Former "Little House" star and current SAG president makes guest appearance at USC

Melissa Gilbert, the actress best known for her role as Laura on "Little House on the Prairie," made a guest appearance at the Law School last week to discuss her current duties as president of the Screen Actors Guild.

Speaking to the Entertainment Law class taught by Adjunct Professor Larry Stein, Gilbert talked about how SAG supports the interests of actors working in television and film. Gilbert, who was elected to her post a year ago, said the guild's collective bargaining power is particularly important now that most of the major studios and television networks are owned by media conglomerates.

She said the majority of SAG members earn less than $7,500 per year from acting and fewer than five percent make more than $100,000 annually.

"The reality is that it's a tough, tough world for actors," said Gilbert, who began acting at age two and is the youngest person to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. "The reality is that actors need a guild to make sure they are treated fairly."

Gilbert is currently waging a campaign to merge SAG with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), creating a new union that would represent all performers whether they work in TV, film or radio.

Discussing her involvement in the merger negotiations, Gilbert said, "I've played a lawyer on TV, and I'm feeling more and more like a lawyer these days."

Also speaking to the class last week were Marcia Harris, a partner at Stein's firm, Alschuler Grossman Stein & Kahan, and Warren Adler, associate national director of the Directors Guild of America.