# Sara Gilbert
**Sara Gilbert** (born Sara Rebecca Abeles, 1975, in [Santa Monica, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-monica-california)) is an American actress and producer best known for playing Darlene Conner on the ABC sitcom *Roseanne* and its spinoff *The Conners*, and for creating and co-hosting the CBS daytime talk show *The Talk*.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004960/bio/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1975, Santa Monica, California; birth name Sara Rebecca Abeles[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) |
| Breakthrough role | Darlene Conner, the middle daughter on *Roseanne* (ABC, 1988–1997)[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) |
| Awards | Three consecutive Young Artist Awards (1991–1993) and two Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actress (1993 and 1994) for *Roseanne*[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) |
| *The Talk* | Creator, executive producer, and original co-host from its 2010 debut until August 2019; the show ran 15 seasons before CBS ended it in December[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) • [3](https://apnews.com/article/af4b1662f5ac2dc92d0cb2fd37b920bc) |
| 2018 revival | Drove the 2018 *Roseanne* reboot and continued as star and executive producer on *The Conners*[4](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/roseanne-cast-reveals-actors-board-deal-signed/story?id=53027160) • [5](https://www.dgepress.com/abc/bios/sara-gilbert/) |
| Education | Yale University, B.A. in art, magna cum laude, graduated 1997 with a photography concentration[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) • [5](https://www.dgepress.com/abc/bios/sara-gilbert/) |
| Revival ratings | The March 27, 2018 premiere drew 18.2 million viewers and a 5.1 rating among adults 18–49[6](https://time.com/5294313/roseanne-cancelled-abc/) |
## Early life and family
Gilbert was born Sara Rebecca Abeles to Barbara Cowan and Harold Abeles at St. John's Hospital and Health Center in Santa Monica.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004960/bio/) Her mother, Barbara Crane, was a producer and Hollywood talent manager, and her grandparents were Harry Crane, a television writer known for *The Honeymooners*, and Julia Crane, a dancer once named "Miss Brooklyn."[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) Her older half-siblings, [Melissa Gilbert](https://www.edgepedia.org/melissa-gilbert) and [Jonathan Gilbert](https://www.edgepedia.org/jonathan-gilbert), starred on the NBC series *Little House on the Prairie* in the 1980s.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) At the age of six, she made her television debut in a Kool-Aid commercial; after several more commercials and a part in the 1984 CBS TV movie *Calamity Jane*, she adopted the Gilbert family name.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004960/bio/)
## Roseanne and Darlene Conner
In 1988 Gilbert won a central role on the ABC sitcom *Roseanne*, playing Darlene Conner, the sharp-witted, down-to-earth middle daughter of Roseanne ([Roseanne Barr](https://www.edgepedia.org/roseanne-barr)) and [Dan Conner](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-conner) ([John Goodman](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-goodman)).[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) The show ran for nine years, from 1988 to 1997, and Darlene's coming-of-age from a tomboyish youth to an artistic, politically engaged teenager was largely based on Gilbert's own life.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert)
Her portrayal earned three consecutive Young Artist Awards (1991–1993) and two Emmy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress (1993 and 1994).[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) She also wrote one episode of the series, "Don't Make Me Over," which aired during the fourth season.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) While still starring on the show, she attended Yale University, reducing her role in the later seasons, and graduated in 1997 with a B.A. in art and a concentration in photography.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert)
## The Talk
Between the original run of *Roseanne* and its revival, Gilbert created the daytime talk show *The Talk*, debuting in 2010 as an original co-host alongside Julie Chen, Sharon Osbourne, Leah Remini, and [Holly Robinson Peete](https://www.edgepedia.org/holly-robinson-peete).[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) She said in a 2011 Associated Press interview that the show was based on her actual group of "mom friends" who gathered to chat.[3](https://apnews.com/article/af4b1662f5ac2dc92d0cb2fd37b920bc) The program carved out a niche with its focus on issues through the lens of motherhood and won Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Talk Show/[Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment) and Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Hosts.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) • [5](https://www.dgepress.com/abc/bios/sara-gilbert/) Gilbert made her final appearance as co-host in August 2019 but remained an executive producer.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) • [3](https://apnews.com/article/af4b1662f5ac2dc92d0cb2fd37b920bc) In April 2024, CBS announced that *The Talk* would end in December after 15 seasons.[3](https://apnews.com/article/af4b1662f5ac2dc92d0cb2fd37b920bc)
