When Melissa Gilbert came face to face with the man she was to marry on TV, she was horrified by what she saw. She’s great friends with him now — get acquainted too! It’s been said that the best friendships do not always begin on the right foot. This was the case for entertainers Melissa Gilbert, Dean Butler.
When they were younger, still in the process of blooming into skilled actors, the two had the privilege of acting alongside one another in one of the most intimate dynamics on TV — husband and wife.
Gilbert was already a member of the “Little House on the Prairie” cast as the young, spirited Laura Ingalls when Butler was brought on as Almanzo Wilder, the man Laura would eventually settle down with.
Gilbert, who had been at least a decade younger than Dean Butler, wrote about the impressions she had about him right from when she discovered he would be her onscreen husband in her book, “Prairie Tale: A Memoir.”
She had been fifteen at the time and had been expecting the person who would act her husband to be closer to her in age. She was initially shocked to meet Butler in person.
Here was a full-grown man in his twenties, and there Gilbert was, a girl yet to start shaving her legs, acting as his future wife.
“All I knew was that I wanted to run away and hide,” shesaidabout the memorable experience. One she lived with a look that she determined was best not imagined on her face.
Gilbert acknowledged that he scared him in the first few moments. She did her best to make him feel as comfortable as possible. Even though he made mistakes on his own, those were the best times.
She mentioned an instance of his first day of work. It was apparent that he had been assigned to drive a team of horses, but failed because he did not know what to do with a horse.
The wind had distracted him and he lost his big hat. He steered the horses straight into a tree. Gilbert, who claimed to be able to ride any horse, was having a great time laughing at Gilbert’s expense.
Butler played Almanzo Wilder between 1979 and 1983 on the iconic pioneer drama “Little House on the Prairie.” Her mother would slap her because, after that, all reprimands had to be done verbally.
Even after leaving the show, he was still active in the film industry. Between the 80s and 90s, he appeared in films like “Desert Hearts” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” He guest-starred on several TV shows as well, some of which included “Who’s the Boss?” “The Love Boat,” “Murder, She Wrote,” and “JAG.”
On Broadway, he played Rapunzel’s Prince in the original company of “Into the Woods.” He also did a lot of work behind the cameras as the founder of a production company named Legacy Documentaries.
He is currently married to actress Katherine Cannon, whom he met at an audition for Michael Landon’s series “Father Murphy.”
Gilbert practically grew up right on the screen. In her autobiography, which she penned in 2009, she revealed that about a week after she met her onscreen husband, she had her period — the very first.
Luckily for her, she was home when it happened, but when she told her mom, she got slapped — hard and once, on the face.
Apparently, it was a Jewish tradition; when a woman had her first period, her mother would slap her because all reprimands had to be done verbally after that. That was how young she was when fame found her.
Gilbert went on to do great things in the movie industry. She was elected president in 2001 of the Screen Actor’s Guild and served two terms as SAG’s head honcho.
On her journey, she also fell in love several times. Although she dated Rob Lowe for six years on and off, her first husband was Bo Brinkman. They were married in 1988, and they welcomed their first child together, Dakota in 1989.
Gilbert married Timothy Busfield two years later. They have no children together but she is a loving stepmother to Wilson Busfield’s three children, Daisy Busfield, and Samuel Busfield. He has also welcomed Wilson Busfield into his previous relationships.
Gilbert is a loving and committed mother to her children and stepkids. Followers who follow Gilbert on Instagram get glimpses into the private life of the actress.
There are many pictures on her Instagram of her enjoying various activities with her children. Although she doesn’t have a grandchild, she does have a stepgrandchild that she loves to show off on her Instagram.