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.

MILLIONAIRE SHOCKED TO FIND OUT HIS DAUGHTER AND FOUR GRANDKIDS HAVE BEEN LIVING IN A CAR FOR YEARS – THE STORY THAT WILL LEAVE YOU SPEECHLESS

A woman who was kicked out of her wealthy father’s house at sixteen for marrying a poor man ended up living on the streets with her four children after her husband passed away.

Steve Walton was not happy when his butler informed him that Pastor Morris was waiting to see him. After a long flight from Singapore, he was tired and not interested in hearing the pastor’s lectures or requests for community support.

He had the pastor brought in and, showing his impatience, said, “Get on with it, man! What do you want this time?”

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“Mr. Walton, I saw Susan,” the pastor said quietly. Steve’s heart nearly stopped. His only daughter had left his house nearly fifteen years ago, and he hadn’t seen her since.

“Susan?” Steve asked anxiously. “Where? When? How is she?”

“I was in Los Angeles, helping out a friend with a mission for the homeless, and that’s where I saw her,” the pastor explained.

“Was she volunteering? Did you tell her I’ve been looking for her?” Steve asked.

“No,” Pastor Morris replied gently. “She wasn’t a volunteer, Mr. Walton. She’s homeless. She and her children are living in a car.”

Steve felt so dizzy he had to sit down. “Homeless? My Susan? With children?” he gasped.

“I’m afraid so,” the pastor said. “And she wouldn’t even listen to me when I told her to come home.”

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“But why?” Steve asked angrily. “She’s not still with that loser, is she?”

“Her husband passed away three years ago, Mr. Walton,” the pastor explained. “She told me she wouldn’t bring her children into a house where their father was hated.”

Steve Walton felt a wave of old rage sweep over him. Even fifteen years later, Susan was still defying him! He remembered the scene in his study, and how Susan had looked him in the eyes as he ranted.

“Pregnant at sixteen, and by the GARDENER!” he had screamed. “We are going to have THAT taken care of, and HE’S fired! You will never see that man again!”

“THAT is my baby, daddy,” Susan had said with a trembling voice. “And HE is the man I love. I’m going to marry him.”

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“You marry that man and you’re on your own, Susan, do you hear?” Steve shouted furiously. “No more money, nothing! You marry him and you get out of my house!”

Susan had looked at him with tears in her eyes. “I love you, daddy,” she said. Then she turned and walked away. Despite hiring detectives to find her, no one had been able to trace her.

“How many children?” Steve asked Pastor Morris.

“Four,” the pastor replied. “Three girls and a boy. Beautiful children.”

Steve picked up his phone and demanded that his plane be prepared. “Pastor, would you come with me to Los Angeles and take me to my little girl?” he asked quietly.

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The pastor nodded, and within two hours, he and Steve were on Steve’s private jet heading south. When they landed, a limo was waiting to take them to a parking lot outside a large mall.

At the far end of the lot, they found a pickup truck with a tent set up in the back. Pastor Morris had told Steve that after Susan’s husband died in a work accident, the insurance company refused to pay out, and the bank foreclosed on their home.

Susan had packed her children and their few belongings into the old pickup. She worked as a cleaner at the mall and used the mall’s facilities. She also bought leftover food from the restaurants at the end of the day.

Despite everything, Susan managed to keep her four children fed, clean, and in school. As Steve and the pastor approached the truck, they heard cheerful voices and laughter. Two children tumbled out of the back, excited to see them.

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The oldest girl, around fourteen, was laughing as she tickled a boy of about seven. When Steve and Pastor Morris approached, the children stopped and stared.

“Mom!” the girl shouted. “That old preacher friend of yours is here!”

From inside the tent, a familiar voice asked, “Preacher Morris?” Susan then emerged, and Steve saw the shock on her face when she saw him standing next to the pastor.

“Daddy?” she asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

Steve was taken aback. His daughter was only thirty-one, but she looked much older. Her face was lined with worry and hardship, and her hands were rough from hard work.

“Susan,” Steve cried. “Look at you! Look at what HE did to my princess! I wanted so much more for you! And you married that loser! What could he have given you? Poverty?”

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Susan shook her head and said, “He loved me, Daddy, and he gave me four beautiful children. He passed away, and I had nowhere to go, but I’ve done my best for my kids. I will always love their father, just like I’ve always loved you.”

Steve found tears streaming down his face. “Forgive me, Susan,” he sobbed. “Please forgive me. Come home, I want you all to come home with me. Let me help you take care of the children!”

As Steve held his weeping daughter, he knew that everything would be alright. Susan introduced him to his three granddaughters and then placed her hand on the boy’s shoulder. “And this,” she smiled, “is little Stevie!”

“You named him after me?” Steve asked, amazed. “After what I did?”

Susan looked at her father and said softly, “I love you, Daddy. Don’t you know that?”

That afternoon, they all flew back to Texas together. It marked the start of a new, better life for the whole family.

What can we learn from this story?

– **Love Your Children Unconditionally:** Steve’s anger at Susan for loving someone poor led him to lose his daughter. Accept your children no matter who they love.

– **Don’t Judge People by Wealth:** Steve didn’t like Susan’s husband because he was poor, but he was a loving and dedicated father. Don’t judge people by their money or status.

Share this story with your friends. It might bring them hope and inspiration.

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