Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress. As a former child actor, she is best known for her role of Laura Ingalls on the television series Little House on the Prairie and for her term as president of the Screen Actors Guild which she won after a bitter election contest with Valerie Harper.
Gilbert is married to Bruce Boxleitner. She is the older half-sister of Roseanne star Sara Gilbert. She named her son after Michael Landon, her mentor on Little House.
For her contribution to the television industry, Melissa 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.
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