Why was she given up for adoption, and who took her in?
The future celebrity was born on May 8, 1964, in a now-defunct Los Angeles hospital known as The French Hospital. Barbara Crane and Paul Gilbert, the star’s adopted parents, took her in when she was just 24 hours old.
They also adopted her younger brother, Jonathan. Paul was a stand-up comedian, actor, and dancer who began as an aerialist with a family circus in Buenos Aires. Barbara was an actress in her twenties who had a brief career. Barbara and Paul separated when the little girl was six years old, and his daughter warmly remembers him, saying:
“My father was the most incredibly talented, vivacious, funny, loving, fair person I ever knew.”
Paul passed in 1976, and others assumed he had a stroke while asleep. Her adoption was not a secret. In her book, “Prairie Tale: A Memoir,” the celebrity claims that as a child, she was taught that her biological mother, Kathy Wood, was a prima ballerina and her father, David Darlington, was a Rhodes Scholar.
Her adopted parents stated that her birth parents were not interested in giving up their occupations to raise her. The celebrity’s father was claimed to be working on a project at the time of the birth, thus they abandoned their daughter.
When she was old enough, she found out the real truth about her biological parents. Her birth mother was indeed a dancer but not a prima ballerina, and David worked as a sign painter and a stock car racer.
Kathy and David were previously married to other people and each had three children. The couple fled, became pregnant, and moved in with their children before deciding they couldn’t support a seventh kid.
The adoptive parents didn’t want her.
After her adoptive father died, the actress was horrified to discover more information about her adoption. Her godmother, Mitzi, discussed the day her adoptive parents picked her up from the hospital.
She confessed it was a shock when the Gilberts returned with their new child. The actress was surprised by this and, along with other family members, turned to look at Barbara, who admitted:
“I mean, we had no plans to adopt a child.”
Barbara stated that she and her husband were not looking for a child until they received a phone call indicating that the little girl would be available. The star’s adoptive mother contacted her husband, who was on the road, and he ordered her, “Go get it.”
She informed the interviewer she wouldn’t conceal such a deep secret from her children…
She was surprised to hear herself referred to as a “it,” but Barbara explained that she hadn’t yet been born. Barbara later revealed that when they learned of her impending arrival, they had been attempting to conceive.
The couple was undergoing fertility treatments, but according to Barbara, the Gilberts had not explored the possibility of adoption until receiving the call. During a July 2020 interview, the actress discussed how private her adopted family was.
The Family Secrets
During an interview with “CBS Sunday Morning,” the celebrity said that when she was 11 years old, she learned that her father had died of a stroke. However, at the age of 45, she discovered that he had committed suicide.
The actress hid the secret from everyone in her life, including herself. She informed the interviewer that she would never conceal such a deep secret from her children because it was so detrimental to families.
The actress hired an investigator to investigate what really happened to her adopted father. The detective determined that the late World War II veteran was in severe pain while receiving VA care and threatened suicide, which he did.
Who is the abandoned star that went on to become a well-known actress?
Melissa Gilbert is the actress who played Laura “Half-Pint” Ingalls Wilder on the renowned series “Little House on the Prairie” from 1974 to 1983. She released her memoir, “Back to the Prairie,” in July 2022, and is now spending time with her family.
The actress admitted to being “blessed” and mentioned that she is in a different place than her late adoptive father. Her hope is for Paul to have experienced the joy of grandchildren and the love of a life partner who makes you feel safe, valued, and heard.
