| Sara Gilbert | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sara Rebecca Abeles January 29, 1975 Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Partner | Allison Adler (2001–2011; 2 children) |
Sara Gilbert ( /ˈɡɪlbərt/; born Sara Rebecca Abeles; January 29, 1975) is an American actress, best known for her role as Darlene Conner from on the ABC sitcom Roseanne from 1988 to 1997, as co-host and creator of the daytime talk show The Talk and for her recurring role as Leslie Winkle on CBS's The Big Bang Theory.
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Gilbert was born Sara Rebecca Abeles in Santa Monica, California. Her parents are Barbara Crane (née Cowan) and Harold Abeles. Her two older siblings, Melissa Gilbert and Jonathan Gilbert, were stars of Little House on the Prairie. Melissa and Jonathan both were adopted by Barbara and her first husband, Paul Gilbert; Paul died in 1975. Abeles changed her surname to Gilbert to become an actress in 1984.
Gilbert decided at age six that she wanted to be an actress after her older sister, Melissa Gilbert, got a plaque on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[1] Following appearances in television movies and a commercial for Kool Aid, at the age of thirteen she landed the role of Darlene Conner, the sarcastic middle child, in Roseanne. Sara was a cast member during the show's nine-year run from 1988 to 1997, for which she also wrote a fourth-season episode story (the teleplay was written by the Guild Writers for the show) called "Don't Make Me Over". Her contribution was considered so important to Roseanne that the show's producers juggled storylines and taping schedules to allow her to study at Yale University while remaining part of the cast, shooting remote segments of Darlene at a soundstage in New York.[2] At Yale, she majored in art with an emphasis on photography; she graduated with honors in 1997.
Gilbert has made guest appearances on shows such as The Simpsons, 24, Will & Grace, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Private Practice. Starting in 2004, she had a recurring role as medical student Jane Figler on the long-running hospital drama ER.
She returned to prime time television in the fall of 2005 in the sitcom Twins on The WB network. The sitcom was canceled after one season, when the WB and UPN networks merged to become The CW and had to drop a number of shows. She also had a recurring role on the short-lived CBS sitcom The Class as Fern Velch.
Since 2007 she has appeared in many episodes of The Big Bang Theory on CBS as Leslie Winkle, a scientist friend (with benefits) to the character played by Johnny Galecki, who also portrayed her longtime boyfriend and husband David Healy on Roseanne. Starting with the second episode of the second season of The Big Bang Theory, Gilbert was elevated to the show's main cast, portraying once again a potential love interest of Galecki's character. At the end of January, it was announced that the writers did not know how to write for her character full time and her status was then reduced from regular to recurring.[3]
Gilbert is a co-host and executive producer of The Talk, a talk show that premiered October 18, 2010. Along with Gilbert, Julie Chen, Sharon Osbourne, Sheryl Underwood and Aisha Tyler are the other co-hosts.
Gilbert has appeared in two films alongside Drew Barrymore, in Poison Ivy in 1992 and Riding In Cars With Boys in 2001. Gilbert also had a feature role in Light It Up in 1999. She has had several other minor roles following Roseanne, including short film $30 (aka 30 Bucks) as part of the Boys Life 3 feature, and High Fidelity. She directed her own short film Persona Non Grata in 1998.
Gilbert publicly came out as a lesbian in 2010.[4] In 2001, she began a relationship with TV producer Allison Adler. They have two children—a son, Levi Hank, born to Adler in October 2004,[5] and a daughter, Sawyer, born to Gilbert on August 2, 2007.[6][7] Gilbert and Adler separated in August 2011.[8] Following the breakup, Gilbert began a relationship with songwriter and former 4 Non Blondes frontwoman Linda Perry.[9]
In her teens, Gilbert became a vegetarian, and by 2008, she had adopted a vegan lifestyle.[10] She supports such organizations as PETA, Meals on Wheels, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and AIDS Project Los Angeles.
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Poison Ivy | Sylvie Cooper | Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 1994 | Dead Beat | Martha | |
| 1997 | Walkin' on Sunshine: The Movie | NeuralNurse 256 | |
| 1998 | Desert Blue | Sandy | |
| 1999 | Light It Up | Lynn Sabatini | |
| 2000 | The Big Tease | Gretle Dickens | |
| High Fidelity | Annaugh Moss | ||
| "Boys Life 3" | Emily/Michelle | Short film Segment: $30 |
|
| 2001 | Riding in Cars with Boys | Tina Barr | |
| 2004 | Laws of Attraction | Gary Gadget's Assistant | cameo |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Calamity Jane | Jean | TV-Movie |
| 1988 | ABC Weekend Special | Stephie | Episode: "Runaway Ralph" |
| 1988–1997 | Roseanne | Darlene Conner-Healy | 219 episodes Young Artist Award for Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series |
| 1990 | Sudie and Simpson | Sudie Harrigan | TV Movie
Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a Cable Special |
| 1992 | The Simpsons | Laura Powers | Voice only Episode: "New Kid on the Block" |
| 1994 | Saturday Night Live | Herself – Host | Episode: "Sara Gilbert/Counting Crows" |
| 1996 | ABC Afterschool Special | Jessie | Episode: "Me and My Hormones" |
| 1997 | Broken Record | TV Movie | |
| 2000–2001 | Welcome to New York | Amy Manning | 13 episodes |
| 2002 | 24 | Paula Schaeffer | 5 episodes |
| 2003 | Will & Grace | Cheryl | Episode: "Fanilow" |
| 2004 | Strong Medicine | Charlayne | Episode: "Cinderella in Scrubs" |
| 2004–2007 | ER | Dr. Jane Figler | 15 episodes |
| 2005 | In the Game | Unsold TV-Pilot | |
| The Clinic | Mrs. Jennings | Episode: 3.1 | |
| 2005–2006 | Twins | Mitchee Arnold | 18 episodes |
| 2006 | Girls on the Bus | Helen | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2006–2007 | The Class | Fern Velch | 6 episodes |
| 2007 | Private Practice | Kelly | Episode: "In Which Sam Gets Taken For a Ride" |
| 2007–2010 | The Big Bang Theory | Leslie Winkle | recurring season 1, season 2 regular and then back to recurring on season 3 |
| 2008 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Caitlyn Ryan | Episode: "Trials" |
| 2010 | HawthoRNe | Malia Price | Episode: "No Excuses" Episode: "The Match" Episode: "A Mother Knows" |
| Grey's Anatomy | Kim | Episode: "Suicide is Painless" | |
| The Talk | Herself | Recurring, Show Producer |