Tuesday, May 30, 2023
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Growing up in the Seventies and Eighties, most guys were glued to 'CHIPs' and wanted to be Ponch or Jon. Well, for the girls, it was 'Little House on the Prairie' - and Laura Ingalls Wilder. That role made Melissa Gilbert famous, and she became one of the youngest people ever to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Melissa was ten when she became 'Laura', and it was a pretty idyllic life on screen. But off screen - not as much. Melissa's parents split when she was ten, and her dad died the next year. So her TV dad - Michael Landon - became a father figure. Oh, and her real brother was on TV with her too - as Willie Oleson.
Like many young actors, Melissa got heavy into partying, drinking and drugs. But she sobered up, and re-established herself as "the Queen of TV miniseries and movies." She's done more than forty of those in all! Melissa's also been active in the Screen Actors Guild - serving as president from 2001 to 2005.
Now, she's going back in time - starring in 'Little House on the Prairie, the Musical.' Only this time, she plays Laura's mom - and playing Willie? Melissa's son! She's also released a memoir of her younger years. It's called 'Prairie Tale.'
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