Before Little House On The Prairie, Melissa Gilbert Got Her TV Acting Start On Gunsmoke

In the fledgling days of her career, "Little House on the Prairie" star Melissa Gilbert got her start by appearing in dozens of television commercials and taking on two uncredited roles — one in a movie titled "The Reluctant Astronaut," followed by a brief appearance as a little girl sitting on Santa's lap on "The Dean Martin Show." But her first true TV acting role arrived on CBS' genre-defining Western series, "Gunsmoke."

Running for a whopping two decades that consisted of 20 seasons and 635 episodes, "Gunsmoke" followed Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness), as he enforced law and order in 1870s Dodge City, Kansas. In the Season 18 episode "The Judgement," a bitter ex-convict named Musgrove (Ramon Bieri) comes to town seeking revenge against Ira Spratt (William Windom), the man who turned him in years prior. The episode also starred Tim O'Connor, Mariette Hartley, and future "Who's the Boss?" star Katherine Helmond as Ira's distressed wife, Ena. Gilbert — who was still only a child at the time — played the Spratts' young daughter.

During a 2011 interview with the Television Academy, Gilbert opened up about her first TV guest-starring role, recalling how her character had to cry alongside her mother as Marshal Dillon arrived to arrest her dad. More importantly, the episode served as an early masterclass in acting thanks to Helmond. Prior to filming an emotionally charged scene, Helmond did something Gilbert had never witnessed on a commercial set before.

"She kind of curled up in a corner, and she lifted all of her 'Gunsmoke' wardrobe-y skirts up, and she squatted down in the corner before the scene, and she was just kind of rocking back and forth," Gilbert recalled. Helmond was quietly focusing, in order to reach the hysterical emotional state required for the dramatic moment. "I thought it was just fascinating, what she was doing." Gilbert added.

Observing the deep-in-thought actress get in the zone left a long-lasting impression on the young performer. "That was the first time I ever saw an actor prepare for something. And it was really important," Gilbert shared. "I remember seeing that and thinking, 'Wow, so that's how you do this.'" That etched-in-brain moment with Helmond clearly brushed off on Gilbert, who ended up adopting the technique and using it throughout her entire adult career. "On days where I have really tough things to do and I have to stay focused, I will crouch down in a corner until they are ready for me," she shared.

That little acting lesson clearly paid off. Just two years after her "Gunsmoke" appearance, Gilbert landed her career-defining role as Laura Ingalls Wilder in the '70s-defining "Little House on the Prairie," starring alongside Michael Landon from 1974 to 1983. Following her time in Walnut Grove, she became a prolific star of made-for-TV movies — including acclaimed turns in "The Miracle Worker" and "The Diary of Anne Frank"— and went on to compete on Season 14 of "Dancing with the Stars" in 2012.