Melissa Gilbert Net Worth

Melissa Gilbert's Quotes

• We take pride in each other - we were meant to be together.
• Thank God I have four sons. The mother/daughter relationship is one of mankind's great mysteries, and for womankind, it can be hellaciously complicated. My mother and I are quintessential examples of the rewards and frustrations, and the joys and infuriations it can yield.
• [About Het kleine huis op de prairie (1974)]: Not a day goes by that I don't think about it and burst into tears. It's like stepping through a looking glass. There's a part of me that's always going to be Laura. I think every girl has a Laura in them.
• It reminds people of what we as humans and Americans are capable of if we do it together. We tend to live in bubbles. ... There is very little real sense of community anymore. This show reminds people of that.
• [on comparing her co-star's, Karen Grassle's, "Caroline Ingalls" character to her own]: Karen's "Ma" always reminded me of Grace Kelly. My Ma's a little more feisty, a little more earthy, I'm a redhead. So is Ma in this show. So there's some fire under those petticoats.

Interesting Facts about Melissa Gilbert

1. Granddaughter of Harry Crane.
2. Had a highly publicized relationship with Rob Lowe during the 1980s, and they were reportedly at one time engaged.
3. Adopted half-sister of Sara Gilbert. Sara is the natural daughter of Barbara Cowan and Harold Abeles. Cowan and late husband Paul Gilbert together adopted Melissa and Jonathan Gilbert (they are not biologically related to each other). Sara took her stepfather's surname when she began acting in 1984.
4. Goddaughter of Charlie Brill and Mitzi McCall.
5. In national voting completed on Friday, 2 November 2001, she was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild, taking the position held since November 1999 by William Daniels, who declined to run for another term. She held the position until 2005, when she was replaced by Alan Rosenberg.
6. Was introduced to last ex-husband Bruce Boxleitner by his ex-wife, Kathryn Holcomb.
7. Had a combined family with her ex-husband, Bruce Boxleitner: Bruce had two sons, Sam Boxleitner (b. 1980) and Lee Boxleitner (b. 1985). Melissa became a mother when her first child, Dakota Brinkman (Dakota Paul Brinkman), was born on Monday, May 1, 1989, while she was married to Bo Brinkman. She had one son with Bruce, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, who was born on Friday, October 6, 1995.
8. Was one of 500 young girls who auditioned for the role of Laura Ingalls Wilder in the TV series Het kleine huis op de prairie (1974) and she was the only one whose screen test was sent to be considered by NBC. It was Michael Landon's daughter Leslie Landon who told Melissa that she had won the role of Laura when the two of them stood in line at their school cafeteria.
9. Michael Landon Jr. took her to her senior prom in 1981.
10. Inducted (as a cast member of Het kleine huis op de prairie (1974)) into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1998.
11. Both her ex-husbands (Bo Brinkman and Bruce Boxleitner) played Confederate officers in Gods and Generals (2003).
12. Ranked #31 in VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid Stars".
13. Aunt of Sara Gilbert's son Levi and daughter Sawyer.
14. Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6429 Hollywood Blvd.
15. Best known by the public for her role as Laura Ingalls Wilder on Het kleine huis op de prairie (1974).
16. Youngest stepsister of Claudia Cowan. Stepdaughter of Warren Cowan.
17. Her production company is "Half-Pint Productions".
18. Childhood idol was Shirley Temple.
19. Her acting mentors were the late Michael Landon and the late Patty Duke.
20. Gave birth to her first child at age 24, son Dakota Brinkman, on May 1, 1989. Child's father is her first ex-husband, Bo Brinkman.