This Girl Became a Successful Child Star after Bio Parents Gave Her up to Family Who Had ‘No Plans’ to Adopt

When she was a newborn, his celebrity’s biological parents placed her for adoption.

Because their occupations meant more to them than raising a child, the star’s birth parents didn’t want her when she was born.

Up until the truth was revealed, the actress’ adoptive parents had been lying about her background.
The French Hospital in Los Angeles, which is now defunct, was the hospital where the future celebrity was born on May 8, 1964. The actress was adopted by Barbara Crane and Paul Gilbert, who took her in when she was just 24 hours old.

Paul Gilbert, their daughter, and Barbara Crane at the 4th Annual People's Choice Awards on February 20, 1978 | Source: Getty Images


Jonathan, her younger brother, was also adopted by the couple. Barbara was a twentysomething actress whose career was cut short, and Paul was a stand-up comedian, actor, and dancer who began as an aerialist with a family circus from Buenos Aires. Barbara and Paul parted ways when the young child was six years old, but his daughter remembered him with affection, saying:

“I have never known a more brilliant, energetic, humorous, loving, and fair person than my father.”

When Paul passed away in 1976, many believed he had suffered a stroke while in bed. Her adoption was made public. The celebrity claimed in her book “Prairie Tale: A Memoir” that she was informed when she was a young kid that her father, David Darlington, had been a Rhodes Scholar and that her biological mother, Kathy Wood, was a prima ballerina.

Her birth parents reportedly had no desire to give up their occupations in order to raise her, according to her adopted parents. The timing of the celebrity’s birth was allegedly incorrect, and as a result, they had to give up their daughter because her father was in the middle of a project.

She learned the whole truth about her biological parents when she was old enough. Although not a prima ballerina, her birth mother was a dancer, and David was a stock car racer and sign painter.

Kathy and David had three children between them when they were first married to other people. After running away, becoming pregnant, and moving in with their kids, the couple realized they couldn’t support a seventh child.

Parents Who Adopted Her Didn’t Want Her

The actress was stunned to learn more about her adoption after the death of her adopted father. Mitzi, her godmother, talked about the day she was picked up from the hospital by her adoptive parents.

She acknowledged that when the Gilberts returned with their new baby, it came as a shock. This astonished the actress, who looked to Barbara, along with other family members, and she confessed:

“Well, we weren’t planning on adopting a kid.”

When Barbara and her husband received a call informing them that the little girl will be available, they replied they weren’t seeking for a kid. When the celebrity’s adoptive mother phoned her out-of-state spouse, he instructed her to “go get it.”

She said to the journalist that she wouldn’t subject her kids to the burden of such a dark secret.
She was taken aback to hear herself referred to as a “it,” but Barbara clarified that she hadn’t even been born yet. Later, after learning of her upcoming arrival, Barbara revealed to her that they had been attempting to conceive.

Barbara claims that although the Gilberts were undergoing fertility treatments, they had not brought up the subject of adoption until they got the call. The actress discussed the secrecy of her adoptive family in an interview from July 2020.

The Secrets of the Family
The famous person disclosed to “CBS Sunday Morning” that she learned at the age of 11 that her father had passed away due to a stroke. But she found out at 45 that he had committed suicide.

The actress concealed the secret from everyone in her life, even herself. She informed the interviewer that she would never subject her children to the harm that such deep secrets do to families.

To learn the truth about what had happened to her adopted father, the actress engaged a detective. The detective learned that the deceased World War II veteran had threatened to take his own life while receiving care from the VA and was in excruciating pain.

An actress seen at the Santa Monica Bowling Alley in Santa Monica on January 23, 1982 | Source: Getty Images

She fought the anguish of losing her father in this way for approximately six months after learning the truth about Paul. During that time, she was unable to eat or sleep. She has since come to terms with it, though, and now works to preserve his memory by supporting mental health awareness and suicide prevention.

On January 23, 1982, an actress was spotted in Santa Monica at the Santa Monica Bowling Alley | Source: Getty Images
The actress also accepted and forgave Barbara for her decision to conceal the truth, even though she had been angry and betrayed for a long time. The next chapter reveals the celebrity’s name and her current way of life.

Who Is the Star Who Got Abandoned and Went on to Become a Famous Actress?
Melissa Gilbert is the actress, best known for her role as Laura “Half-Pint” Ingalls Wilder on the adored television program “Little House on the Prairie,” which ran from 1974 to 1983. She published her memoir, “Back to the Prairie,” in July 2022, and she is currently spending time with her family.

The celebrity acknowledged that she is “blessed” and mentioned that she is in a different place from her deceased adoptive father. She wants Paul to have felt the happiness that comes with having grandkids and the value of having a life partner who makes you feel listened, safe, and loved.

Timothy Busfield, Melissa’s third husband, and she became grandparents to a total of eight grandchildren in May 2022. While going through his second divorce, Busfield observed the actress waiting for a buddy at an empty pub in 2012.

Melissa Gilbert and her husband Timothy Busfield at a photocall during the 62nd Monte Carlo TV Festival on June 20, 2023, in Monte-Carlo, Monaco | Getty Images

On June 20, 2023, in Monte-Carlo, Monaco, Melissa Gilbert and her spouse Timothy Busfield attended a photocall for the 62nd Monte Carlo TV Festival | Getty Images
In April 2013, the pair got married in an intimate ceremony in Santa Barbara, California, with Melissa donning a dress by Morgane Le Faye. When Barbara’s daughter couldn’t determine what she wanted, Barbara suggested the brand’s Santa Monica store.

She disclosed in her book “Back to the Prairie” that Busfield, dressed in a blue suit, was alone at the private event; no guests were present. After nearly a lifetime in Hollywood, the famous person had her first kid, a son named Dakota Paul Brinkman, from her first marriage to the actor Bo Brinkman.

Michael Garrett Boxleitner is Melissa’s second child, born after her marriage to Bruce Boxleitner. Along with being a father, Busfield raised three children: Wilson, Daisy, and Samuel. He and his wife currently reside peacefully in a 14-acre cottage in the Catskill Mountains of New York.

Vinyl Treasures: A Nostalgic Reminder of Home Elegance!

It is replaced by a thin, metal object in the warm, inviting atmosphere of a 1970s living room with bright shag carpeting mixed with earth tones. Tucked away from the vinyl record sleeve, this simple curtain hook holds memories of carefree afternoons spent watching curtains billow in the soft wind from an open window. Despite its seeming simplicity, this object was essential to the fabric of family life.

Think back to a period when windows were dressed with their finest clothes, such as proudly hanging pleated drapes that framed the alluring appeal of city life or contented suburbia views. The curtain hook was a silent backstage worker that was frequently disregarded. Families laughed, wept, and fell in love in these spaces as a ballet of light and shadow was created by the fabric’s graceful folds and sleek design.

But as these commonplace objects are tucked away within the pages of a time that honored both the remarkable and the commonplace, it’s easy for them to disappear into the realm of recollections. The curtain hook, which was formerly ubiquitous, has been superseded by more contemporary devices. However, it is a subtle reminder of the fastidious attention to detail that was previously lavished upon our homes—a period in which the tiniest elements spoke a great deal about the homeowner’s taste and attention to detail.

Holding one of these curtain hooks in the present takes us back in time to a time when vinyl records provided the soundtrack for a fun-filled evening. For those who remember, it brings back fond memories, and for those who have never heard of its significance, it piques curiosity.

This tiny metal fragment is more than just an item; it is a thread woven into the fabric of a past way of life, softly capturing the spirit of a period when things were simpler and more important than they seemed.

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