But her first true TV acting role arrived on CBS' genre-defining Western series, "Gunsmoke." star Katherine Helmond as Ira's distressed wife, Ena. Gilbert — who was still only a child at the time — played the Spratts' young daughter. 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.