Sara Gilberts Family Guide: Her Famous Grandparents, Siblings and More

A showbiz family! Sara Gilbert is best known for her role on Roseanne — but some many realize the Conners aren’t her only famous family members.

The Conners star was born to actress Barbara Cowan (née Crane) and Harold Abeles. Her mother was the daughter of Julia and Harry Crane, who were a model and comedy writer, respectively. Gilbert’s grandfather was the creator of the 1955 sitcom The Honeymooners.

Before Gilbert’s mother met Abeles, she was married to Paul Gilbert, who was a famous comedian. While the two were married, they adopted Melissa Gilbert and Jonathan Gilbert, who both starred in Little House on the Prairie.

Cowan and Paul divorced when Melissa and Jonathan were young, and the Sorority Girl star moved on with Abeles. She and the attorney welcomed Sara in 1975. One year later, Cowan’s ex-husband died. The Miracle Worker actress and Abeles divorced after ten years of marriage.

In 1984, Sara decided to professionally use the last name Gilbert — in honor of her mother’s first husband — as she began her acting career. After booking commercial gigs, the California native got her big break with her starring role on the sitcom Roseanne.

While on the show she met Johnny Galecki, whom she dated for a brief period. During their romance, Sara realized she was lesbian. She didn’t publicly comment on her sexuality until 2010, while promoting her new venture as a host on The Talk.

“This is a whole new world for me. I’m not an expert on this, or I don’t analyze these things,” the Poison Ivy actress said at the time. “I’m just sort of living my life. I plan to put my heart and soul into this show, and I plan to continue acting, and I don’t think [being out] will be a problem. I don’t ever really think of things as out or in. I just think I am who I am, and when topics come up that are appropriate, I’ll talk about them and share when it seems right.”

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Before coming out to the world, Sara was in a relationship with Ali Adler from 2001 to 2011. The pair share two children, son Levi in 2004 and daughter Sawyer in 2007. After her split from the producer, The Big Bang Theory alum moved on with Linda Perry and the duo wed in 2014. They welcomed son Rhodes in 2105. Sara split from the musician in August 2019.

Keep scrolling to meet Sara’s famous family members:

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