Melissa offered a touching homage to her mother, Barbara Gilbert, in a recent Instagram post. The 58-year-old actress dressed up for her mother’s birthday.
She captioned a wonderful vintage photo of Barbara as a young woman, “This gorgeous soul is celebrating another journey around the sun today.” Happy birthday to my wonderful, humorous, creative, sensitive, and bright mother! Your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren adore you, and we wish you the most wonderful day ever!”
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Melissa Gilbert was adopted in infancy by Barbara and Paul Gilbert. In her “Prairie Tale” biography, the actress discusses how she always suspected she was adopted. She was informed that her original mother was a prima ballerina and her father was a Rhodes Scholar. They chose to place her for adoption since her mother was unwilling to give up her profession.
Melissa said in her book that when she reached adulthood, she began researching her family history and learned that her mother was a dancer but not a prima ballerina, and her father was a stock car driver and sign painter.
Her parents were both married to other individuals and had three children each. So, when they found out they were expecting her, they moved in with their six children. They couldn’t afford another kid with their normal wages, so they chose to give her up for adoption.
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Melissa Gilbert has two children. Dakota Brinkman was born in 1989, a year after the actress and her first husband married. Melissa remarried Bruce Boxleitner after their divorce in 1994. They married in 1995, and their son, Michael Boxleitner, was born the following year.
Dakota, Melissa’s eldest child, followed in her footsteps. He began acting at an early age and made his feature film debut in 1997 with “Laws of Deception.” His previous films include the 2007 romance/drama “Safe Harbor” and the 2016 short drama “Shay.”
It’s unknown what Melissa Gilbert’s second son, Michael, works for as a profession; according to his Instagram feed, he appreciates painting and visiting Broadway performances. She is also a stepmother to five more children. Sam and Lee are the children of her ex-husband, Bruce, while Samuel, Daisy, and Wilson are the children of her current husband, Timothy Busfield.