Melissa Gilbert
Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress. 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 1983, she starred as
Laura Ingalls Wilder, the second-oldest daughter of
Charles Ingalls (played by
Michael Landon) on the
NBC series ''
Little House on the Prairie''. During the run of ''Little House'', Gilbert appeared in several television films, including ''
The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1980), and ''
The Miracle Worker'' (1979). As an adult, she continued her career mainly in television films. From 2009 to 2010, Gilbert appeared as
Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring production of ''
Little House on the Prairie, the Musical''. In 2012, she was a contestant on
season fourteen of the reality dance competition show ''
Dancing with the Stars'' on
ABC.
Gilbert served as president of the
Screen Actors Guild (SAG) from 2001 to 2005. She briefly ran for the
U.S. Congress in 2016, but withdrew her candidacy before the election. She is the author of several memoirs, a children's book, and a cookbook.
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