Alumni of Little House on the Prairie Melissa Gilbert is set to guest star on a Hallmark series, nearly 11 years after she left Hollywood to live on a Michigan farm.
The 60-year-old actress, who played Laura Ingalls Wilder on Little House on the Prairie, will appear in a two-episode arc on the upcoming 12th season of When Calls The Heart, set to premiere in 2025.
Her character, Georgie McGill, will share “a surprising past with a special resident of Hope Valley,” according to a press release.
Gilbert’s cameo also has ties to Little House on the Prairie, as When Calls the Heart is executive produced by Michael Landon Jr., son of the late Michael Landon, who played Dad on the iconic family series.
Kelly Garrett, vice president of programming at Hallmark Media, highlighted the similarities between When Calls the Heart and Little House on the Prairie in a recent statement, saying both series feature “charming and compelling stories of hope, human connection and survival in the frontier.”
Former Little House on the Prairie actress Melissa Gilbert is set to guest star on a Hallmark series, nearly 11 years after she left Hollywood to live on a Michigan farm
The 60-year-old actress, who played Laura Ingalls Wilder on Little House on the Prairie, will appear in a two-episode story arc in the upcoming 12th season of When Calls the Heart, set to premiere in 2025.
Garrett added: ‘It was very fitting that the first to hear this special news were the Hearties – dedicated fans who celebrate the show year after year and have made it such a success.
“The energy of being here to share this news with them is infectious and we can’t wait for them to meet Georgie next year.”
The announcement comes after Gilbert revealed that she left LA in 2013 to “get older” and free herself from the harsh, unrealistic expectations Hollywood places on actresses, despite her success in Tinseltown.
“All the pressures, I’ve been through them all. Living in Los Angeles, it’s like living in a mall when you work in a mall,” she said People.
‘Everyone is literally in the business. You walk into a restaurant and every head turns to see who walked in.
‘Everyone is always searching, curious, competitive and that’s really hard, especially for a female actor. It puts a lot of pressure on staying thin and young and it makes it really hard to feel comfortable in your own skin because [of] the aging process.
‘So are you going to age comfortably and happily? Are you going to fight it, be unhealthy and feel like there’s something wrong with you because you’re getting older and that you’re flawed because you’ve gotten older?
I had to get out of there [L.A.]because I felt like I wasn’t quite myself.’
Her character, Georgie McGill, will share “a surprising past with a special resident of Hope Valley,” according to a press release; (Lori Loughlin pictured)
Gilbert’s cameo also has ties to Little House on the Prairie, as When Calls the Heart is executive produced by Michael Landon Jr., son of the late Michael Landon, who played Dad on the iconic family show
The Anne Frank Diary actress, now married to Timothy Busfield, has two sons: Dakota, 35, with her first husband Bo Brinkman, and Michael, 28, with her second husband Bruce Boxleitner.
After moving to Michigan and eventually New York, she said all her fears disappeared once she left California.
She said, “In the five years that I was in Michigan, all that stopped. … I stopped everything and just focused on being as physically and emotionally healthy as possible.
“And I think that shows, ‘Yes, I’m getting older, but it’s not a curse, it’s a blessing.’”
From 1974 to 1983, she appeared in the popular television series Little House On The Prairie, in which she appeared in over 200 episodes.
Gilbert has a clothing collection called Modern Prairie.
The actress is also a model for the brand.
“Each piece is made in collaboration with our wonderful artisans and is unique and special, reflecting our vision and their hard work,” she said earlier this year.
‘From linens to ceramics, aprons to toys, there’s something to put a smile on your face. Have you checked it out yet? Then head over to Modern Prairie’s website now, because these limited edition treasures are flying off the shelves!’
In November, she launched an app for her lifestyle brand Modern Prairie, aimed at older women.
Together with retail and merchandising expert Nicole Haase, she founded Modern Prairie.
“Retail has underestimated women our age, and our ability and desire to spend money,” Gilbert said. People.
“There was very little room for the aging woman. We were either marginalized as a distracted old lady or a grumpy old woman who you want to avoid. There’s clearly so much more to us than that.”
Modern Prairie to realize Gilbert’s vision as a “space where women can connect” also has an app launched.
Seen far right with Melissa Sue Anderson, far left, and Lindsay Greenbush, center, on Little House On The Prairie
With co-star Mitch Vogel in the hit family show that is still popular thanks to streamers
“Women need to know that they are not alone,” Gilbert said of wanting to create community. “There is always someone who will help us through, who will walk ahead of us, who will walk behind us, who will hold us up when we need it.
Gilbert played Laura Ingalls Wilder, also known as “Half Pint,” on the 1970s NBC series Little House On The Prairie, an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s bestselling Little House series.
Little House On The Prairie premiered with a pilot film in March 1974 and celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.
“There are people who always assume I’m 12,” Gilbert said. “And I’ll always be that girl, full of wonder and running through the fields. Half Pint is always in me. But we all get older.”
The Modern Prairie brand offers clothing and home goods inspired by the Little House values of “love, community and family” and made by women-owned or women-run businesses.
Gilbert lives with her husband Busfield on a 14-acre farm.
“We just enjoy doing our silly chores together, like cleaning the chicken coop, making sure they have their treats and playing with the dogs,” Gilbert said.
“We play a lot of backgammon. We cook together. And really, we just like sitting next to each other in a room, wherever we are. We just really enjoy being together.”
Gilbert has a clothing collection called Modern Prairie
Gilbert lives on a 14-acre farm with her husband Timothy Busfield, pictured in January 2020 in New York City
Gilbert and Busfield have been married since 2013 and she thanked him for the support he gave her in embracing natural aging.
“And when I said, ‘I think I’m going to stop dyeing my hair,’ he said, ‘I can’t wait to see what color it is. This is so exciting!’ When I said, ‘I think I want to permanently remove my breast implants,’ he said, ‘Do it!’” Gilbert said. “It’s incredibly uplifting to be with someone who says, ‘I love you just the way you are.’”
Both Gilbert and Busfield had just gone through a second divorce from their ex-partners when they started dating.
After their marriage, Gilbert and Busfield moved to Howell, Michigan in August 2013, where they lived in a charming, restored Victorian home. They later moved to a picturesque 14-acre cottage in New York’s Catskill Mountains.
