Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress and television director. She began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s with commercials and guest roles. From 1974 to 1984, she starred as Laura Ingalls Wilder on the NBC series Little House on the Prairie. During that time, she appeared in television films including The Diary of Anne Frank and The Miracle Worker.
As an adult, Gilbert continued working mainly in television films, guest roles, and voice work such as Batman: The Animated Series. From 2009 to 2010, she appeared as Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring production of Little House on the Prairie, the Musical. She competed on season fourteen of Dancing with the Stars in 2012. Gilbert was President of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005. Her autobiography Prairie Tale: A Memoir was published in 2009. In 2014, she wrote a children's story, Daisy and Josephine, and My Prairie Cookbook. In 2016, Gilbert ran for U.S. Congress in Michigan's 8th district but withdrew due to health issues.
United States
