Melissa Gilbert’s net worth is estimated at approximately $500,000–$600,000, a figure that reflects a complicated financial history following decades as one of American television’s most recognized child actors. Best known for playing Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie for nine seasons, Gilbert’s adult finances were significantly set back by tax debts and major life changes, though she has rebuilt steadily in recent years through ongoing acting, writing, and entrepreneurship.
Updated March 2026: According to IMDb, Gilbert remains active in television production including her return to When Calls the Heart in 2025. Her current net worth is cited at approximately $500,000–$600,000 by entertainment industry trackers, reflecting a long financial recovery from debts that peaked in the mid-2010s.
Melissa Ellen Gilbert was born on May 8, 1964, in Los Angeles, California. She was adopted the day after her birth by actor and comedian Paul Gilbert and his wife Barbara Crane. Her adoptive parents divorced when she was six years old, and her adoptive father died by suicide when she was eleven — an early trauma she has discussed candidly in interviews and memoirs. Gilbert was raised Jewish and grew up in Hollywood’s entertainment ecosystem from infancy. She is the half-sister of actress Sara Gilbert. Gilbert began appearing in television commercials as a toddler in the late 1960s, earning an income before she could read.
Melissa Gilbert landed the role of Laura Ingalls Wilder on NBC’s Little House on the Prairie in 1974 at age ten, a part she would hold for nine seasons through 1983. The show, based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book series, ran 204 episodes and became one of the most beloved American family dramas in television history. During and after that run, Gilbert accumulated a substantial body of television film work, including Emmy-nominated performances in The Miracle Worker (1979) and The Diary of Anne Frank (1980).
In the 1990s, she voiced Batgirl in Batman: The Animated Series (1992–94) and continued acting in TV movies. She earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1985. Gilbert also served as President of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005, becoming the first woman elected to the position on her own merits. She competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2012, finishing fifth. Her stage work includes portraying Ma in a national touring production of Little House on the Prairie: The Musical in 2009–2010. In 2025, she returned to television with a role on the Hallmark series When Calls the Heart.
Melissa Gilbert has been married three times. Her first marriage to actor Bo Brinkman lasted from 1988 to 1994; they have a son, Dakota Brinkman (b. 1989). Her second marriage was to actor Bruce Boxleitner, from 1995 to 2011; their son Michael Boxleitner was born in 1995. Since 2013, she has been married to actor Timothy Busfield, known for his role in thirtysomething and The West Wing. Gilbert and Busfield relocated to a rural property in the Catskill Mountains, which inspired her Modern Prairie brand and her 2021 memoir Back to the Prairie. In January 2026, Busfield was arrested on child sexual abuse charges stemming from alleged incidents on a television production set in 2022–2024; Busfield denied all charges and was released pending trial. Gilbert publicly expressed support for her husband while condemning abuse, per the Los Angeles Times.
Melissa Gilbert’s net worth is estimated at approximately $500,000–$600,000 as of 2026, per IMDb and entertainment industry estimates. This represents a significant decline from her peak earning years, largely due to tax debts incurred between 2013 and 2015 that totaled approximately $472,000 in combined federal and state liabilities.
Melissa Gilbert’s current husband is actor Timothy Busfield, whom she married in 2013. Busfield is known for his Emmy-winning performance in thirtysomething and his role as Charlie Young in The West Wing. The couple lives on a rural property in the Catskill Mountains of New York. In January 2026, Busfield was arrested on child sexual abuse charges, which he denied; the case was ongoing as of early 2026.
Melissa Gilbert was born on May 8, 1964, in Los Angeles, California, making her 61 years old as of March 2026. She was adopted as an infant by actor Paul Gilbert and began her entertainment career as a toddler in television commercials in the late 1960s.
Melissa Gilbert stands 5 feet 3 inches tall (approximately 1.60 meters). Despite her relatively modest stature, she commanded the screen as Laura Ingalls Wilder for nine seasons and built one of the most recognizable faces in American television history.
Melissa Gilbert has two sons. Dakota Brinkman (born 1989) is her son from her first marriage to Bo Brinkman. Michael Boxleitner (born 1995) is her son from her second marriage to Bruce Boxleitner. Both sons are adults, and Gilbert has spoken warmly about her relationship with them in interviews and her memoir Back to the Prairie, per People.
As of 2026, Melissa Gilbert remains active in television, having returned to the Hallmark Channel series When Calls the Heart in 2025. She continues to develop her Modern Prairie lifestyle brand, founded in 2022, and has been navigating the public attention surrounding her husband Timothy Busfield’s January 2026 arrest on charges he has denied, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.