Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress of Jewish descent. As a previous 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 the bitingly election contest in which she finally beat her opponent Valerie Harper after a revote 21,351 votes to 12,613 votes. Around July 2005, she announced that she would non search the third term when president of the Screen Actors Guild. She was succeeded by Alan Rosenberg who formally assumed the professional of Order president in September 25

Gilbert is married to Bruce Boxleitner, and played his character's married woman in Babylon 5. She is the adoptive older sister of Roseanne star Sara Gilbert.

She has ii sons, 1 from either either her number one marriage to Bo Brinkman, & a second from her todays marriage to Bruce Boxleitner. She known as her 2nd boy fallowing Michael Landon, her mentor & friend in Little Home.

For her contribution to the television industry, Melissthe Gilbert has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6429 Hollywood Blvd. Around 1998, she was inducted into a Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.