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Melissa
Gilbert was born on May 8, 1964 in Los Angeles, California.
A professional model and actress by the age of three, Gilbert
became a natural in front of the camera. At 7-years-old, Gilbert
was featured in nearly thirty television commercials. Her big
career break came when she was cast as Laura Ingalls on Little
House on the Prairie. Gilbert was one of over five hundred
young girls who tried out for the role. Michael Landon was impressed
by her powerful audition. He immediately knew he found his star
and insisted that NBC look no further.
Based on the autobiographical books by the real Laura Ingalls
Wilder, Gilbert was the breakout star who helped bring life
on the western frontier to the modern television audiences.
For nine years, American audiences literally watched Gilbert
blossom from childhood to adulthood. In between filming of the
hit series, Gilbert starred in several critically acclaimed
television movies including The Diary of Anne Frank,
Family Secrets and The Miracle Worker.
With the end of her Little House career, Gilbert has gone on
to become one of the hardest working actresses in television
movies. Among her extensive body of work, Gilbert has starred
in Splendor in the Grass, Christmas in my Hometown,
Switched at Birth, Sanctuary and Hollywood
Wives: the new generation. In 1997, Gilbert made her directorial
debut with the TV movie Me and My Hormones. She also
served two terms as President of Screen Actors Guild. As the
youngest person to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,
Gilbert is a former child star who has blossomed into a Hollywood
powerhouse.
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