feels the need to include the name of every celebrity she's ever met, worked with or waved to on the street.Gilbert said she was devastated to leave the congressional race, but vowed to continue to pursue public service. “I will continue on this road of being of service,” she told People. “I won't know where that will take me, but I’m not going to rule anything out.” Related Videos I have to admit that I was a little disappointed that Melissa Gilbert felt a need to use so much profanity throughout the book. It was really hard for me to read through most of the chapters because of the profanity. I enjoyed the last few chapters because they were profanity free.