## The revival and The Conners
Gilbert was, by the accounts of her castmates, the driving force behind the 2018 revival of *Roseanne*. In March 2017 she sat with John Goodman for a comedy sketch on *The Talk* that revived their characters, then spent weeks making the calls and texts that brought the cast together; three weeks later a deal had been struck with ABC.[4](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/roseanne-cast-reveals-actors-board-deal-signed/story?id=53027160) Roseanne Barr said of her effort, "Sara Gilbert, she's on fire."[4](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/roseanne-cast-reveals-actors-board-deal-signed/story?id=53027160)
The revival premiered on March 27, 2018, drawing 18.2 million viewers and a 5.1 rating among adults 18–49, the highest-rated comedy broadcast since 2014.[6](https://time.com/5294313/roseanne-cancelled-abc/) Gilbert told TheWrap that the show's politics centered on one question, "How do politics divide a family?"[7](https://www.thewrap.com/roseanne-star-sara-gilbert-reboot-politics-divide-family/) Two months later, after Barr posted a racist tweet about former Obama adviser [Valerie Jarrett](https://www.edgepedia.org/valerie-jarrett), ABC canceled the show.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) • [6](https://time.com/5294313/roseanne-cancelled-abc/) Gilbert called Barr's comments "abhorrent" and said she was "disappointed in her actions," adding in a tweet that the show was "separate and apart from the opinions and words of one cast member."[6](https://time.com/5294313/roseanne-cancelled-abc/) ABC then moved forward with a spinoff without Barr, *The Conners*, which debuted in October 2018 with Gilbert continuing as both Darlene and executive producer; its ratings earned a second season.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) • [5](https://www.dgepress.com/abc/bios/sara-gilbert/)
## Other roles
Gilbert's film credits include *[Poison Ivy](https://www.edgepedia.org/poison-ivy-1992-film)* (1992) and *Riding in Cars with Boys* (2001), both with [Drew Barrymore](https://www.edgepedia.org/drew-barrymore), and *High Fidelity* (2000) with [John Cusack](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-cusack).[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) • [5](https://www.dgepress.com/abc/bios/sara-gilbert/) She received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for *Riding in Cars with Boys*.[5](https://www.dgepress.com/abc/bios/sara-gilbert/) On television, she had recurring roles on *24* and on *ER* as Dr. Jane Figler from 2004 to 2007, and beginning in 2007 a recurring role as Leslie Winkle on *The Big Bang Theory*.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) Her other credits include *Will & Grace*, *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit*, *Grey's Anatomy*, *Jane the Virgin*, *Supergirl*, and *Bad Teacher*.[5](https://www.dgepress.com/abc/bios/sara-gilbert/)
She made her directorial debut with the short film *Persona Non Grata*, executive produced by The Shooting Gallery and selected for the 1998 [Sundance Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/sundance-film-festival).[5](https://www.dgepress.com/abc/bios/sara-gilbert/) Her photography has been exhibited in New York City at Paul Morris Gallery and at the Deutsche Guggenheim Museum in Berlin in the summer of 2008.[5](https://www.dgepress.com/abc/bios/sara-gilbert/) Following her departure from *The Talk*, she took a recurring role in the Netflix series *Atypical*.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert)
## Personal life
Gilbert first publicly discussed her sexual orientation in 2010, in advance of the launch of *The Talk*.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) Her longtime partner was the writer and producer Allison Adler, from 2002 until 2011, with whom she has two children: son Hank Levi Gilbert-Adler (born 2004) and daughter Sawyer Gilbert-Adler (born 2007).[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert) She married musician [Linda Perry](https://www.edgepedia.org/linda-perry) in March 2014, and their son Rhodes Emilio Gilbert-Perry was born in 2015; the couple separated as reported in December 2019.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert)
Gilbert is a longtime vegan who has worked with [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals](https://www.edgepedia.org/people-for-the-ethical-treatment-of-animals), and she also works with the Earth Communication Office, a foundation raising awareness of environmental causes, and has volunteered for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and AIDS Project L.A.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert)
## References
1. [Sara Gilbert Biography, Biography.com](https://www.biography.com/actors/sara-gilbert)
2. [Sara Gilbert Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004960/bio/)
3. [CBS says its daytime show 'The Talk' will end its run in December after 15 seasons, AP News (April 12, 2024)](https://apnews.com/article/af4b1662f5ac2dc92d0cb2fd37b920bc)
4. ['Roseanne' cast reveals who was behind getting actors on board and deal signed, ABC News](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/roseanne-cast-reveals-actors-board-deal-signed/story?id=53027160)
5. [Sara Gilbert, ABC Press Bio](https://www.dgepress.com/abc/bios/sara-gilbert/)
6. [ABC Cancels 'Roseanne' After Roseanne Barr's Racist Tweet, TIME](https://time.com/5294313/roseanne-cancelled-abc/)
7. [Sara Gilbert Says 'Roseanne' Reboot Asked One Question: 'How Do Politics Divide a Family?', TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/roseanne-star-sara-gilbert-reboot-politics-divide-family/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames G to Go*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license