Melissa Gilbert Biography, Age, Brother, News, Health, Marriages, Kids, Net Worth, and Career

Melissa Gilbert is an American actress, television director, politician, producer, and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. She is one of the lead senior actresses in the American entertainment industry and started her career as a child star in the late 1960s. She first began appearing in numerous commercials and then played various guest roles on television.

Slowly but surely, the actress has established herself as one of the main celebrities in film and drama. Melissa Gilbert rose to fame after playing the role of Laura Ingalls Wilder on the popular NBC series Little House on the Prairie, in which she starred in 191 episodes out of 205 episodes from 1974 to 1983.

Gilbert’s appearances in The Diary of Anne Frank and The Miracle Worker earned her much recognition in the country. So, in this post, we will talk about the total net worth of Melissa Gilbert, her annual salary, income sources, career, biography, and a lot more.

Melissa Gilbert Biography

Name	Melissa Gilbert
Net Worth	$500,000
Age	59 years old
Annual Salary	$100,000
Profession	Actress, Director
Gender	Female
Zodiac Sign	Taurus

Early Life

Melissa Ellen Gilbert was (Born May 8, 1964), in Los Angeles, California. Mellisa was adopted by the newly engaged couple, later actor and comedian Pual Gilbert and actress and dancer Barbara Crane.

The couple later adopted a son named Jonathan. Still, shortly after, Gilbert’s parents divorced when she was eight years old, and she stayed with her mother. Mellisa’s father died when she was just 11 years old. She was raised in a Jewish religion but had no formal education about religious norms.

Career

Melissa Gilbert started her career as a child actress by appearing in commercials, including Alpo, Bonanza, and many others. As a child star, her first appearance was on the TV show “Little House on the Prairie,” in which she portrayed Laura Ingalls Winfred from 1974 to 1983. That show became the turning point of her career and was a huge hit in these years.

During that time, she starred in several television films, such as The Miracle Worker as Helen Keller and The Diary of Anne Frank as Anne Frank.

On the consummation of her series, Gilbert continued to appear in many movies and feature films, including Sylvester (1985), Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife (1987), Killer Instinct (1988), Without Her Consent (1990), Hollywood Wives: The New Generation (2003), Heart of the Storm (2004), Thicker than Water (2005), and many more.

In 1985, Gilbert appeared as Charlie in the family drama Sylvester, her credited theatrical film debut. In 1979, she debuted as a voice artist in the Japanese animated film Nutcracker Fantasy. 

Apart from that, Gilbert is very close to Michael Landon, an American actor, and has been a

father figure to Millesa since her adopted father passed away. However, Landon and Gilbert parted ways when she found Landon’s romantic relationship with the Little House Makeup artist.

The following year, the actress heard that Michael had pancreatic cancer, and she went to Malibu to visit him, where she saw that Landon was bedridden. One week later, Landon died. In 1995, Mellissa Gilbert gave birth to a son with her second husband, Bruce Boxleitner, Michael, honoring the later American celebrity.

In 1983, Gilbert starred in the biopic “Choices of the Heart,” where she played the role of Jean Donovon, then in three episodes of “Babylon 5” as Anna Sheridan. At 6429 Hollywood Blvd in 1985, she received a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame for contributing to the television industry.

From 1992 to 1994, Gilbert provided vocals for the character of Barbara Gordon / Batgirl in the superhero Batman: The Animated Series. She then got an opportunity to play the main role of Kate Delcony on the legal drama television series Sweet Justice, in which she starred from 1994 to 1995. Then, from 2001 to 2005, she became the President of the Screen Actors Guild.

Gilbert also started a tour for the Little House on the Prairie musical and portrayed Caroline Ma Ingalls. Between 2009 and 2010, Broadway was featured on the US National Tour. In 2009, she came up with releasing an autobiography entitled Prairie Tale: A Memoir. Gilbert became one of the participants in the reality show Dancing with the Stars in 2012, where she competed but was eliminated in her 8th week.

In mid-2015, it was announced that she ran for Michigan’s 8th congressional district in the 2016 United States House of Representatives elections. Being a nominee in the district, she soon dropped out of the elections because of some health issues.

Personal Life

In 1981, Melissa Gilbert started dating actor Rob Lowe at just 17 years old. After their first meeting in 1981, the two were spotted at parties, including red-carpet events several times. In 1986, Rob finally proposed to Gilbert, but the relationship didn’t last long because they cheated on one another. A year later, Rob and she decided to get separated after Melissa had a miscarriage.

In 1988, Melissa started her relationship with actor Bo Brinkman, and they immediately married on February 22, 1988. The two welcomed their first child, a son named Dakota Paul Brinkman, on May 1, 1989. Unfortunately, the couple filed for divorce and separated in 1992.

In 1995, Melissa Gilbert and actor and writer Bruce Boxleitner. The two first met with the help of Bruce’s former wife, Kathryn Holcomb. They got engaged twice but finally married on January 1, 1995, in Gilbert’s mother’s living room. Due to premature labor, she lost her first child with Bruce.

Family

Later, on October 6, 1995, the couple was blessed with a son named Michael Garrett Boxleitner. Bruce was previously married to Kathryn, with whom he already had children, so Gilbert became the stepmother of his kids, including Sam and Lee Boxleitner. Sadly, Milissa and Bruce separated in March 2011, and the actress filed for divorce in August.

In early 2013, Melissa Gilbert got engaged to actor Timothy Busfield. Soon after, the two got married on April 24, 2013, and their wedding ceremony was held at San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara among close friends and family members.

Busfield also has children from his earlier relationship, and she became a stepmother to Samuel Busfield, Wilson Busfield, Samuel Busfield, and Wilson Busfield. The family lives a luxurious life in the beautiful City of New York.

In her 2009 memoir, Gilbert stated that she had battled with drug abuse and alcohol.

Texas

In June 2015, Milissa was spotlighted when it was announced that she owed $360k in federal income taxes. She also has arranged a payment plan with the IRS, making her second run-in with the IRS. She failed to pay her Texas on time and has a federal tax debt of 360k and 112k dollars in 2013 for California State Taxes.

Endorsement

The actress has done endorsement work for numerous brands, including The Queen’s Treasures, Crew, Crepe Erase, CB I Hate Perfume, SheaMoisture, Vanicream Skin Care, Le Labo Fragrances, Eucerin, Eminence Organic Skin Care, and many more.

In addition, Gilbert was featured in television commercials for Butterball Turkeys, Belle Color hair color, Wen Healthy Hair Care System, Noxzema, Crest toothpaste, Garnier’s Belle Color, Alpo Dog Food, SheerCover cosmetics, and Chaz’s Wen Healthy Hair Care System, among others.

Melissa Gilbert Net Worth

Melissa Ellen Gilbert is a well-known American actress, television director, producer, and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. With an estimated net worth of $500,000, she has made a name for herself in the entertainment industry. Her impressive career and accomplishments have earned her recognition and admiration from fans worldwide.

She came to the limelight after appearing in 191 episodes of Little House on the Prairie, making her the longest-starring cast on the series.

Her appearance on the shows The Miracle Worker and Little House on the Prairie earned her several accolades and awards, including 1 Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series, 1 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series, 2 Young Artist Awards, and many more. Melissa Gilbert’s annual income is roughly $100 thousand, and her net worth is increasing regularly.

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