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Born
Eugene Maurice Orowitz, Michael Landon developed a passion for
acting at a young age. Born on October 31, 1936 in Queens, New
York, Landon was a sports lover and excelled in track and field.
His extraordinary skills landed him a sports scholarship to
University of Southern California, Los Angeles. But after a
sports injury cut his athletic and college career short, he
decided to try his hand at acting. It was at that time the professional
acting name Michael Landon was born. He didn't have to wait
long before he was cast in his first roles. In 1957, Landon
was cast as Tony Rivers in I was a Teenage Werewolf.
By 1959, Landon landed his first major acting gig when he was
cast as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza. For over a
decade, Landon played the defiant ladies man in the popular
western television show. Bonanza took its final bow in 1973
after fourteen successful years and 461 episodes.
Landon barely had a moment to rest before he became the heart
and soul for his next long running series. In Little House
on the Prairie, viewers got to see a very different Michael
Landon. As the assiduous husband and father striving for a better
life on the western frontier, audiences witnessed a different
Landon; an actor who could be gentle, compassionate and courageous
at the same time. With Little House, Landon was able
to spread his wings and have a hands-on approach with the highly
rated program. As producer, writer, director and executive producer,
Landon had a direct impact on the direction and success of the
program. Audience and critics alike praised Landon for his on
and off camera work. After eight years, Little House on the
Prairie aired its last episode on March 21, 1983.
Again, Landon delved right in to his next television project.
Unlike the westerns he played so comfortably in, Landon chose
a different path and starred in the NBC fantasy/drama Highway
to Heaven. As Jonathan Smith, Landon played the role of
an angel sent back to earth to help save the souls of the children
of God. His Little House co-star and good friend, Victor
French, also starred in the show. After five seasons and with
the death of French, Landon abruptly ended his work on Highway
to Heaven in 1989.
In April 1991, Landon discovered that he was stricken with Cancer.
He appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson to
reveal to the world and discuss his battle with Pancreatic Cancer.
Unfortunately, it was not long after that taping when Landon
succumbed to the terminal cancer. On July 1, 1991, Michael Landon
passed away at 54-years-old. |
